When Volume meets Efficiency
When Volume meets Efficiency
The McMaster women's basketball team are taking - and making - a lot of 3s
I was running the three-point shooting numbers for the men’s and women’s teams from the early part of the 2021-22 U SPORTS basketball season expecting to find a bunch of good teams shooting them at a high volume. I was surprised that many of the teams, including many of the successful ones, shoot around the same amount, and notably the strong teams shoot a smaller volume.
With one notable exception.
The McMaster Marauders (5-1) women’s basketball team are launching! 50.2% of their field goal attempts are coming from the land beyond, miles ahead of the Brandon Bobcats (46.7%), the second team on that list. They are first in both three-point attempts and, notably, makes per game.
As the plot shows, the other teams in their three-point frequency phylum are not shooting with nearly the same efficiency. Mac are 8th in the country in three-point percentage and are the only team in the top 10 in that category shooting it over half the time. Heck they’re the only one shooting it even more than 40% of the time.
No other women’s team in U SPORTS is combining top-ten-level volume with elite efficiency from behind the arc. And the notable thing is it’s resulting in a quality offense.
(On the Men’s side it’s a little more prevalent, with Calgary (4th in 3P%), McGill (8th), Ottawa (9th), and Wilfrid Laurier (10th) all taking between 40-45% of their shots from three and all having above average offenses overall).
The Marauders are 13th in the country in offense, per Game of Runs calculation which adjusts for divisional and conference points-per-possession average. So how are they doing it?
On November 13th McMaster played a close contest against Guelph, ultimately winning 74-70. At first glance of the box score the performance by Sarah Gates – the star of the above clip – was clearly the reason for the win. She slapped up a 38-9-5 and was six of nine from deep. That stands out, as it should. Just another example of a heliocentric-styled offense being successful when their best player plays well.
But that would not be telling the full story. A closer look reveals that four other players knocked down at least one three in the game, including Delaney Bourget (4 of 6) and Mia Spadafora (2 of 5).
While those were their only field goal attempts in the game, dotting the three point line around a player of Gates’ quality just makes sense. And it’s been effective. Bourget (44.4 3pt%, 11th in U SPORTS) and Spadafora (44.0 3pt%, 13th in U SPORTS) are in the top 20 in three-point percentage in the country. And six of the eight players who have made a three for McMaster this season are shooting above the national average (28.3%).
When the hub of your offense is the leading scorer in the country – Gates is averaging 25.5 points-per game – it’s hard not to be good at scoring. But while she’s the only player averaging double-digits on the team, there is a logic and synergy to their attack that makes what could be assumed to be a “clear it out and watch Gates cook” offense into something much more dynamic.
Here’s the start of a typical set for McMaster, with four around the perimeter and the big rising to the high post. Not a revolutionary starting concept, however this formation is particularly advantageous to a team with McMaster’s makeup.
Their first option most trips down is to let Gates have a go and see if she can breakdown the defense with her dynamic attack. While a beast inside with her strength and size, for a player of her frame Gates is remarkably nimble, can handle the ball, and can really stroke it from deep. You take something away from her and she’ll go to one or her other strengths.
Barring an early open three, where it seems multiple players have a neon green light in the film I’ve watched, McMaster has built their semi-transition and half-court offense around getting some sort of penetration to force the defense to rotate, and then counter it with good ball movement and decisions, ultimately leading to an open three-point shot.
In the clips I’ve watched, if a shooter has any sort of window to get a quality shot off, they let that sucker fly. They also have constructed multiple sets to hunt out these shots. Backpicks, hand-offs, double screens – you name it – are happening all the time around the three-point arc, all with the purpose of creating driving lanes or airspace for their prolific shooters to release.
And it’s working.
The above clip is indicative of their core offensive values. Breakdown the defense, space the floor, move the ball, make the extra pass…and when you’re open you shoot that damn thing.
Mac have four players averaging at least four three-point attempts per game who are making at least one per contest. No other team in the country is combining that sort of volume, efficiency, and balance of three-point shooting across their roster in the first part of the season.
This bevy of high IQ players are executing their scheme effectively so far, and armed with arguably the best scorer in the country, do not be surprised if we see McMaster sneak into the OUA and National Finals come March.