How I Helped Invent the Three-Point Shot

And Revolutionized
the Game of Basketball

Yes, its true!

I’m one of the people you can thank for basketball’s 3-point shot.

Just in case you didn’t know, the 3-point jumper that nowadays is so important to basketball was not always part of the game. It was officially introduced to college roundball 30 years ago at the start of the 1986-87 season. Bennie Bolton, a forward with the North Carolina State Wolfpack connected on the very first 3-pointer in a game against Navy. The score came just 2 minutes 59 seconds into the game and basketball has not been the same since.

Prior to introduction of the trey, basketball had become almost exclusively a big man’s game. The slam dunk was basketball’s version of the home run and offensive strategies were aimed at getting the ball inside. This left out the little guys and guardplay was pretty much relegated to dishing the ball to the bigs. Defenses learned to sag into the middle to try to stop the play inside and shooting from the outside came as an afterthought. Many basketball insiders felt the game was becoming one-dimensional. And boring.

Ed Steitz was one such guy.

Ed was the Athletics Director at Springfield College, my alma mater. Serving on the NCAA Rules Committee, Ed came up with an idea for making basketball more balanced and exciting. When he told his own kids – Steve and Bob – about his idea for a “three-point shot” they had no idea what he was talking about. So Ed went outside and painted an arc on the paved court in the family’s backyard. Then he enlisted his kids and their friends to play, using the new line when they could, and recording the results. Over time the data indicated  3-pointers would be made about 36 to 38% of the time. The photo above shows the Steitz family’s backyard court as it is today, still with the original 3-point line.

Not everyone connected with the NCAA liked the idea, but it was undeniable that a new 3-point rule would get the smaller guys more involved in the game and force teams to play defense out further from the key. This created a more balanced contest with both inside and outside players benefiting. Most importantly, the 3-point shot made it possible for teams to overcome large deficits and pump excitement into otherwise dull lopsided games.

After some experimentation among a few Division 2 and 3 teams, the NCAA finally adopted the rule for Division 1 schools in time for the 1986-87 season.

And what a difference it has made! Just watch how many games are impacted by 3-pointers in this year’s NCAA Tournament!

And you have me to thank.

So…you ask…“Singley, how were YOU involved in this great advancement of the game? Did you play college basketball?”

No.

“Did you know Ed Steitz and work with him on the 3-pointer?”

Um, no.

But, as I mentioned earlier, I went to Springfield.

(And Springfield, you know, is where the game of basketball was invented by Dr. James Naismith.)

When I was at Springfield Dr. Steitz was Athletic Director.

I used to see him once in awhile on campus. We’d wave to each other.

My tuition helped pay Dr. Steitz’s salary. And I’m sure my friendly waves made him feel good and ready to take on the day. So I feel I am at least partly responsible for his being able to do all the great things he did for college basketball.

Including inventing the 3-point shot.

His son, Steve, was one of my classmates. Heck of a baseball player. All around good guy.

And I was always friendly toward Steve. I feel like I contributed to the spiritual and emotional well-being of Steve, and that was certainly reflected in his 3-point shooting practice in the family’s backyard (not to mention his success in baseball).

That Ed went on to invent the 3-point shot is testimony to the truth that we all can contribute good and helpful things to others as they walk through life. Who knows if that person you wave to or the classmate you hang out with will go on to do some great thing because you inspired them with your friendliness?

So the next time you’re watching a game of hoops and someone on your team swishes a winning three, I hope you’ll shout, “Thank you, Ed! Thank you, Steve! Thank you, Marty!”

And take a moment to celebrate the life of Ed Steitz who passed away in 1990. At the Basketball Hall of Fame into which he was inducted in 1984 he is memorialized as the “Father of the Three.”

And perhaps more than you ever realized, Ed is a prime reason the NCAA Tourney is so awesome and we all love March Madness!

I’m just glad I could help!