Karlee McBride picked as good a time as ever to jump out of a shooting funk that's followed her throughout her senior season.
A career 33.9 percent shooter from long distance, McBride's average dropped to just 32.1 percent this season—a career low. But over her last five games heading into Friday's Big Ten Tournament matchup against rival Purdue, McBride has nailed 16-of-39 of her 3-point tries (a 41 percent clip) and seems to have her confidence back lining up from well beyond the arc.
"It's important," IU head coach Teri Moren said. "Every one of those long balls matter."
McBride knows it, too. Labeled a 3-point specialist by her head coach and teammates, McBride's job throughout the season and her career has been to stretch the floor with her ability to shoot from well beyond the arc.
The only problem is that it hasn't always been there, and it certainly hasn't been from a lack of trying. Too often she'd have nights like a 2-of-14 performance against Ohio State at home or an 0-of-6 showing against Rutgers on the road. Those types of struggles can eat at a player, especially mentally.
It was shortly after that 0-of-6 night in New Jersey that McBride let things go. She decided to think less, shoot more and see if she couldn't right whatever was going wrong with her stroke.
It worked. It started with a 4-of-8 line against the Wolverines, continued with a 4-of-9 outing on the road against Nebraska and has carried that momentum into Indianapolis with IU looking to return to the NCAA Tournament for a second conseuctive season.
"I think she was just putting so much pressure on herself to have to knock down shots from the outside," Moren said. "She just decided she was going to play more free and not put as much pressure on herself. It's really paid off. She knows the significance of what she means to our team when she's knocking down shots."
When McBride is hitting, she gives Indiana a completely different offense on the floor. Opponents can't afford to sag off her, leaving space for cutters like senior wing Alexis Gassion or junior point guard Tyra Buss to get to the bucket on the drive.
It also leaves posts like senior center Jenn Anderson and junior forward Amanda Cahill with more space on the block. The double-team comes much slower when guards are following McBride around, and even if they do leave to help they risk leaving McBride open for a 3-ball.
"We told Karlee to keep shooting," Anderson said. "We all kept giving her confidence, and that's what she needs. We're all glad she's been shooting as well as she has."
That simple message, "just keep shooting," had guided McBride throughout her slump. If she were to lose confidence in her stroke she'd become much less of a player than the sharpshooter the Hoosiers expected out of her.
Once they started falling, McBride started to tear it up.
"They just tell me keep shooting," McBride said recently. "Once one of us goes, all of us go."
McBride has certainly started going beyond the arc, but Moren said it's been other traits that have jumped out even moreso in McBride's game. As of late, her defending and leadership have taken off, Moren said, and that's rubbing off on her teammates around her.
Whether that means she's getting back in transition, taking an opposing guard out of the game or simply making life easier on other guards like Gassion who take on larger defensive responsibilities, McBride has answered the call.
And it couldn't have happened at a better time, either. Because in the postseason, no games are guaranteed.
So she'll keep shooting.
It's what she does.
----
• Talk about it inside The Hoops Forum or The Football Forum
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Follow us on Twitter: @IndianaRivals
• Like us on Facebook.
