Northwestern big on 3-pointers

For multiple four-minute stretches during every practice, Northwestern’s players transform into a tightly choreographed conga line of killer shooters.

Employing a Pete Carril drill imported from Princeton, Bill Carmody’s Wildcats snake around the perimeter and take turns shooting 3-pointers in rapid-fire fashion.

All of the shots and movements are designed to mimic game conditions — and too many missed shots mean the whole team has to run.

Does the drill work? You be the judge.

As the Wildcats head into Wednesday’s NIT quarterfinal at Washington State (10 p.m., ESPN2), they convert an average of 9.4 3-pointers per game.

Not only does that rank second among the 346 teams in Div. I this season, that puts them on pace to break the Big Ten record they set last year of 9.3 3-pointers per game.

And it’s not like NU shoots a million 3-pointers to earn those numbers. The Wildcats rank 41st nationally with their 37.7 percent accuracy rate.

“I definitely think the drill translates to the game,” said senior point guard Michael “Juice” Thompson, who leads NU with 92 3-pointers.

“We’re shooting from four different spots — spots from which we get a lot of shots in the game. All of the shots are on the move and you sprint into your shots and you’re setting up your footwork in different ways.”

Here’s how the drill works: Northwestern employs three balls and divides players into shooting and passing lines.

Let’s say Thompson leads off the drill, as is his wont. He catches a pass on the move at the top of the key and lets fly.

After he chases down his rebound (make or miss), he fires a chest pass to the passing line and joins the end of that queue.

Meanwhile, shooters keep stepping up and firing away and chasing their rebounds. It’s a continuous, fast-moving loop in which players holler encouragement and each other’s names as they whip the ball from one line to the next.

“There’s a lot of teamwork involved,” Carmody said. “You shoot. You’ve got to get your rebound. You’re throwing it back to the other guy. And any time you drop the ball, you’ve got to run (sprints). And you’ve got to hustle.”

Then Carmody snapped his fingers to emphasize the swiftness of the drill.

“It’s tight. To get 80, you have to be on. It’s like a competition. It’s good.”

The Wildcats shoot for one minute at the top of the key before moving to a corner for one minute.

They return to the top of the key for another minute (moving in the opposite direction from the first visit to the top of the key) before finishing the drill in the opposite corner.

At this point in the season, Carmody utilizes the drill no more than a couple of times per practice. During the first half of the year, they’re likely to do it three to four times every practice.

If the Cats make fewer than 70 3-pointers (they generally total 130-140 attempts), they have to run. If they make 80 or more, they’re happy.

Thompson, who said this season’s record stands at 92 makes, remembered during his freshman year that 55 used to be the “run” number.

“Each year we progressed,” he said. “Everybody spent more time working on 3s and we had guys coming in who are deadly shooters. The numbers just increased.”

As with any competition, there’s a tendency to push the margins. Let’s just say it: Thompson (and a few others) have been known to cheat.

“I wouldn’t necessarily call it cheating,” he said with a smile. “I just want to be in the line where you get the most shots up. Sometimes I’ll take a shot and I’ll throw it to the pass line and I’ll run through to the shooting line.”

Sophomore Drew Crawford, third on the team with 51 3-pointers, doesn’t mind Juice’s maneuvering.

“Sometimes when you cheat, it’s for the benefit of the team,” Crawford said. “Say Juice is knocking down shots. You don’t want him passing too much. You want him to shoot, get back into line and make another one.

“So anyone who’s hot will occasionally cheat. Alex (Marcotullio) does it. I’ll do it once in awhile.”

Junior John Shurna, who shoots better than 60 percent during the drills and 45 percent during the games, sums it up best.

“He’s a senior and he makes a lot of shots, so he can do that,” Shurna said. “I think part of it is we need him to make shots for us, so he does that in the drill and the games as well.”