A year ago, the answer to the question of "Who is the best shooter in the country?" was fairly consistent.
Stephen Curry.
This season, there isn't necessarily a consensus player, but we feel confident that our No. 1 guy has no peer in terms of making shots from deep.
Top 50 shooters
Top 50 shooters
 Arkansas' Rotnei Clarke may not look like a scorer, but any team would be lucky to have his perimeter touch, Jeff Goodman says. |
1. Rotnei Clarke, 6-0, 184, SG, Soph., Arkansas: He was the top freshman 3-point shooter in the country last season with a .393 percentage and second in the SEC in 3-point percentage. He had four or more threes in eight of the last 10 games and was 38-of-91 (.418) over that stretch. He also made 43-of-46 free throws (.935).
"Rotnei's work ethic is incredible. His uncle and dad put him through high-intensity drills in high school that would conclude with him making 25 threes in a row. That's extremely impressive." — South Florida coach Stan Heath, who recruited Clarke when he was at Arkansas and once saw Clarke hit 94 of 100 3-pointers in a workout
2. Brad Redford, 6-0, 175, G, Soph., Xavier: He led the Atlantic 10 and broke the school single-season mark for 3-point percentage (.465) but only made 53-of-114 shots from beyond the arc. He once hit 102 consecutive free throws in high school.
"He shoots the ball the exact same way every time he touches it — regardless of how far he scoots back. I've never coached a better shooter." — Xavier coach Chris Mack
3. John Jenkins, 6-4, 215, SG, Fr., Vanderbilt: He's one of the few freshman to make the list. He shot 47 percent from beyond the arc and 88 percent from the line as a senior in high school.
"He has perfect technique, a great follow through and practices ALL the time. He's the purest shooter I've had." — Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings
4. Gordon Hayward, 6-9, 207, SF, Soph., Butler: The skilled forward can do it all, including making shots from the perimeter. He shot 44.8 percent from long range (69-of-154) but doesn't rely on his perimeter shot due to his versatility.
"Aside from the technical stuff with Gordon, his work ethic and mental toughness are at a very, very high level. That obviously helps when you're a great shooter — not to be able to let the last one affect you." — Butler coach Brad Stevens
