Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
Cole Gentry’s best asset might be his 3-point shooting. He’s hitting 40.7%, which is on pace for the best mark for a full-time starter at Wright State since Grant Benzinger’s 41.9 clip in 2016-17.
But Gentry knows he wouldn’t be thriving outside the arc if other Raiders weren’t so adept at scoring inside it.
“I give a lot of credit to my teammates. (They) draw all the attention, and we’re getting a lot more open shots this year,” the senior point guard said. “As a team, we’re making a lot more 3’s just because we’re getting better shots than in years past.”
Gentry and his cohorts are flourishing while most college basketball teams are careening in the opposite direction. The 3-point line was pushed back this season from 20 feet, 9 inches to the international distance of 22-1¾, and it’s had a noticeable impact.
The shooting percentage for all Division-I teams is 33.1. The worst previous mark in the 29-year history of the 3-pointer is 33.9.
The Raiders’ rate has gone up from 34.4 last season to 34.9, which is 97th nationally. Gentry has improved by nearly five percentage points, while senior wing Bill Wampler has jumped from 36.4 to 39.6.
The national average has been hovering around 35% for several years, and part of the reason the Raiders haven’t seen a drop is because of positive reinforcement from coach Scott Nagy.
