How a Carmel native became one of the Big East’s best 3-point shooters

INDIANAPOLIS — Watching Butler guard Evan Haywood shoot a basketball is teaching tape material for the ideal jump shot.

A great jump shot starts before the ball is in a shooter’s hand, and Haywood is always in position to shoot before receiving a pass. He’s on balance with a strong base and wastes no motion between catching the ball and flicking his wrist to release a shot.

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Haywood showcased his improved form in the clutch, sending Butler to a 113-110 Big East opening win over Providence with a 3-pointer in the second overtime. With improved form and growing confidence, the second-year guard from Carmel has built himself into one of the most efficient shooters in the Big East.

As Butler heads into the resumption of Big East play Monday night at Creighton, Haywood’s 2.2 made 3-pointers per game are tied for fifth in the conference. He’s accomplished that while playing 10 fewer minutes per game than the fourth-place shooter, Providence’s Jason Edwards, and his 43.9% mark from behind the arc is tied for second in the conference trailing only Villanova’s Bryce Lindsay. The 43.9% rate is a marked improvement from Haywood’s 34.6% from 3 as a freshman.

“For Evan it was getting reps, watching film, seeing the types of shots that he’s going to get in the game and getting reps at that,” Butler assistant coach Jon Diebler said. “Evan’s a really, really good shooter. Obviously, I saw him in high school, I know he can score, I know he can shoot. … (It took) work on getting your shot off quick, work on always being ready.

“As a shooter you never have a lot of air space, teams are always going to close out fast, trying to run you off the line. Same thing with guys like Jamie (Kaiser Jr.), always being ready to shoot no matter where you are on the court, and if you’re open, let it ride.”

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Haywood’s transformation from little-used role player to key 3-point shooter began with a tweak in his mechanics. With the help of Diebler — Ohio State’s all-time leading…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/carmel-native-became-one-big-131024803.html

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Publish date : 2025-12-28 13:10:00

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