University of Minnesota Athletics
The Art of Shooting the Three; Senior Lindsay Lieser
1/28/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
To senior captain Lindsay Lieser this is nothing new. She has been able to shoot like this since she was a little girl growing up in New London, Minnesota. Gopher fans, on the other hand, are finally catching on. They are starting to see what Lieser is capable of and that she is "deadly when distant."
Lieser's success can be traced back to her parents' driveway many years ago. It was there that the most prolific shooter in Minnesota history honed her craft to get to the extraordinary level she is currently at.
Day or night, rain or snow, none of that mattered to Lieser as she spent endless hours in her driveway shooting, getting better.
"After my dad put up a hoop in the driveway I was out there shooting all the time. Every night they would have to turn on the light because I was out there so long. It was a struggle for them to get me in for dinner," Lieser said with a smile. "Then when the snow would start melting, I would be out there shooting all day and my jacket and clothes would get full of mud. Every night my mom would wash them and then the next day I would do the same thing and it would be all dirty again. I didn't care, I really loved to shoot and the weather never stopped me from doing it. I am sure my mom got sick of washing though."
Once Lieser started to play organized basketball and saw how well she shot with people guarding her, her confidence grew. Not only could she knock down shots alone in her driveway, but she could knock them down with people guarding her.
She also benefited from the fact that many kids growing up are taught not to guard away from the basket because of the simple reason that many kids are not skilled nor strong enough to make a shot from that far out. She took full advantage of the amount of space she was given to shoot.
"People wouldn't guard me," Lieser said. "When you are so young, you are taught not to defend girls that far out. I was always open so I would shoot threes and make them."
After dominating the girls, Lieser turned to the boys for a new challenge. She would show up to open gym with the guys and challenge them to games of H-O-R-S-E. All who accepted got a rude awakening.
"To see the look on their faces after I, this little pipsqueak, beat them, was really satisfying," Lieser said. "I would knock down threes and beat them all. After that, I started getting a lot more respect from everyone."
Lieser's three-point accuracy followed her to Minnesota, where she has re-written all the Golden Gopher three-point records. She has done this even with the fact that as the years went by and more teams saw what she was capable of, she became more of a focal point of defenses.
"Each year I am finding that it is harder for me to get my shots off," Lieser said. "People are keying in on me more and not giving me the open looks like I used to get. Because of that, I have found that I have really learned how to use screens better."
Because she has had to use more screens to get off her shot, she credits her teammates for getting her open.
"I have the easy part of just shooting. My teammates have the hard part. They are setting the screens and giving me the opportunity to do what I do best."
One thing about being a shooter is that if you live by the three, you also die by the three, something Lieser has learned to deal with throughout her career.
"It is not on my mind when I am shooting, but I know in the back of my mind that if I start out the game making some threes that I will see more playing time. If I start out shooting cold I may play less. It is hard not to put added pressure on yourself, but I understand my role and will do anything to help this team in any way I can."
During her four years here, Lieser has experienced it all. Whether it is three coaches in four years, moving out of the Sports Pavilion to Williams Arena, or becoming a winning program, she knows how lucky she is for what she has been a part of.
"It's almost magical what this team has turned into. I am so thankful that I have been a part of the whole process. Years from now they may forget my name, but I think they will always remember this team," Lieser stated.
For two years Lieser experienced the worst college basketball can offer, but she has the luxury of closing with two years of the best college basketball has to offer. It is that feeling that will hang with her the rest of her life.
Although the coaches have changed, the venue has changed and the fan interest has changed, one thing has been a constant her four years here, and that has been her three-point shooting. It is that shooting that will allow her to walk away with every three-point record in the Minnesota record book, a feat that is not lost on Lieser.
"That is a pretty amazing feeling. To come this far, at a university that is in the Big Ten, and to accomplish something of that nature is unbelievable," Lieser stated. "I will carry that with me the rest of my life. Even if someone breaks it down the road. To know I once held the records is a great feeling."
Going back to the little girl who is now standing under the basket watching Lieser drain three pointers. No older then four years old, she watches as Lieser actually misses a shot. She yells out, "Dad she missed!" at the top of her lungs. Her dad can not help but crack a smile as he tells her to keep watching. Almost, as if on cue, the next three-pointer trickles through the net. Not only that, the next five do as well. After seeing Lieser on another hot streak from behind the arc the girl turns to her dad and says, "Dad, I want to be like Lindsay when I grow up. Lindsay Lieser."
Lindsay Lieser has played a huge role in getting the program to where it is today. She is hoping that her hot shooting can be a weapon that will carry this team to reach all the goals that they have set. In short, if opponents make the mistake of leaving her open, or she is lost on a screen, she will make them pay. She will show them why she is so "deadly when distant."
Written by Media Relations Student Assistant Danny Olsen It is an hour and a half before game time and only one Golden Gopher can be found on the court. This player is in a zone, knocking down shot after shot after shot. Three-pointer after three after three. The few fans that have startled to trickle in watch in amazement as everything swishes through the hoop. A little girl taps her dad on the knee and asks, "Dad, does she ever miss?" As she says this to him, a three-pointer rattles out, but that does not matter. By the time the girl looks back on the court the threes are flowing again - six, seven, eight in a row.
To senior captain Lindsay Lieser this is nothing new. She has been able to shoot like this since she was a little girl growing up in New London, Minnesota. Gopher fans, on the other hand, are finally catching on. They are starting to see what Lieser is capable of and that she is "deadly when distant."
Lieser's success can be traced back to her parents' driveway many years ago. It was there that the most prolific shooter in Minnesota history honed her craft to get to the extraordinary level she is currently at.
Day or night, rain or snow, none of that mattered to Lieser as she spent endless hours in her driveway shooting, getting better.
"After my dad put up a hoop in the driveway I was out there shooting all the time. Every night they would have to turn on the light because I was out there so long. It was a struggle for them to get me in for dinner," Lieser said with a smile. "Then when the snow would start melting, I would be out there shooting all day and my jacket and clothes would get full of mud. Every night my mom would wash them and then the next day I would do the same thing and it would be all dirty again. I didn't care, I really loved to shoot and the weather never stopped me from doing it. I am sure my mom got sick of washing though."
Once Lieser started to play organized basketball and saw how well she shot with people guarding her, her confidence grew. Not only could she knock down shots alone in her driveway, but she could knock them down with people guarding her.
She also benefited from the fact that many kids growing up are taught not to guard away from the basket because of the simple reason that many kids are not skilled nor strong enough to make a shot from that far out. She took full advantage of the amount of space she was given to shoot.
"People wouldn't guard me," Lieser said. "When you are so young, you are taught not to defend girls that far out. I was always open so I would shoot threes and make them."
After dominating the girls, Lieser turned to the boys for a new challenge. She would show up to open gym with the guys and challenge them to games of H-O-R-S-E. All who accepted got a rude awakening.
"To see the look on their faces after I, this little pipsqueak, beat them, was really satisfying," Lieser said. "I would knock down threes and beat them all. After that, I started getting a lot more respect from everyone."
Lieser's three-point accuracy followed her to Minnesota, where she has re-written all the Golden Gopher three-point records. She has done this even with the fact that as the years went by and more teams saw what she was capable of, she became more of a focal point of defenses.
"Each year I am finding that it is harder for me to get my shots off," Lieser said. "People are keying in on me more and not giving me the open looks like I used to get. Because of that, I have found that I have really learned how to use screens better."
Because she has had to use more screens to get off her shot, she credits her teammates for getting her open.
"I have the easy part of just shooting. My teammates have the hard part. They are setting the screens and giving me the opportunity to do what I do best."
One thing about being a shooter is that if you live by the three, you also die by the three, something Lieser has learned to deal with throughout her career.
"It is not on my mind when I am shooting, but I know in the back of my mind that if I start out the game making some threes that I will see more playing time. If I start out shooting cold I may play less. It is hard not to put added pressure on yourself, but I understand my role and will do anything to help this team in any way I can."
During her four years here, Lieser has experienced it all. Whether it is three coaches in four years, moving out of the Sports Pavilion to Williams Arena, or becoming a winning program, she knows how lucky she is for what she has been a part of.
"It's almost magical what this team has turned into. I am so thankful that I have been a part of the whole process. Years from now they may forget my name, but I think they will always remember this team," Lieser stated.
For two years Lieser experienced the worst college basketball can offer, but she has the luxury of closing with two years of the best college basketball has to offer. It is that feeling that will hang with her the rest of her life.
Although the coaches have changed, the venue has changed and the fan interest has changed, one thing has been a constant her four years here, and that has been her three-point shooting. It is that shooting that will allow her to walk away with every three-point record in the Minnesota record book, a feat that is not lost on Lieser.
"That is a pretty amazing feeling. To come this far, at a university that is in the Big Ten, and to accomplish something of that nature is unbelievable," Lieser stated. "I will carry that with me the rest of my life. Even if someone breaks it down the road. To know I once held the records is a great feeling."
Going back to the little girl who is now standing under the basket watching Lieser drain three pointers. No older then four years old, she watches as Lieser actually misses a shot. She yells out, "Dad she missed!" at the top of her lungs. Her dad can not help but crack a smile as he tells her to keep watching. Almost, as if on cue, the next three-pointer trickles through the net. Not only that, the next five do as well. After seeing Lieser on another hot streak from behind the arc the girl turns to her dad and says, "Dad, I want to be like Lindsay when I grow up. Lindsay Lieser."
Lindsay Lieser has played a huge role in getting the program to where it is today. She is hoping that her hot shooting can be a weapon that will carry this team to reach all the goals that they have set. In short, if opponents make the mistake of leaving her open, or she is lost on a screen, she will make them pay. She will show them why she is so "deadly when distant."
Written by Media Relations Student Assistant Danny Olsen
