The Outsiders Are Looking Very In : By Taking the Shot, They’re Getting a Shot at Stardom

So, the three-point shot has made its way to college, albeit a short (19-feet 9-inches) route, promising more thrills than the last Mad Max sequel for YOU--the basketball ticket buying public.

Of course, for THEM--the players and coaches--the three-point line means adjustments in style, strategy and stats.

Which brings us to THOSE--the non-franchise, non-blue chip, non-’he’ll be playing for pay someday’ players who were too small, too slow or too skinny before the three-point line.

Post-line, however, some of these nowhere kids have become valuable commodities because of a certain knack they have of scoring from beyond 20 feet.

College coaches, happy or not about the three-point rule, have adjusted their lineups to accommodate outside shooters.

“The rule is here to stay,” said Bill Mulligan, UC Irvine coach. “Any coach who doesn’t take advantage of the three-point line is goofy.”

They’ve also adjusted their recruiting.

College coaches have always coveted consistent perimeter shooters. They break zones, unclog key areas.

Two years ago, Villanova’s designated shooter, Harold Jensen, shot down Georgetown in the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. final.

The NCAA championship last season went to Louisville, partially because of Jeff Hall, an outside shooting specialist.

“I think coaches have always wanted someone who can be consistent from 20 feet,” said Jerry Pimm, UC Santa Barbara coach. “There’s always been a premium on outside shooting, but now it’s worth even more, three points.”

The shot has become so valuable that many coaches say they are willing to overlook certain shortcomings in athletic ability and size if a person can make the three-point shot.

“I think more kids are going to make it to college who aren’t great athletes,” Mulligan said.

Pimm said: “I think kids will still have to be pretty good athletes, but I’m convinced that kids who might not have made it before, now have a shot.”

That is, if they have a shot. Which Eric Speaker does. Speaker, a 6-4, 165-pound junior forward at El Toro High School, has solid, if unspectacular, basketball skills. His problem is his body, a bit on the bony side.

Actually, Speaker is plump compared to the 6-3, 125-pound stick that showed up at El Toro two years ago.

“He was an absolute rail,” said Tim Travers, El Toro coach.

So Speaker, a devotee of the game, hit the weights and the protein shakes and has since added 40 pounds. But none of that matters as much to college scouts as the work he has done with his shot, a high-arching beauty that seems to have limitless range.

“I’ve always figured that my way to college was through my shooting,” Speaker said. “With the three-point line, I think I have a lot better chances than I did before.”

Sonora’s Grayle Humphrey and Troy’s Mark Rudometkin will play with the three-point line during the Freeway League season that begins tonight as will players in the Sunset League, which opens Friday.

Humphrey is a slightly built 5-10 guard who, along with David Morris, will be responsible for providing outside scoring to a Raider team devoid of significant inside strength.

If he does it well enough Humphrey thinks, “even though I’m not that tall, colleges will see I can still help them out.”

Which is why Humphrey is spending nearly double the time he used to on shooting. He practices before and after Sonora team practices.

“This could be my ticket,” he said.

Rudometkin is even skinnier than Speaker. At 6-4, 160, he says he realizes intimidation is not his game.

So, he was happy with the decision to make a three-point line.

“My mouth watered,” he said. “I knew I could make that shot. I knew I had a better chance of playing in college.”

All of which may give you a warm feeling for these players, but may irritate the basketball purist in you. Specialization is for baseball and football. Basketball is supposed to be a test of the total athlete.

In most cases that still is probably true, but . . .

“I can see the gym rat type kid who is a great shooter with not a whole lot of athletic ability getting a scholarship as a three-point specialist,” said Dave Brown, Fountain Valley coach. “Most colleges recruit athletes, but there is a place now for this type of player. The three-point shot opens a side door for a new breed of specialist, sort of like a field goal kicker in football.”

Which may not be all that bad, or really all that new.

“I think having a guy whose job it is to hit jumpers is just like having a 7-footer who does nothing but stand around the low blocks and wait for the ball,” said Dick Katz, Westminster coach.

“I think every player, no matter what he does best, wants to be a good overall player,” Rudometkin said. “We shoot well, but that doesn’t mean we can play the rest of the game.

“In fact, I think if you become so preoccupied with your shot, the rest of your game suffers.”

Very true and admirable. But Rudometkin and the rest shouldn’t be so hard on themselves or a gift horse.

In today’s college market, outside is in. The skill they have honed in their driveways and at the park may just overcome any shortcomings and be the ticket to a full-ride.