After the University of Connecticut men's basketball team won its second NCAA championship in six years, Jim Calhoun's Huskies joined the likes of Duke and Kentucky as one of the nation's elite programs. Similarly, the UConn women's team played in its third consecutive NCAA final and registered its fifth straight 30-win season.
While Storrs, Connecticut, is the home of two college basketball dynasties, the University of Virginia has witnessed its own pair of male and female dominance in the same field of competition. But I'm not talking about lacrosse or soccer. I'm referring to the Intramural Three-Point Shootout.
The sharp shooting Fernicia Patrick has dominated the women's division of this biannual contest, consecutively winning the past five competitions. In order to appreciate the significance of this accomplishment, it should be noted that in the five semesters before Patrick won her first shootout, no female had ever repeated as champion.
"I started playing when I was six years old, and I've been playing ever since," Patrick. "Basketball is something that I love to do."
Although she may not have spent nights in her driveway dreaming about the chance to win such a championship, as her game developed, Patrick always spent extra time on shooting.
"I'm short," Patrick explained. "So I would always go down to the other end of the court and practice my shooting."
As any of her opponents can attest, the practice has obviously paid off.
On the men's side of things, Charlottesville houses another five-time winner of the three-point contest, Paul Crane. Despite constant rebuffs to appear in this story, I finally convinced Crane to take part and talk with me. A transcript of my interview with him follows:
Cavalier Daily: Thanks for taking the time to sit down and talk with me.
Paul Crane: Well, I realized after a while that I didn't have much choice. Anyways, I'm a big fan of your work.
CD: Thank you, that's nice to hear. So four consecutive three-point shootout titles and five overall, what's that all mean to you?
PC: In all honesty, it's a big deal. It's probably my favorite accomplishment here at the University. To compete against some of the school's best shooters and come out on top is a very rewarding experience for any basketball player.
CD: And those T-shirts aren't bad either?
PC: No kidding. They are a valued commodity when it comes to intramural competition. Possibly even worth more than those $3 shirts thrown into the stands at a basketball game that people are willing to knock little old ladies over to get their hands on.
CD: How did you start developing your shooting stroke?
PC: Like Fernicia, I knew that I wasn't going to be the type of player to take the ball inside against the trees. So I learned to shoot and avoid the embarrassment of being rejected.
CD: Any three-point inspirations as a youngster?
PC: [Three-time winner of the NBA Three-Point Contest] Craig Hodges. Remember when he wore a generic white NBA jersey because he wasn't on an NBA team, but he still competed during All-Star weekend to defend his title? That was hilarious. The best three-point shooter in the league couldn't even find an employer.
PC: By the way, don't you think it's kind of lame interviewing yourself?
CD: What can I say, it was a slow news day. It was either you or the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the quarter came up heads.
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