Over the weekend Caitlin Clark eclipsed one of college basketball’s most hallowed and time-tested numbers – 3667 – the NCAA record for most career points scored, set by Pistol Pete Maravich more than 50 years ago. Clark calmly tied, then reset the decades old mark with a pair of free throws during the end of the second quarter of 6th-ranked Iowa’s 93-83 victory over 2nd-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.
For those of you unaware of this 3-point-shooting deadeye, please look her up on youtube, cuz she may be the closest thing to Steph Curry we’ve seen. She possesses great handles, court vision, a high basketball IQ and loads of savvy to go along with a deadly shooting touch that’s good anywhere from 35 feet and in.
Cheers to you, Caitlin Clark. May you lead Iowa to a natty and may your scoring record stand for 150 years.
Speaking of Steph – most would say that he is the finest long-distance shooter ever to grace the hardwood.
While he may be the best, he definitely was not the first.
Razorbacks fans may recall Al Dillard, the long-range bomber from Nolan’s 1994 NCAA championship and 1995 runner-up squads. Coach Richardson found this 25-year-old sharpshooter down in Alabama. When not sacking groceries at the Mad Butcher, was busy lighting up the Birmingham Community Center, snapping nets from literally everywhere in the gymnasium.
Despite his age, Dillard had never enrolled in college, so still possessed NCAA eligibility. Nolan quickly signed him. It didn’t take long for #3 to create a stir and make his presence felt once he started wearing the Cardinal and White and raining down 3-pointers from here, there, and everywhere. Known as the man who could “shoot from the snoot” of the beloved Slobber Hog who graced the middle of the court of Bud Walton Arena back in those daze, Dillard was given the green light anytime he was on the floor and was a critical part of those two heralded Razorbacks teams. The distance he was able to stretch defenses was astounding, dude had the deepest range ever, ‘til Steph came around.
When Steph Curry was but a gleam in his dad Del’s eyes back in the mid-‘90s, Dillard was busy, perhaps covertly paving the way for him and the multitudes of long-range shooters that fill up college and NBA rosters today.
Tough to say for sure who’s the purest shooter between the two of ‘em since they peaked three decades apart, but there is plenty of grainy youtube footage of #3 out there. Ample enough evidence for you to see for yourself how he stacks up against the GOAT. He was a trailblazer, unfortunately born many years too early. I am rather certain had he played today, he would be an NBA superstar with legendary status and a case fulla All Star Weekend 3-point trophies.
Coach Musselman and staff could certainly benefit from his 3-point shooting this season, as the Hogs’ record dropped below .500 (14-15), after losing to the Kentucky Wildcats in Rupp Arena on Saturday 111-102. It’s gonna take a miracle (or two) for this team to earn a March Madness bid. Sure, they could run the gamut in the SEC Tournament and secure an automatic berth, but it’d take winning five-straight games for that to become a reality.
Razorback Baseball continues to dominate the Natural State’s sports headlines. Coach Van Horn’s pitching staff persists in handcuffing the majority of opposing hitters, striking them out in record-setting fashion. The bats continue to provide plenty of run support in this year’s dash to Omaha and the College World Series.
They took three games in dominant fashion from the Murray St. Racers to run their record to 9-2 during the weekend series at Baum Walker Stadium. The Arkansas bullpen struck out 50 Racer batters in 26 innings and lead the NCAA with163 total Ks for the season.