Opponent spotlight: Top 3-pt shooter in D-I lurks in the shadows

By Josh Wheeling

Senior Staff Writer

jw4@sas.upenn.edu

LEXINGTON, Ky., March 14 - On a team with the top three-point shooter in the country, it would make sense that all of the buzz is around that one guy.

But Texas A&M; sharpshooter Josh Carter has to take second fiddle to point guard Acie Law.

Carter's 51.6 percent from behind the arc (83 of 161) makes him one of only two Division I players to hit more than half of his attempts.

But Carter is not the typical outside shooter. At 6-foot-7 and with a high release - the ball is a good three inches above his head before he lets it go - he's almost impossible to block.

"It's good to be taller because I can just shoot over people," Carter said.

Growing up, though, the Dallas native had some good competition - his older brother Warren is the leading scorer and second-leading steal man and rebounder for Illinois.

"I would always play with older people, with my brothers, and when I would drive they would block [my shot] pretty much," Carter said.

Penn assistant coach Perry Bromwell is barely over six feet tall, but he too knows about the outside shot. The Big 5's all-time percentage leader was a 50.6 percent three-point shooter in 1987 (the first year college basketball had a three-point line).

"He's long and flows into his shot with energy," Bromwell said. "His shot is an effortless thing for him, to be able to release that over top of the defense."

Aggies coach Billy Gillispie sees Carter developing into an all-around player, but knows his swingman's strength is still on the perimeter.

"He makes the opposing team know where he is and he stretches the defense, so it really opens up things for our other guards."

But to an extent, those other guards allow Carter to do what he does best - the sophomore has Law to catch passes from. The Big 12's fifth-leading scorer and third-leading assist man draws a crowd while driving to inside, and Carter is often open outside. That makes it virtually impossible for any team to double him 20 feet from the basket.

"A lot of teams face-guard and just don't help back on me," Carter said. Law "drives and gets layups, and when he hits a couple he'll just give it to me.

"There's no way I'd be leading the nation in three-point percentage if it wasn't for him. He just gives me a wide open shot, and I've got the easy part."

This is why the Texas A&M; offense is so difficult to plan against, and Penn coach Glen Miller cannot just focus on stopping the outside gunner.

"We have to keep Texas A&M; out of transition, we have to make it a half-court game, and we're just going to have to guard inside-out," Miller said.

Defending a threat from the outside doesn't bode well for Penn, which allows opponents to shoot a solid 35.8 percent from deep. But that number has gone down as the season has progressed. In the conference slate Penn held opponents to under 30 percent from deep, but even if the Ancient Eight boasts good shooters, Law is not the average Ivy point guard.

But Law is quick to pass the credit to the guy who provides him with 13 points per game.

"Whenever we get into a bind we can kick it out to him when they trap our big men or I get trapped and you know you've got a great, great chance for him to knock it down."

The team's fourth-leading scorer in losses (7.7 ppg) and second in wins (13.8), may hold the hammer that can smash Penn's glass slipper.

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