2009-10 SEC Basketball Review: Slingshots

The next entry in the series is based on minutes per three-pointer attempted.

While this list has a negative connotation, especially for those who are a bit more confident than their talent affords them, it can be helpful to a team if it's a very strong shooter.

Think of it as a lopsided seesaw. Somewhere above 36 or 37 percent from three, while taking this many shots and you're helping your team.

A hard number to reach. Anything less becomes wasting shots.

Auburn stands as the only team to double up on both three-point lists, but the winner was a shot-happy guard from another squad.

Continue to find out who!

10. John Jenkins, Vanderbilt (4.81 M/3PTA)

Jenkins' only sin was not shooting more.

I realize I've raved about him before, but enough can not be said about this guy.

Out of SEC players with more than 11 three-pointers attempted, Jenkins had the best percentage from deep.

As a freshman.

Of his 149 attempts, 48.3 percent hit the bottom of the net.

As a freshman.

If Stallings knows what he's doing (and he does), Jenkins will play a major role in the Commodores' offense next season. The sophomore-to-be will be the only underclassman to challenge for SEC Player of the Year because of it.

9. Ravern Johnson, Mississippi State (4.72 M/3PTA)

Johnson has been full of potential since he set foot on campus, and has slowly been coming into his own. Susceptible to the late-season slump, he still has been putting up some of the best shooting numbers in the conference.

Last season, Johnson drained 40.7 percent of his 214 three-point attempts, a pretty amazing number. He also hit 47.8 percent of all his shots, a eye-opening rate for a guard.

Look for Johnson to play the main outside role for MSU during his senior campaign next season and be in contention for All-SEC status.

8. Kenny Boynton, Florida (4.56 M/3PTA)

A confident freshman has a step ahead of most. An over-confident freshman has just as much work to do as one with too little.

Boynton's confidence simply overshadowed his contribution to his team.

He managed to hit just 29.4 percent of his three-point attempts. Coupled with his starting role in every game but one, we can quickly see how bad of an influence his misses became.

Boynton will need to learn to play within himself, beginning with next season's sophomore year.

7. Kenny Gabriel, Auburn (4.56 M/3PTA)

Gabriel saw action in 21 of Auburn's 32 games last season, and about eight minutes in each of those appearances.

There was a reason.

In addition to turning the ball over too often and hogging it too much, Gabriel simply couldn't shoot well.

His 30.6 percent mark coupled with his aptitude to take ill-advised shots simply won't cut it for a squad struggling to work its way up the BCS ladder.

Gabriel will be a junior in 2010-11.

6. Evaldas Baniulis, South Carolina (4.54 M/3PTA)

Baniulis was a good guy, but his game was about as awful to handle as his name is.

In fact, he started three games and saw 318 minutes simply out of Horn's desperation for bench minutes. Baniulis' pitiful 27.1 percent mark from deep and even worse 25.3 percent mark from the field was a rarity for a regular player on a BCS squad.

Baniulis mercifully graduated at the end of last season.

5. Rotnei Clarke, Arkansas (4.52 M/3PTA)

My feelings toward Clarke have been well-recorded. He joins Vanderbilt's Jenkins as a rare natural-born shooter that made a tremendous impact from deep as a freshman.

Clarke, however, has had a year to sharpen his skills and has become an absolute powerhouse behind the arc for the Razorbacks.

He brought down 42.7 percent of his 234 attempts from distance last season and stands as arguably the most proven shooter in the league.

Clarke will remain crucial to Pelphrey's career as a junior next season.

4. Charvez Davis, Alabama (4.32 M/3PTA)

Davis was an unheralded hero for the Tide last season, despite his absolutely awful 36.4 percent effort from the charity stripe.

His accuracy from free throw aside, Davis stood out amongst bench shooters in the SEC last season. He connected on 40.6 percent of his 133 three-point attempts, and yes—that's four percent better than he performed without being guarded.

No, I don't know how that works either.

Davis could play a bigger role for the Tide during his final campaign next season if he can manage to improve his free throw effort.

3. Chris Warren, Ole Miss (4.19 M/3PTA)

There isn't much Warren doesn't do well. Though Kennedy risks his offense becoming unilateral (Downey/South Carolina comes to mind), Warren is a weapon which is difficult not to wield.

Warren's shots were certainly not wasted, as he hit 40.4 percent of his 275 attempts from long-range and 42.6 percent from the floor.

Warren is a dangerous player, though his defense could improve.

Look for Warren to challenge for 2010-11 SEC Player of the Year as a senior.

2. Tay Waller, Auburn (3.79 M/3PTA)

Waller came from the Junior College ranks with a fierce and confident attitude and brought the Tigers back to semi-respectability on his own.

During his second and final campaign at Auburn, Waller knocked down 41.0 percent of his outside shots while taking 212 of them.

If he had played on a more successful squad, he might've been considered for the SEC First Team, but he was overlooked for either team in 2010.

1. Darnell Dodson

Everyone wanted to be a star on last year's Kentucky squad. Dodson failed to be one.

Dodson believed himself to be the outside shooter for UK in 2009-10, attempting 16 more shots from deep than NBA-bound Eric Bledsoe and hitting 3.6 percent fewer of them, at 34.7 percent.

Bledsoe effectively held his team back, especially compared to the talent that surrounded him. He'll need to be reigned in during his 2010-11 junior season.

The Other Side

Time to check out the opposite end of the spectrum. Here are the league's 10 least-likely players to take a shot from deep.

Disclaimer: A minimum of 10 three-pointers attempted was chosen.

10. Jemal Farmer, Arkansas...(22.80 M/3PTA)
9. Eniel Polynice, Ole Miss...(24.88 M/3PTA)
8. Dennis Harries, LSU...(25.94 M/3PTA)
7. Marshawn Powell, Arkansas...(26.81 M/3PTA)
6. J.P. Prince, Tennessee...(27.12 M/3PTA)
5. Michael Washington, Arkansas...(28.27 M/3PTA)
4. Steve Tchiengang, Vanderbilt...(29.38 M/3PTA)
3. Jeffery Taylor, Vanderbilt...(80.27 M/3PTA)
2. Travis Leslie, Georgia...(83.00 M/3PTA)
1. Alex Tyus, Florida...(96.60 M/3PTA)

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