After BYU's disappointing loss in the first round of the NCAA Tournament this past season, coach Kevin Young immediately went on the record, stating the Cougars would add more 3-point shooting.
Mission accomplished!
BYU transfers Collin Chandler (Kentucky), Tyler Betsey (Syracuse), and Jake Wahlin (Clemson) each shot the ball well from downtown last year. Chandler hit 41.0% of his 3-point shots, and Betsey came in at 40.2%. Wahlin, a 6-foot-10 stretch four and excellent defensive rebounder, hit a respectable 34.0% of his attempts from downtown on the season.
But let's break their shooting numbers down even further and only look at how the performed when it mattered most: in conference play. All three of these guys played in one of basketball's Power Five conferences last year, so the high-level competition was there almost every game. Looking at how they performed in conference play is helpful because it factors out some of the "noise" from the nonconference slate as coaches tweak their rosters, experiment, and just have some fun against weaker competition.
And when only looking at how Chandler, Betsey, and Wahlin shot the ball in conference play last year, BYU fans should be downright giddy.
3-point shooting in conference play
Here's how each of BYU's new transfers shot from the 3-point line in conference play last season:
Collin Chandler (SEC) - 45.7% (42-of-92)
Tyler Betsey (ACC) - 44.1% (26-of-59)
Jake Wahlin (ACC) - 37% (20-of-54)
Holy cow! When it mattered most in conference play, the trio of Chandler, Betsey, and Wahlin shot a combined 88-of-205, or a scorching 42.9%.
To put that in context, Steph Curry has made 42.2% of his career 3-point attempts in his glorious NBA career. Steph's the best individual shooter to ever grace the planet Earth. Last year in conference play, BYU's three transfers collectively shot better from downtown than the great Steph Curry.
Now, am I guilty of selectively cherry picking stats to make these guys look better by only focusing on their shooting in conference games last year? Sure, but only to a degree. Even when only considering their conference play last year, this formidable threesome still attempted 205 3-pointers. That's more than a decent sample size to assess their shooting, and by coming from the Power Five they each did it against high-level competition with the added pressure of conference play.
Kevin Young committed to mining the transfer portal to bring more 3-point shooting to Provo.
With the combination of Collin Chandler, Tyler Betsey, and Jake Wahlin, he struck gold.
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