By Ashley Green
Making the first major alteration to the 3-point shot since its debut in 1986, the NCAA Men''s Basketball Rules Committee recently voted to move the 3-point line one foot farther from the hoop.
While the lane dimensions will remain unchanged, the line will extend from 19 feet, 9 inches to 20 feet, 9 inches beginning in the 2008-2009 season.
Lee Cummard, a 6-foot-6 junior from Mesa, Ariz., who plays guard for BYU, said he was surprised at the decision, but that the game will largely remain unchanged.
'I don''t think a foot is going to matter that much to us,' he said. Cummard finished the season this year with a 3-point percentage of .435.
Men''s basketball head coach Dave Rose said he doesn''t expect the change to affect most of his players.
'There are certain players that you could move the line back 2 or 3 feet and it wouldn''t matter,' he said.
For now, the plan is to play the line where it is and not worry about the change until it goes into effect in 2008. Then, the team will adjust accordingly, Rose said.
'Most players will adjust just fine if they''re good enough,' he said.
Committee chairman Larry Keating said the change would ideally create more space between post and perimeter players and spread the floor to reduce physical play.
Cummard said moving the line makes the shot a little harder, but it also spreads the game out more.
The one-year implementation period is granted to allow schools to make the necessary adjustments to the markings on their courts, since most budgets for next year have already been approved.
The lengthened line has been played with on a trial basis in a few early season tournaments and the NCAA said the changes in the shooting percentages have not been dramatic.
'I believe that the 3-point shot is a great equalizer in the game,' Rose said. 'Some teams who maybe don''t have the size, can equalize the game with players who are really good at the 3-point shot.'
After meeting with the men''s committee, the Women''s Basketball Rules Committee decided to maintain the current measurements for women''s basketball.
The change affects colleges and universities in Divisions I, II and III, but is not final until approved by the Playing Rules Oversight Panel, which will convene May 25.