01-23-2009, 09:54 AM
When he splashed on the Kentucky high school basketball scene as a first-year starter on the best team in the state, knocking down jumpers with pinpoint accuracy, Holmes senior JaMel Riley could easily have been labeled an overnight sensation.
But that would be an affront to all those early mornings.
During his four years at Holmes, Riley has started his school day earlier than most. The skinny kid with big hands and long arms has perfected his jump shot in the junior high gym on campus, the one so small the 3-point line ends at the sideline, not the baseline. Every day. As many jumpers as he can get in before classes start at 8:10 a.m.
"He's worked on it and he's gotten better over time," said teammate and fellow senior Dominique Johnson. "This is where he's meant to be, because he's made himself a great shooter."
Holmes coach David Henley says Riley is the best shooter he's ever coached.
"That's a good comment," Riley said recently. "I like that."
Henley has spent 22 years on the sidelines, including seven as a Division I college assistant at Murray State and Duquesne.
"It wasn't like I was at Duke or Stanford. But yeah, we had some guys who could shoot," Henley said. "For JaMel, it's a repetition thing because his form and his rotation aren't perfect."
Riley, a 5-foot-11 right-hander, starts his shot with his knees bent slightly inward. He cocks the ball in his right hand over his right shoulder, with his left hand wrapping almost over the top of the ball.
In a December game against Scott County at The Bank of Kentucky Center - a matchup seen by many as the state's top game of the regular season - Riley jacked up 10 shots from that stance and made nine, including all five of his 3-point attempts. In a game filled with NCAA Division I talent, Riley was named MVP.
After the Bulldogs' 70-65 victory, Riley's season shooting statistics (through four games) looked like something out of a video game. He was 20-of-27 (74 percent) from the field, 13-of-15 (87 percent) from 3-point range and 5-for-5 from (100 percent) from the free-throw line.
"At the beginning of the year - it was his first year starting varsity - I think he was a little unsure of how much he should be shooting," Henley said. "So he only took wide-open shots. And if you leave him wide-open, and he's got his feet squared up underneath him, he's probably not going to miss."
Riley, the team's point guard, still considers himself a "pass-first guy."
"I like getting assists and getting other people open shots," he said. "I like shooting the ball, too, but I just shoot when I'm open."
That has been his M.O. in two previous years of varsity play. As a sophomore, playing limited minutes on a regional championship team, Riley took just 32 shots and made 12 (38 percent). Last year, as a role player on another regional championship team, he shot 57 percent from the floor and 60 percent from 3-point range. He averaged just 3.5 points per game, but was named to the Ninth Region all-tournament team.
This year, Riley is one of the go-to players on a 16-1 team ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press state poll.
But after his hot start, word has gotten out. Teams are aware of Riley's abilities, and his open looks have diminished. His out-of-this-world shooting numbers have dropped. (He's now 47 percent from the field and 46 percent from 3-point range.) He's still third on the team in scoring (10.9 ppg), second in assists and third in steals.
"Obviously you're not going to shoot 87 percent for the year; the law of averages is going to catch up with you," Henley said. "The fortunate thing is that his law of averages is a little higher than most people's."
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll...901230436/
But that would be an affront to all those early mornings.
During his four years at Holmes, Riley has started his school day earlier than most. The skinny kid with big hands and long arms has perfected his jump shot in the junior high gym on campus, the one so small the 3-point line ends at the sideline, not the baseline. Every day. As many jumpers as he can get in before classes start at 8:10 a.m.
"He's worked on it and he's gotten better over time," said teammate and fellow senior Dominique Johnson. "This is where he's meant to be, because he's made himself a great shooter."
Holmes coach David Henley says Riley is the best shooter he's ever coached.
"That's a good comment," Riley said recently. "I like that."
Henley has spent 22 years on the sidelines, including seven as a Division I college assistant at Murray State and Duquesne.
"It wasn't like I was at Duke or Stanford. But yeah, we had some guys who could shoot," Henley said. "For JaMel, it's a repetition thing because his form and his rotation aren't perfect."
Riley, a 5-foot-11 right-hander, starts his shot with his knees bent slightly inward. He cocks the ball in his right hand over his right shoulder, with his left hand wrapping almost over the top of the ball.
In a December game against Scott County at The Bank of Kentucky Center - a matchup seen by many as the state's top game of the regular season - Riley jacked up 10 shots from that stance and made nine, including all five of his 3-point attempts. In a game filled with NCAA Division I talent, Riley was named MVP.
After the Bulldogs' 70-65 victory, Riley's season shooting statistics (through four games) looked like something out of a video game. He was 20-of-27 (74 percent) from the field, 13-of-15 (87 percent) from 3-point range and 5-for-5 from (100 percent) from the free-throw line.
"At the beginning of the year - it was his first year starting varsity - I think he was a little unsure of how much he should be shooting," Henley said. "So he only took wide-open shots. And if you leave him wide-open, and he's got his feet squared up underneath him, he's probably not going to miss."
Riley, the team's point guard, still considers himself a "pass-first guy."
"I like getting assists and getting other people open shots," he said. "I like shooting the ball, too, but I just shoot when I'm open."
That has been his M.O. in two previous years of varsity play. As a sophomore, playing limited minutes on a regional championship team, Riley took just 32 shots and made 12 (38 percent). Last year, as a role player on another regional championship team, he shot 57 percent from the floor and 60 percent from 3-point range. He averaged just 3.5 points per game, but was named to the Ninth Region all-tournament team.
This year, Riley is one of the go-to players on a 16-1 team ranked No. 1 in the Associated Press state poll.
But after his hot start, word has gotten out. Teams are aware of Riley's abilities, and his open looks have diminished. His out-of-this-world shooting numbers have dropped. (He's now 47 percent from the field and 46 percent from 3-point range.) He's still third on the team in scoring (10.9 ppg), second in assists and third in steals.
"Obviously you're not going to shoot 87 percent for the year; the law of averages is going to catch up with you," Henley said. "The fortunate thing is that his law of averages is a little higher than most people's."
http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll...901230436/