morgan n' 7
12-19-2007, 03:06 AM
Raley-Ross has Bears in crosshairs
Published: Wednesday, December 19, 2007 - 2:00 am By Rick Scoppe
STAFF WRITER
rscoppe@greenvillenews.com (rscoppe@greenvillenews.com)
COLUMBIA -- After going 0-5 in the University of South Carolina's season-ending 30-point loss to Arkansas, guard Brandis Raley-Ross had seen enough.
"After that," he said, "I vowed to be better."
The following day the 6-foot-2, 193-pound Gastonia, N.C., native set down some goals, including shooting better than 45 percent from 3-point range.
A lofty goal on the face of it given that as a freshman he shot just 31.3 percent and in one 12-game stretch made just three of 22 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Maybe not.
Going into tonight's game against Baylor (7-1), Raley-Ross is shooting a statistically shocking 71 percent from 3-point range (22 of 31), which is remarkably better than his percentage (43.5 on 10 of 23) from inside the arc.
What does Raley-Ross think of dead-on shooting touch?
"Uh, I don't know," he said. "I just think I've been working hard."
He has that. Since last year's loss to Arkansas in the Southeastern Conference tournament, Raley-Ross has been known to not leave the gym until he's taken 500 shots, which he did Tuesday before USC (5-4) practiced.
On other days, he'll work on his shot in three different sessions -- not including practice.
"Any time I have open, I use that time to shoot," he said. "If I'm not studying, I'm shooting."
And the rule he goes by, set down by assistant Ken Potosnak, is never miss two shots in a row.
"If we'll take 15 shots, I have to make 12 plus," Raley-Ross said. "If I don't, then do it over again. We sort of set the standards high during the shooting drills, and that pays off."
Can he keep it up? The law of averages says no, as does coach Dave Odom.
"Percentage-wise, who shoots 70 percent from there?" Odom said. "That's better than some of our guys are shooting layups right now. Free throws, too."
But until he cools down, Raley-Ross is a threat from 3-point range, a threat opponents can't ignore and a threat that can help to open up the inside for USC's players down low.
While he struggled last year, Raley-Ross said he's had streaks of sizzling shooting. He recalled two straight games in which he scored about 50 points and hit a combine 20 or so 3-pointers.
But this, he acknowledged, is "a little bit" mind-boggling, "if you think about it."
"I've had a lot of people call me and say, 'Dude, you're shooting 71 percent," he said. "I'm trying not to think about it too much. I'm trying not to jinx myself.
"Even when I'm shooting in practice several of my teammates call out, '70 percent, 70 percent.' So it feels good. It sort of toys with you because I get to the point I'll take a bad shot because I'm just thinking, 'I can't miss. I can't miss.' "What can I say?"
http://greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071219/SPORTS0102/712190385/1026
Published: Wednesday, December 19, 2007 - 2:00 am By Rick Scoppe
STAFF WRITER
rscoppe@greenvillenews.com (rscoppe@greenvillenews.com)
COLUMBIA -- After going 0-5 in the University of South Carolina's season-ending 30-point loss to Arkansas, guard Brandis Raley-Ross had seen enough.
"After that," he said, "I vowed to be better."
The following day the 6-foot-2, 193-pound Gastonia, N.C., native set down some goals, including shooting better than 45 percent from 3-point range.
A lofty goal on the face of it given that as a freshman he shot just 31.3 percent and in one 12-game stretch made just three of 22 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Maybe not.
Going into tonight's game against Baylor (7-1), Raley-Ross is shooting a statistically shocking 71 percent from 3-point range (22 of 31), which is remarkably better than his percentage (43.5 on 10 of 23) from inside the arc.
What does Raley-Ross think of dead-on shooting touch?
"Uh, I don't know," he said. "I just think I've been working hard."
He has that. Since last year's loss to Arkansas in the Southeastern Conference tournament, Raley-Ross has been known to not leave the gym until he's taken 500 shots, which he did Tuesday before USC (5-4) practiced.
On other days, he'll work on his shot in three different sessions -- not including practice.
"Any time I have open, I use that time to shoot," he said. "If I'm not studying, I'm shooting."
And the rule he goes by, set down by assistant Ken Potosnak, is never miss two shots in a row.
"If we'll take 15 shots, I have to make 12 plus," Raley-Ross said. "If I don't, then do it over again. We sort of set the standards high during the shooting drills, and that pays off."
Can he keep it up? The law of averages says no, as does coach Dave Odom.
"Percentage-wise, who shoots 70 percent from there?" Odom said. "That's better than some of our guys are shooting layups right now. Free throws, too."
But until he cools down, Raley-Ross is a threat from 3-point range, a threat opponents can't ignore and a threat that can help to open up the inside for USC's players down low.
While he struggled last year, Raley-Ross said he's had streaks of sizzling shooting. He recalled two straight games in which he scored about 50 points and hit a combine 20 or so 3-pointers.
But this, he acknowledged, is "a little bit" mind-boggling, "if you think about it."
"I've had a lot of people call me and say, 'Dude, you're shooting 71 percent," he said. "I'm trying not to think about it too much. I'm trying not to jinx myself.
"Even when I'm shooting in practice several of my teammates call out, '70 percent, 70 percent.' So it feels good. It sort of toys with you because I get to the point I'll take a bad shot because I'm just thinking, 'I can't miss. I can't miss.' "What can I say?"
http://greenvilleonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071219/SPORTS0102/712190385/1026