3-Point Prowess: Nimley and Saunders not shy to shoot it
2/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The college basketball three-point line lies 20-feet, nine inches from the basket. It's safe to say Charleston Southern's Saah Nimley and Will Saunders are as familiar with that distance – and beyond – as any duo in the country.
Nimley and Saunders rank 5th and 12th nationally in made threes per game, and the sharpshooting combo is a big reason the Bucs are in position for the Big South title. The two have combined to knock down 176 treys, pacing a CSU team that ranks 11th in the country with 9.1 made threes per game.
They were at their best Saturday against Campbell, with Saunders' career-high 26 points highlighting a combined 10-of-16 outing from beyond the arc. Nimley found Saunders for several of his six threes in that win, and has a knack for finding the 6-7 forward off dribble penetration. On-floor chemistry may be part of the reason for that, but the Bucs' point guard says it's mainly something else entirely.
"Will's just always yelling for the ball," Nimley said of his fellow senior's eagerness to get his hands on the basketball. "That's really all it is to be honest with you (laughing). When I'm dribbling the ball down the court, Will's always yelling for it so I know where he is on the floor. He always feels like he's open so I always know where he's at."
Saunders, for his part, feels the same way. Nimley and Saunders, not surprisingly, rank 2nd and 27th in the nation in threes attempted.
"That's exactly how it goes," said Saunders, who is shooting a Big South best 48 percent (58-of-120) from downtown in conference play. "That's accurate but I hear him too. Saah's quiet but you can hear him calling for it when he really wants it so you have to give it to him sometimes. I've gotta let him know because he's probably going to pull it himself if you don't call for the ball."
Nimley hit seven threes the first time Saunders saw the 5-8 point guard play in a game. Saunders watched that performance on a road trip as a second-year player at the College of Central Florida. CSU ranked second in the country in threes per game that year, and sunk 14 triples that night in a nail biter of an NIT loss to top-seeded Southern Miss. The Bucs' style of play, and 1-2 punch of Nimley and Arlon Harper, was appealing to Saunders.
"I watched the Southern Miss game in a hotel room when I was at my other school," Saunders said. "I knew their guards were some of the best players on the team, and that Saah and Arlon were sophomores like me. I thought it'd be a great chance to come in and finish with those guys."
Saunders stepped into the "stretch four" role that Mathiang Muo filled for the Bucs when Nimley and Harper were underclassmen. Muo transitioned from the College of Central Florida to become one of the best shooters in CSU history. Saunders has followed suit in becoming the integral third scorer to go alongside Nimley and Harper. His ability to stretch the floor with his shooting stroke, and rebound the basketball at 6-7, is instrumental in allowing CSU to employ the style of play it does.
"That dude can shoot the heck out of the ball," said Nimley of Saunders. "It's great playing with someone like Will because he's 6-7 and can shoot over everyone. He has one of the quickest releases I've ever seen. Still to this day, I don't know if he or Mathiang is a better shooter but Will definitely gets the ball off quicker and will shoot it from deeper. It makes it easier because teams will try to throw a double team at me and I can find him and he'll let it go from 27 feet. That's crazy to be able to do that as a four-man."
Saunders worked his way through some growing pains in 2013-14, as the Bucs struggled to a 6-10 Big South finish with Nimley sidelined for eight games due to injury. The London native made strides as a rebounder and defender, and has taken big steps forward in that department this year. Saunders is first and foremost a shooter, though, and having a dynamic and healthy Nimley on the floor makes that easier.
"We tell him sometimes, no one can guard you," Saunders said of his and other teammates' message to Nimley. "He's really dynamic 1-on-1 and it just creates so many opportunities for me and everyone else to get looks because of the help that has to come. I'm not really an off the dribble guy so it's big for me to play with because it's complementary to my game."
As the only one of CSU's five seniors not present for the 2013 Big South title campaign, Saunders is eager to do his part to help the Bucs claim a second championship in three years.
"I really want to taste it for myself," Saunders said. "Watching those guys do it two years ago, and how great of an experience it was for them, I want to experience that. It's been a fun year and we really don't talk about it what's ahead of us too much because we know the challenge and know we have to be at our best to accomplish that."
