Nominations: Cal's all-time best pure shooter?

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carnicelat
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Lamond Murray
Civil Bear
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ncbears said:

I think Murray had the sweetest shot in my Cal viewing days which goes back to Gene Ransom.
Honorable mention: Ed Gray's aborted senior year.

Randle's career stats are crazy: 45.4% overall, 50.9% on 2 pointers, 40.5% on 3 pointers, 88.1% from the line (93.3 as a senior); 18.4 points per game


Particularly crazy in that many of his shots were under duress and/or from Curry-land.

By contrast, Shantay Leggans may have been the most automatic to hit a three when wide open, but his lack of height and quickness made him often have to shoot from further out, which was not his strength.
HoopDreams
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Agree and Randle was able to get to the rack with his handle and quickness,and finish…plus he perfected the tear drop

A scoring machine

Civil Bear said:

ncbears said:

I think Murray had the sweetest shot in my Cal viewing days which goes back to Gene Ransom.
Honorable mention: Ed Gray's aborted senior year.

Randle's career stats are crazy: 45.4% overall, 50.9% on 2 pointers, 40.5% on 3 pointers, 88.1% from the line (93.3 as a senior); 18.4 points per game


Particularly crazy in that many of his shots were under duress and/or from Curry-land.

By contrast, Shantay Leggans may have been the most automatic to hit a three when wide open, but his lack of height and quickness made him often have to shoot from further out, which was not his strength.
Big C
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Yes, three 5'9" guards who could shoot the lights out for the Bears, if given the opportunity...

Michael Chavez ('80s): Didn't have the athleticism to create his own shot, but don't leave him alone!
Shantay Legans: Somewhat more athletic, but still so short that it was hard for him to shake free.
Jerome Randle: The complete package, offensively, reflecting his Pac 10 Player of the Year award.
SFCityBear
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calumnus said:

Big C said:


Who's the best pure outside shooter we've ever had? I should probably put one out there for you to top, but I'm sort of drawing a blank. Well, names are starting to come to me, but no one is standing out as number one, so some of you can name some names...

I take that back, here's a First Team (but I bet it could be enhanced... well maybe not the two bigs):

Ryan Anderson
Amit Tamir
Jordan Mathews
Ryan Drew
Theo Robertson

What say ye?

EDIT: Oh crap, I left off somebody pretty obvious. Had I only thought this through...



Cal All-Time Leaders in 3pt%
1. Jordan Mathews .416
2. Jerome Randle .404


This list is incomplete. A more complete list is from the all-time Cal player statistics on Sports-Reference.com. Their list (3pt shooting 40% and above):

Cal All Time Career Leaders in 3pt%:

1. Theo Robertson .440
2. Billy Dreher .431
3. Grant Mullins .430
4. Jordan Mathews .417
5. Keith Smith .413
6. Bill Elleby .410
7. Ryan Forehan-Kelly .407
8. Jerome Randle .405
9. Omar Wilkes .404
10. Matt Bradley .402

Players do not often arrive in college ready to compete at their highest level. The first couple of years are often years of adjustment to the college game and improving their shots. It may be more meaningful to look at a player's best season. Again, from Sports-Reference, the all-time best seasons for some Cal players shooting the 3pt shot, percentage followed by year and attempts per game (A):

1. K J Roberts .591 (1994) 3.7A
2. Billy Dreher .500 (1991) 2.4A
3. Theo Robertson .487 (2009) 3.5A
4. Matt Bradley .472 (2019) 3.4A
5. Bill Elleby .464 (1992) 4.9A
6. Jerome Randle .463 (2009) 6.2A
7. Keith Smith .462 (1990) 2.8A
7. Jeff Powers .462 (2014) 1.8A
8. Ryan Forehan-Kelly .453 (2000) 1.8A
9. Omar Wilkes .453 (2006) 1.8A
10. Jordan Mathews ,443 (2015) 4.8A
11. Jalen Celestine .440 (2024) 2.4A
12. Grant Mullins .430 (2017) 5.2A
13. Shantay Legans .427 (2000) 3.3A
14. Ryan Drew .420 (1990) 5.1A
15. Justin Cobbs .413 (2012) 1.9A
16. Ryan Anderson .410 (2008) 4.7A
16. Jorge Gutierrez .410 (2010) 1.3A
17. Jabari Bird .409 (2016) 4.5A
18. Allen Crabbe .400 (2011) 5.0A

Some others mentioned in this thread:
Ryan Anderson .396 career, best season .410 (2008) 4.7A
Amit Tamir .365 career, best season 394 (2003) 5.0A
Kevin Johnson .387 career and best season (1987) 3.6A
Randy Duck .362 career, best season .386 (1996) 4.1A
Ayinde Ubaka .338 career, best season .372 (2006) 5.3A
Lamond Murray .337 career, best season .364 (1993) 3.3A
Joe Shipp .338 career, best season .354 (2003) 3.6A






SFCityBear
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calumnus said:

sluggo said:

calumnus said:

Big C said:


Who's the best pure outside shooter we've ever had? I should probably put one out there for you to top, but I'm sort of drawing a blank. Well, names are starting to come to me, but no one is standing out as number one, so some of you can name some names...

I take that back, here's a First Team (but I bet it could be enhanced... well maybe not the two bigs):

Ryan Anderson
Amit Tamir
Jordan Mathews
Ryan Drew
Theo Robertson

What say ye?

EDIT: Oh crap, I left off somebody pretty obvious. Had I only thought this through...



Cal All-Time Leaders in 3pt%
1. Jordan Mathews .416
2. Jerome Randle .404


Theo Robertson shot 44%. His shot also looked the nicest. The argument is against is that he was low usage.

I think he could have been a 3 and D guy in the NBA if he stayed healthy. Too bad.

https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/theo-robertson-1.html


Agreed, the only issue with Theo as a "pure shooter" is he was purely catch and shoot and took almost all of his shots when wide open from the same spot on the baseline. If a defender ran at him he would drive past them instead only dribbling with his right hand. It was a smart, effective, but two/dimensional strategy (I used do the same thing in pick up games, minus his ability to dunk).

He only averaged 1.2 Threes per game on his career but shot them at .440, again basically taking his favorite shot from the corner only when squared up and wide open. He did not make the list of all-time 3 pt % leaders because he did not have enough attempts.

Theo was a player who was somewhat physically limited, with foot injuries in his first two seasons in his Cal career. Then in 2008, he had two hip operations and had to miss the whole season with a medical redshirt. He played his first 2 years under coach Ben Braun, and then the next two years he played for Mike Montgomery, which were more productive years, both for Theo and for the Cal team.

I don't disagree that Theo was a two dimensional player on offense, but otherwise, my memory of Theo is different. My memory is that he owned the baseline. He could knock down the three from both corners, which set up his drives to the basket, and vice versa. If you look at his years under Montgomery vs his years under Braun, you will see that his 3 point shot attempts doubled under Montgomery and his 2 point shot attempts also doubled from his days under Ben Braun. As he made more drives to the basket, he drew more fouls and his free throw production went up. The more threes he made, the more he was able to shake loose and drive to the rim. And vice versa. He was just getting better coaching. I also have a distinct memory of him occasionally making a three from beyond the top of the key, which surprised me at the time. He is another reason I think we get a better picture when we look at a player's best year, because his less productive years could have been affected by injury, and a better year influenced by a coaching change.
HoopDreams
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Thanks. Any player shooting 40%+ with a significant number of shots are great shooters

But there is a big difference between a catch and shoot player like Theo and Celestine compared to players who were heavily defended and had to create or shoot on the move like Randle

For example I wonder what Jalen Cones' catch and shoot percentage vs his shots off the jump (we ran a ton of actions to get him open… sometimes to team's benefit, sometimes not)

SFCityBear said:

calumnus said:

Big C said:


Who's the best pure outside shooter we've ever had? I should probably put one out there for you to top, but I'm sort of drawing a blank. Well, names are starting to come to me, but no one is standing out as number one, so some of you can name some names...

I take that back, here's a First Team (but I bet it could be enhanced... well maybe not the two bigs):

Ryan Anderson
Amit Tamir
Jordan Mathews
Ryan Drew
Theo Robertson

What say ye?

EDIT: Oh crap, I left off somebody pretty obvious. Had I only thought this through...



Cal All-Time Leaders in 3pt%
1. Jordan Mathews .416
2. Jerome Randle .404


This list is incomplete. A more complete list is from the all-time Cal player statistics on Sports-Reference.com. Their list (3pt shooting 40% and above):

Cal All Time Career Leaders in 3pt%:

1. Theo Robertson .440
2. Billy Dreher .431
3. Grant Mullins .430
4. Jordan Mathews .417
5. Keith Smith .413
6. Bill Elleby .410
7. Ryan Forehan-Kelly .407
8. Jerome Randle .405
9. Omar Wilkes .404
10. Matt Bradley .402

Players do not often arrive in college ready to compete at their highest level. The first couple of years are often years of adjustment to the college game and improving their shots. It may be more meaningful to look at a player's best season. Again, from Sports-Reference, the all-time best seasons for some Cal players shooting the 3pt shot, percentage followed by year and attempts per game (A):

1. K J Roberts .591 (1994) 3.7A
2. Billy Dreher .500 (1991) 2.4A
3. Theo Robertson .487 (2009) 3.5A
4. Matt Bradley .472 (2019) 3.4A
5. Bill Elleby .464 (1992) 4.9A
6. Jerome Randle .463 (2009) 6.2A
7. Keith Smith .462 (1990) 2.8A
7. Jeff Powers .462 (2014) 1.8A
8. Ryan Forehan-Kelly .453 (2000) 1.8A
9. Omar Wilkes .453 (2006) 1.8A
10. Jordan Mathews ,443 (2015) 4.8A
11. Jalen Celestine .440 (2024) 2.4A
12. Grant Mullins .430 (2017) 5.2A
13. Shantay Legans .427 (2000) 3.3A
14. Ryan Drew .420 (1990) 5.1A
15. Justin Cobbs .413 (2012) 1.9A
16. Ryan Anderson .410 (2008) 4.7A
16. Jorge Gutierrez .410 (2010) 1.3A
17. Jabari Bird .409 (2016) 4.5A
18. Allen Crabbe .400 (2011) 5.0A

Some others mentioned in this thread:
Ryan Anderson .396 career, best season .410 (2008) 4.7A
Amit Tamir .365 career, best season 394 (2003) 5.0A
Kevin Johnson .387 career and best season (1987) 3.6A
Randy Duck .362 career, best season .386 (1996) 4.1A
Ayinde Ubaka .338 career, best season .372 (2006) 5.3A
Lamond Murray .337 career, best season .364 (1993) 3.3A
Joe Shipp .338 career, best season .354 (2003) 3.6A







Econ141
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CALiforniALUM said:

Josh Shipp


You mean Joe! Josh was a bruin
CalEcon99
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Ed Gray.
OBear073akaSMFan
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stu said:

RedlessWardrobe said:

Maybe Russ Critchfield too. If he had the three point line - wow.
Same for Michael Chavez.


Besides Critchfield remembered Charlie Perkins as a terrific shooter too. ..and what about Charley Johnson. No one shot better from the corners than Charley!
NVBear78
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TilWeWobble said:

Lamond Murray had the prettiest shot.


Was going to mention him myself! Great shooter and player.
TilWeWobble
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Critchfield and Charley Johnson also excellent candidates.
HearstMining
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TilWeWobble said:

Critchfield and Charley Johnson also excellent candidates.

I was in Jr High when Charley, ("Charles" in the NBA) played and what I really remember was his hops rather than his shot - such an athletic guy! If you're going to mention Johnson, though, then you have to mention Phil Chenier. I think you put him up there with KJ and CJ as the guys just behind Kidd.
3146gabby
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Phil Chenier had a lovely shot. As to Charlie Johnson, his shot was thrilling; sometimes behind the basket. And unlike Jerry West, had two NBA championship rings....could have been the MVP with the Bullets.
SFCityBear
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I'd like to make a special mention of Cal's first notable 3-point shooter, Larry Friend. He is my favorite all-around Cal player. He was an outstanding shooter, rebounder, passer, and defender.

Pete Newell plucked Larry off the LA City College roster to transfer to Cal, where starred for the Bears from 1956-1958. In 1958 he averaged 19.1 points per game, and led the Bears to the Elite Eight in the NCAA, was named 3rd Team All -American, and All-PCC.

Larry was drafted in the 2nd round, as the 13th pick overall by the Knicks in the NBA Draft in 1958, and played a year for them. He later went to the new American Basketball League (ABL), to play for the LA Jets. The ABL was the first basketball league of any kind to institute the three point shot, by painting a semicircle on the floor, like we have today.

Larry Friend led the ABL in 3 point shooting percentage in 1961-62, making 58 of 163 attempts, or 37.6%.
The ABL folded in 1962.

Larry Friend was later inducted into the Jewish Athletic Hall of Fame.
SFCityBear
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Here are a couple of old timers, who shot well from distance, back when there was no designated 3 point line.

Tandy Gillis was a starter on Cal's great 1959-60 NCAA Runnerup team. That year he averaged 10 points a game on 10 shot attempts, with all or nearly all his shot attempts being what would have been from 3-point land, if there had been a 3pt line painted on the floor. He was the only player, I'd guess, that Pete Newell ever gave the green light to shoot from long distance. He was perhaps Cal's best defender on that team, aside from Darrall Imhoff. Gillis shut down Oscar Robertson in the NCAA Semifinal, as I remember.

Dan Wolthers was a starter and the leading scorer on Cal's 1965 team. He shot 43%, mostly from outside, but could make shots off the dribble, and at the rim. He averaged 18 points his final season, but was very consistent over three seasons. Drafted in the 7th Round by the Warriors.
Richmondbear2
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Ed Gray
LudwigsFountain
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wifeisafurd said:

Big C said:

End of that game, we were wondering how many he got.

"I'm sure it was at least 40."
"I bet he might've gotten 50!"

Then the announcer said 61, Damn...

I saw that game. never seen any game so dominated by a guard.

My women's equivalent was when Alexis Gray Lawson dropped 37 of Cal's 57 points in an upset of highly ranked Stanford. Knocked in shots from anywhere. At one point Tara sent a three women "fence" around her, which failed to stop Alexis. She was the only Cal player with points in the last 10 minutes or so of the game.

Jason Kidd couldn't shoot like House, but I saw him dominate a few games. What I remember about House's 61 was he was creating his shot and making them with someone in his face.
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