LEXINGTON, Ky. _ If you think moving the 3-point line to the international distance next season is no big deal, you're not alone. More than one Kentucky player feels the same way.
Immanuel Quickley actually has experience with the longer distance. He played on USA Basketball's U17 and U19 teams in competition that included the international distance.
"It's not too big a deal," he said Friday. "Honestly, if you put the work in, I don't think shooting from anywhere _ NBA, FIBA, college _ should really be a problem."
In those 13 games with the USA Basketball teams, Quickley made 13 of 37 shots from 3-point range. That was 35.1-percent accuracy.
Earlier this week, the NCAA announced that the line will be moved from 20 feet, nine inches to the international distance of 22 feet, one and three-quarter inches starting next season.
"Not a problem," EJ Montgomery said. "I've been shooting NBA threes all summer. So I'm kind of getting used to it. And I shot it well in the workouts (for NBA teams in the pre-draft process). You know, if the rules change, we've got to adapt to it."
Ashton Hagans suggested an upside to the longer 3-point distance.
"It's just going to prepare us for the NBA range more," he said. "So you've just got to work on it."
Hagans and Quickley cited another potential benefit. They agreed with the premise the NCAA offered for moving the line: It will spread defenses, thus creating more driving lanes.
