A Closer Look At ACC Free Throws And Three-Pointers

Newly arriving coaches often employ a bit of unorthodoxy to make a mark. In 1985 new Clemson coach Cliff Ellis went with scrambling defense and a decidedly uptempo offense in a staid league. Within a year the afterthought Tigers, hitting a comfortable stride with players like twins Horace and Harvey Grant, went from the ACC cellar to an NIT berth. By 1987 they posted 25 wins, a second-place league finish, and an NCAA bid.

Recently the fashion has been firing threes; just a few years back the Boston Celtics surfed a tide of 3-pointers to an NBA title.

Pat Kelsey’s reputation from his time at Winthrop and College of Charleston promised in deed if not word that he would place a strong emphasis…