The NCAA is scheduled to vote on a proposal to move the 3-point line nine inches farther from the basket beginning in 2004-05 during a meeting later this month.
A "yes" vote, which is expected from all three divisions, would set the line at 20 feet, 6 inches.
NCAA officials hope the move will discourage marginal shooters from taking long shots.
Some coaches believe the change is long overdue.
"The only thing bad about the 3-point line from the offensive perspective was that it wasn't really a risk to take the shot," Concordia men's coach Duane Siverson said. "The line was right in the normal scheme of things. To me, if you're going take that shot worth three points there better be some risk to it."
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If the extended 3-point line has the desired effect, players would forgo the long bomb in favor of an extra pass, a more high-percentage shot, a more patient game.
However, some might see it as a challenge, a chance to prove how good they really are.
"I think coaches are going to win that battle," Siverson said. "I think the kids might look at it as a bigger challenge, but the coaches won't allow marginal players to take that shot."
Whichever the case, the NCAA is hoping the new 3-pointer will be a positive change in the college game.
Only time will tell.
NDSCS hires Crawford
North Dakota College of Science hired Brooke Crawford as an assistant women's basketball coach.
Crawford, from La Grange, Ind., was a starter for New Mexico State and West Florida. She set the freshman record for 3-pointers made and 3-point percentage at New Mexico State.
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She also led the Division II Argonauts to the regional tournament as a junior.
"Just as I have coached at the NCAA Division I and II levels, Brooke will bring her playing experiences from the Division I and II levels to our NJCAA women's program at NDSCS," first-year women's coach Paulette Stein said. "I feel the combination will keep our program on track as a contender for the national junior college championship."
Crawford has worked in marketing for the WNBA's Washington Mystics and in game operations with the CBA's Gary Steelheads.
Odds and ends
Concordia's 57-14 win against Hamline last weekend was the 430th in the football program's history. The Cobbers are 430-248-39 in 83 years. ... The Concordia football team's 598 yards of total offense against Hamline was the school's most in a single game since the sports information department started keeping track of the statistic in the early 1980s. ... Concordia men's track and field/cross country coach Garrick Larson finished with a time of 3:45.32 at the Twin Cities Marathon. ... Bethel quarterback Scott Kirchoff needs 140 passing yards to become the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's all-time leader.
Readers can reach Heath Hotzler at (701) 241-5562 or hhotzler@forumcomm.com
