On the Girls’ Side, Game Hasn’t Changed Much Yet : Most Coaches Feel It Will Take Some Time Before Players Can Rely on the Long Shot

Kathy Doyle, the Huntington Beach High School girls’ basketball coach, would like to say she set up the play that gave the Oilers a 51-50 win over Mater Dei last week.

But the winning shot--a 23-foot jumper at the buzzer that lifted Huntington Beach from a 50-48 deficit--not only shocked Mater Dei, it caught Doyle off guard as well.

Not realizing it was a three-point shot--one that gave her team a victory--Doyle assumed that the score was tied and called her players over for some quick overtime strategy.

“I had no idea we had won,” Doyle said. “I was sure we were going into overtime. Then someone ran over and said, ‘Hey, you guys won it!’ It was pretty funny; I guess I was so into the game, I just didn’t realize . . . “

Doyle’s discovery points to a general feeling among Orange County girls’ basketball coaches. Though they know it’s there, most have yet to fully realize the three-point shot’s potential.

Ever since the three-point line, 19-feet 9-inches from the basket, was introduced nationally to high school basketball before the start of this season, girls’ coaches have toed the line with trepidation.

Most area girls’ coaches welcome the rule, saying the shot adds excitement to the game, though a few think the game is better off without it.

“In my personal opinion, I would rather not have it at all,” said Mark Hill, Esperanza coach.

“To me, the three-pointer encourages kids to take the easy way out. It’s a temptation . . . a gamble to go for the three points instead of the two.

“But what they’re being tempted into is a low-percentage shot, when they’d probably be better off going for two.”

Some coaches say girls are not strong enough to shoot the ball with accuracy from beyond the three-point line. A few suggest that the girls’ line should be moved closer.

“Personally, I think it’s too far for girls and should be closer,” said Foothill Coach Sheila Adams.

“I don’t think a lot have the strength or the capability to hit a three-point shot--not consistently, anyway.

“I’m not saying teams shouldn’t incorporate it. They probably should. But as far as my team’s concerned, we have enough trouble making 15-footers.”

Still, very few coaches doubt that the shot will have an effect on the game, particularly after girls have spent more time working on it.

Des Flood, owner/director of the Des Flood Shooting Camps, who has been offering shooting instruction for 25 years to players at all levels, said:

“Physically, I don’t think there’s a reason at all that girls can’t shoot the three-pointers.

“It’s a myth that the boys have this extraordinary strength needed for the shot. It’s the wrist strength, which girls seem to have, that’s very important. It’s one of the most important factors in shooting.

“But I think for girls to shoot it, it’s really a question of practice. And I think there are quite a few girls in the county that could be very good at shooting it. I don’t think they should be held back.”

Many coaches feel that if you have the natural long-range shooters--such as Brea-Olinda’s Aimee McDaniel, Newport Harbor’s Chantel Deford or El Toro’s Elaine Youngs--you’re safe to implement three-point strategies in your offense.

Otherwise, many say, stay away.

Throughout the county, only one program has gone, as one coach put it, “three-point crazy.”

That is Costa Mesa, where Mustang Coach Jim Weeks calls the three-point shot the Mustangs’ salvation.

Why? The Mustangs are short (the starters average 5-5 1/2) and, as a whole, very inexperienced. Their center, Sue Nuechterlein, is only 5-9.

“It’s almost impossible for us to get inside,” Weeks said. “Already, in each of three games this season, we’ve had 10 or more of our (inside) shots blocked.

“Lots of coaches think I’m crazy, but I really don’t think I have another choice. . . . We have no conscience out there. I say go ahead, shoot it if you’re open.”

Though the results haven’t been very inspiring--Costa Mesa is just 1-9--Weeks is quick to point out that many of their losses have included late-game rallies sparked by the three-point shooting of guards Kim Good and Vanessa Henderson.

“With most of our losses, we were dead anyway,” Weeks said. “But we cut a 15-point deficit to 7 against San Clemente with two three-point shots, and against Loara, we were down 14 in the third quarter, but Kim hit two in a row, and suddenly we had a reasonable chance.”

Weeks said his team’s only win, a three-point victory over La Serna, resulted from Henderson’s three consecutive three-point shots late in the third quarter.

“I’m just trying to do the best for my team,” Weeks said. “Next year, our two tallest players will both be 5-7. I guarantee we’ll be using (the three-point shot) a lot .

“Maybe,” he said, laughing, “I’ll have all five players just standing outside the three-point line, waiting to get open. Eventually, some day, we’ll get hot and we’ll win.”