How does Kelsey Mitchell feel about Taylor Robertson breaking her 3-point record? 'She deserves it'
Kelsey Mitchell admits she hasn’t had a chance to sit and watch one of Taylor Robertson’s games.
But Mitchell has seen enough of the OU sharpshooter to recognize her strength.
“Her shot is incredibly beautiful,” Mitchell said. “The way it goes up and comes back down, it’s beautiful. You could tell how easy her feet set into her shot, so those are all telltale signs that you’re dealing with a fantastic shooter.”
Mitchell would know fantastic shooting.
Until Wednesday night, she stood alone atop the NCAA record books for career 3-pointers with 497 ― but now, she has company. Robertson’s two 3-pointers at Texas pulled her even with Mitchell, and Saturday at Iowa State, Robertson has a chance to make the record her own.
Mitchell set the mark during her four-year career at Ohio State (2014-18), and even though Robertson is a fifth-year senior taking advantage of a COVID season, she reached the record in fewer games than Mitchell.
Mitchell got there in 139, Robertson in 137.
Robertson also needed fewer attempts from behind the arc to reach the mark, 1,133 to 1,286.
Not that Mitchell believes any of that is needed to validate Robertson’s run at her record.
“With this generation, this era now, I’m not even that much removed from it, but I’m removed enough these ladies and gents now, they are so athletic,” Mitchell said in an interview with The Oklahoman. “It’s going a lot faster than it would typically.”
When Mitchell set the record for threes as a senior in 2018, the previous high was 441. Mitchell surpassed the mark in January, then added to it.
But she never thought her mark would last long.
In the past decade, two players in major-college men’s basketball have surpassed 500 career 3-pointers, Fletcher Magee of Wofford (509) and Travis Bader of Oakland (504). Why wouldn’t a woman have a chance to join the 500 club?
Mitchell, after all, knew the secret sauce to becoming a great shooter wasn’t unattainable.
It was hard work.
More:OU basketball's Taylor Robertson 'ready to get' NCAA 3-point record chase 'over with'
The daughter of Cheryl, who played basketball at Eastern Kentucky, and Mark, who coached high school basketball, Mitchell grew up in Cincinnati spending every spare minute in the gym. Playing. Practicing. Drilling. Shooting.
Her dad was hired as an assistant coach at Ohio State, and their work together continued in Columbus.
“He kind of dialed in my memory, developing my mental muscle memory on my shot,” Mitchell said. “It was something we consistently worked on.”
Unlike Robertson who is a shooting guard, Mitchell played point guard at Ohio State. She had plenty of other duties besides shooting, but she embraced the role of shooter, not so much for herself but for her team.
“We as athletes and we as competitors, whatever we’re good at, you tend to work on it a lot more and you tend to want to be consistent at it more,” she said. “For me, even for Taylor, it’s about going to your strengths and knowing what you work on.
“I think when you prepare for something, that shot, that 3-point shot, becomes a little bit more consistent and it’s something that you kind of rely on.”
Now with the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, Mitchell is still one of the best shooters around. She is one of only nine players to average more than two 3-pointers a game last season, along with the likes of Kelsey Plum, Diana Taurasi and Sabrina Ionescu.
Mitchell says she’s still working on her shot.
More:How is OU point guard Nevaeh Tot working to grow from her mother's shadow?
“It’s just kind of making sure that my feet are set and my position needs to be straight up and down and my toes are pointed to the rim, and then when it comes to ball placement, I’m ready to shoot it,” she said. “There’s no hesitations.
“And then last but not least, you’ve got to be shooting up in the air and not throwing it like a rock. Just those kind of things, you’ve got to pay attention to.”
She does, and even though she’s only seen Robertson play here and there, Mitchell knows she does, too.
“She deserves it,” Mitchell said of the 3-point record. “The game keeps changing, and she’s one of the ones that’s keeping it changed.”
Jenni Carlson: Jenni can be reached at 405-475-4125 or jcarlson@oklahoman.com. Like her at facebook.com/JenniCarlsonOK, follow her at twitter.com/jennicarlson_ok, and support her work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.
No. 14 Oklahoma vs. No. 18 Iowa State
TIPOFF: 3 p.m. Saturday at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa (ESPN+)
NCAA career 3-point leaders
OU guard Taylor Robertson tied the NCAA record for career 3-pointers earlier this week. Here's a look at the top 10, including final collegiate season, games played and 3-pointers made:
T1. Taylor Robertson, OU, 2023, 137, 497
T1. Kelsey Mitchell, Ohio State, 2018, 139, 497
3. Taylor Pierce, Idaho, 2019, 134, 472
4. Jess Kovatch, Saint Francis (Pa.), 2019, 130, 472
5. Kendall Spray, UT Martin/Clemson/FGCU, 2022, 153, 466
6. Katie Benzan, Harvard/Maryland, 2022, 147, 453
7. Darby Maggard, Belmont, 2019, 134, 430
8. Mikayla Ferenz, Idaho, 2019, 135, 415
9. Rachael Childress, UAB, 2020, 128, 415
10. Katelynn Flaherty, Michigan, 2018, 140, 410
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OU basketball: Taylor Robertson set to break NCAA 3-point record
