UPDATED: Jan. 16, 2018 at 6:06 p.m.

This summer, Frank Howard started videotaping his personal workouts, and he saw something he didn’t like.

He had decided to tape the workouts after his shots hit the back of the rim too often, and his personal trainer, Musa Kamara, usually sent the videos to Howard an hour or two after the workout. Howard broke them down on his phone.

“I stay in the house a lot,” Howard said, “I go home (after the workout), sit around, watch ESPN. When I get tired of watching somebody else, I’ll watch myself.”

He zoomed the video in, slowed it down and analyzed until he diagnosed what he saw as the problem. His release looked too low, a little too flat. He traced the ball’s arc back to his arms, which were in an “L” formation. His hands were positioned too close to his face, and the ball left his hands as more of a push and less of a shot.  That affected him nowhere more than behind the 3-point arc, where the junior had only hit 10.5 percent in the two season prior.

Now, he’s hitting 38.2 percent of his 3-pointers and 36.6 percent of his scoring comes via the triple. As Syracuse’s offensive struggles continue and defenses sag, daring drivers to get to the rim, the Orange may need more of Howard’s 3-point shooting. Syracuse’s starting point guard is one of two reliable perimeter options for Syracuse (12-6, 1-4 Atlantic Coast), and he’s heating up to extend the floor for driving lanes. Howard shot 0-for-5 from deep Dec. 16 at Georgetown. He’s since 23-for-45, a 51 percent clip.

When asked what keyed the stretch — whether it was the form change, more minutes to get comfortable, or increased freedom as a primary offensive option — Howard shrugged.

“It’s everything,” he said. “That’s what I’ve been able to do out there and get into a rhythm. It’s kind of easy to get going. It kind of feels like a high school game.”

Anna Henderson | Digital Design Editor

The Orange does not possess a wealth of 3-point shooting ability. For the first time in three seasons, Syracuse has only two regular contributors hitting more than 30 percent of their 3-point attempts. This season it’s the team’s two leading scorers: Howard (15.4 points per game) and Tyus Battle (20.1).

It’s not necessarily imperative that Syracuse have multiple 3-point threats — SU does not have a pure shooter like Andrew White — but the 3-point shot can be deadly. A quick way to generate points, the shot has gained popularity in college hoops, with more traditional point guards like Howard taking more of them. At 6-foot-5, Howard stands taller than most of his defenders, giving him visibility when rising up for shots.

“He’s knocking them down,” said freshman forward Oshae Brissett, who averages 15.2 points per game. “It’s not like he’s just throwing them up there just to throw them up there. He makes a lot of difficult shots, contested shots and we need that. Anything to help us open up the lanes and get our offense going.”

More often than not, the recipe for Howard’s 3-point makes start with a Chukwu or Moyer ball screen. Early this season, Howard practically formed a residence at the top of the key for long 2s. They are among the least effective shots in the game, but Howard said in November that he would continue to exploit that area when defenders play under high screens. At Georgetown, Howard said the forwards “did a great job screening the top of the zone. I just made 3s off of that.”

Now that has sometimes reversed, as conference opponents may anticipate the high screens — Syracuse’s primary source to kickstart the offense — and jump high over the screen to protect against Howard’s jumper. That, in turn, leaves slashing forwards and centers underneath the basket. As a result, Howard said he could dump off to forwards or reset.

“When I have to come down and make a call every time, we are kind of slow moving,” Howard said after Syracuse’s 101-90 double-overtime loss at Florida State. “It’s hard for anyone to score.”

Teams can focus more attention on Howard and Battle because they’re Syracuse’s only two reliable outside shooters. That may explain why conference teams have begun pressing up on Howard and Battle, forcing contested shots at times. Saturday at then-No. 23 Florida State, Howard shot 1-for-4 from deep. Two of his misses appeared to be forced.

Anna Henderson | Digital Design Editor

But Howard said he is incorporating more 3s into shootarounds, and Brissett said Howard practices 3s before and after practice. Plus, he appears to be shooting slightly better from midrange because he’s more selective with those shots.

After seeing the success from Kamara’s summer workouts translate, Howard continued the practice at Syracuse with assistant coaches Adrian Autry and Gerry McNamara. Autry, he said, worked more with him on maintaining proper mechanics while McNamara offered more opportunities for reps before and after practice.

Those improvements could make a big difference in Syracuse’s offensive efficiency. Aside from the FSU game, during which SU scored 90 points across regulation and two overtime periods, Syracuse’s offense has sputtered in conference play.

The Orange makes a paltry 5.8 3-pointers per game and hits only 32.2 percent of them, ranking 316th and 301st in the country, respectively. Howard could compensate, albeit slightly, for those numbers. While Paschal Chukwu continues to improve and Syracuse figures out ways to involve Matthew Moyer offensively, Battle will be counted on to get his 20. And Howard will keep getting the green light from deep.

“They have to be out there,” Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said. “They’re important at the beginning of the game, the end of the game, the second half, 10 minutes in the game, two minutes in the game. They make us go.”

Players noted for months that offensive movement has lacked and that it will come with time. That remains to be seen. With few legitimate scoring options, Syracuse may need to ride more of Howard’s 3-point buckets to stay in and potentially win games.

“It opens things up,” Battle said. “You see improvement on the floor, off the bounce, catch and shoot. It spaces things up and makes drives easier for me.”

Syracuse has introduced a handful of new offensive sets featuring “good” cuts to the basket, Howard said. The extra movement, he said, creates space, especially when teams try to bring extra defenders towards him and Battle.

Howard has felt confident since this summer in his jump shot, and he maintained his confidence when shots didn’t fall early in the season. The only thing that’s changed, as he sees it, is the shots are falling a little more often.

“I’ve been more consistent with my stroke and my form and stuff,” Howard said. “I just feel it.”

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this post, Frank Howard’s shooting percentage since Dec. 16 was misstated. Howard is 23-45, a 51 percent clip. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

Published on January 15, 2018 at 10:44 pm

Contact Sam: sjfortie@syr.edu | @Sam4TR