Tennessee basketball: Vols’ individual goals for the 2018-19 season
Jordan Bowden – Lead SEC in three-point percentage
To start the season you would have thought Jordan Bowden was going to run away with the three-point percentage title. He started out the season going 3-for-3 against Presbyterian. A few games later he shot a near perfect 4-of-5 against the Mercer Bears and on December 23rd against Wake Forest Bowden shot 5-of-5.
Before conference play started, he was hovering around the 60 percent mark from deep. That’s entirely unheard of. However, that slowly began to slip away and so did his confidence.
Just like any sport basketball is mental, when that shot isn’t falling it is too easy to force things, which in the end makes the slump even worse. There weren’t many games Bowden forced things, in fact, he just stopped shooting, and that’s not what the Vols need.
When Bowden if confident and plays aggressively, he shoots lights out. And, with another year under his belt, there is no reason he can’t lead the SEC in three-point percentage.
Last season he ranked 12th in the league among players that attempted at least 100 shot from deep. Arkansas’ Jalen Barford finished the season shooting 43.6 percent. That number wasn’t out of reach for Bowden last season, and it most certainly isn’t out of reach this season.
Bowden started the season off strong against Lenior-Rhyne shooting 3-for-5 from deep. It’s early, but he currently ranks 6th in the league, only .67 of a percent behind the leader.