ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, February 1, 1997 TAG: 9702030104
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DANIEL UTHMAN STAFF WRITER
DEREK BRYANT DOESN'T MIND going downtown. In fact, that's where he's most comfortable.
Parents: Want your kids to become great 3-point shooters? Kids: Want to be deadly from downtown?
Then you must unite at once and do the only prudent thing possible: Tear up your driveways!
That's right, bring in the tar-eating road wreckers. Man your shovels and pickaxes. Call in the gravel trucks. The only thing left standing should be your basketball hoop.
Welcome to the Derek Bryant 3-point shooting method. It's a proven technique that has brought Bryant success at such well-known local landmarks as Franklin County High School and Roanoke College. Forget dribbling. Forget learning post moves. Don't worry about painting a foul lane on the pavement, just make sure you get that 3-point arc down.
``Growing up, I probably shot a couple hours a day after school,'' Bryant said in a testimonial. ``I had a gravel driveway, so I didn't work on much else.''
Including two-pointers. ``If I'm open, I'll take 'em, but I don't concentrate on the two-point shots,'' Bryant said.
Hey, why exert the effort? Bryant, a senior small forward, is seven 3-pointers from breaking the Roanoke College career record of 123 made, set by Ron Pendleton (1987-91). Of Bryant's 451 career points, 348 have come on 3-pointers. That's 77.2 percent. Six times he's made four in a single game. Six times he's made five in a game. Twice he's made six, the school's single-game record.
Worried the girls or boys won't like you for seeming one-dimensional? Think the fans would rather see a dunk? Well, at Roanoke College, the best way to get the coeds and the crowd cooing is with a Derek Bryant 3-point bomb.
``I'm definitely amazed by some of the shots that go in,'' Bryant said.
This guy doesn't have a one-track mind, though. He's well-versed in politics, having served as senior class president at Franklin County High. He knows business, being a marketing major who worked as a marketing assistant last summer. He's up on current events, too, having recently made some additions to his Star Wars collection.
Bryant even knows a little about fashion, having won two Halloween costume contests with team/roommates Michael Ball, Jason Bishop and Mike Henrich. Bryant can talk music, too. They won the costume contests by dressing up like the 1970s rock group KISS, makeup and all.
Bryant isn't a one-sport athlete, either. He plays golf, would love to play club baseball for the Maroons this spring, and when asked who is his favorite sports figure, he responded, ``Lex Luger,'' a professional wrestler.
Even with such a varied knowledge of the world, Bryant doesn't act like a know-it-all. He has a secret interest in finding out more about killer whales, and in that rare time when he's having trouble with his shot, he looks for his father, Jim, in the stands for advice.
``He taught me how to shoot,'' Bryant said. ``When I'm doing something wrong, he'll let me know.''
Bryant's college coach, Page Moir, offered this testimonial in support of Bryant and his shooting stroke: ``He really puts games away. His percentage is extremely high [42 percent] for someone who's shot as many as he's shot. I'd like to see him go 9-for-11 sometime, hopefully in a big game.''
But just to show there's truth in advertising, it must be said that Bryant's method is not foolproof. There was a time, about a year ago, when the method appeared to have lost its effectiveness.
Twenty-two players had come out for the Roanoke team in the fall of 1995. Bryant had been a junior varsity player as a freshman and had averaged just three minutes per game as a sophomore. ``He was a great standing shooter, but he couldn't put the ball on the floor and couldn't dribble,'' said Moir. ``But he came back his junior year and we thought he had a chance to do something.''
Bryant, however, didn't do anything the first day of practice last season. Moir called him into his office and told him he was wasting his time and wasn't working hard. Moir said there was a place for him on the team, but it was the seat closest to the watercoolers. It was that, or quit.
``He came out the second day and put on a show,'' Moir said. ``He's been a very special player for us.''
Bryant said he knew the coaches were disappointed in him. They didn't think he could cut it anymore. ``I told them, I think I can,'' Bryant said.
He can, you can, we all can. Just follow the Bryant method.
LENGTH: Medium: 86 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ROANOKE COLLEGE. Derek Bryant (30) is zeroing in on theby CNBcareer record for 3-point goals at Roanoke College. He needs seven
more.