Tuesday, January 19, 2010

STREAK OF THREES

When junior Byron Dinkins (left) hit his first of two three-pointers in the first half against UNC Wilmington, Feb. 1, 1988 he unknowingly set in motion one of the 49ers most remarkable streaks. (The MOST remarkable is the 61-game home winning streak from 1973-1977, but that's another blog). The previous game, Jan. 30 at South Florida, Charlotte went 0-for-3 from three-point land. Nearly 22 years passed before the 49ers would again go without at least one three-pointer. (It had been mistakenly documented that the last game without a three came February 23, 1989 against Jacksonville, but the 49ers were 4-for-7 in that win and, in fact, hit a three-pointer in every game of the 1988-89 season.)

So we go back to 1987-88. And the start of a streak that spanned four decades.

With Dinkins three with 8:02 left in the first half, the streak was begun. The 49ers would hit at least one three-pointer in the remaining 52 games of the 80's, in all 302 games of the upcoming decade of the 90's, all 311 games of the still distant 00's and four games into the 10's. The streak would span four decades. In game five of 2010, Charlotte would go 0-for-7 from three-point range against Saint Louis and the streak -- the 669-game, 21-plus-year streak -- was broken.


Certainly few would have guessed that a Bobby Lutz-coached team would be the culprit. After all, in Lutz's first 10 years, a 49er had led its league in either three-pointers made or three-pointers made per game, or both. With folks like Diego Guevara, Jobey Thomas, Demon Brown, Brendan Plavich, De'Angelo Alexander and Leemire Goldwire (the individual 49ers who led either Conference USA or the Atlantic 10), firing away, there was little doubt that Charlotte would hit at least one trey. Even with that talent, though, a Lutz-coached team managed just one trey four times, so thanks must go to Dee Tolliver, Brown, Goldwire and Ian Andersen for keeping the streak alive with those lone treys.


But there is plenty of thanks to go around -- to all those three-point shooters -- or at least those that made a three during the streak. The following list includes each of them, whether they were known to knock down triples or were smart enough to call bank (right, Mr. Coley).


Trivia? Most threes of the following list: Jobey Thomas, who holds the school record with 346 threes. Most in a season: 137 by Demon Brown. Most in game: 10 by Brendan Plavich at Syracuse. First three of the streak: Byron Dinkins, 1988. Last: Ian Andersen, 2010 (at Xavier)


Below is a list of all 83 players that hit a three-pointer from during the streak:
Byron Dinkins
Jeff West
Ronnie Bellamy
Dan Plondke (hit his lone three in the 1988 NCAA Tourney game vs. BYU)
Reggie Barnes
Scott Fitzgibbons
Henry Williams
Frank Persley
Sam Robson
Reggie Barnes
Chris Baker
Benny Moss
Kenny Wylie
Jarvis Lang
Delano Johnson
Cedric Broadhurst
James Terrell
Daryl DeVaull
Bershaun Thompson
Rodney Odom
Andre Davis
Bobby Kummer
Shanderic Downs
Rod Howard
Prentice Woods
Bruce Patterson
Ponce James
Roy Wells
Quincy Alexander
DeMarco Johnson
Tremaine Gardiner
Jimmy Fields
Kendell Jasper
Sean Colson
Versile Shaw
Dimingus Bundy
Galen Young
Diego Guevara
Dalonte Hill
Marlon Thomas
Dee Tolliver
Kedric Smith
Jobey Thomas
James Zimmerman
Johnathan Williams
Rodney White
Demon Brown
Kevin "Butter" Johnson
Matas Niparavicius
Curtis Nash
Curtis Withers
Eddie Basden
Vincent Grier
Chris Sager
Mitchell Baldwin
Tyler Best
Brendan Plavich
CJ Pigford
Russ Snyder
EJ Drayton
Leemire Goldwire
De'Angelo Alexander
Marcus Bennett
Jerell Jamison
Carlos Williams
Ian Andersen
Sean Phaler
David Booker
Kyle Church
Lamont Mack
An'Juan Wilderness
Michael Gerrity
Charles Dewhurst
DiJuan Harris
Charlie Coley
RaShad Coleman
Phil Jones
Javarris Barnett
Shamari Spears
Derrio Green
Shamarr Bowden
Gokhan Sirin
Colby Lewis
Tom Whitestone
Ass't A.D./Media Relations

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