Greatest 3-Point Shooters in College Basketball History

College basketball introduced the three-point shot before the 1986-1987 season. These players shot the three better than anyone ever did.

If you want to highlight the most important day in college basketball history in the last 40 years, you could do worse than pointing to April 2, 1986 — the day college basketball officially added the three-point line.

Since that fateful day, we’ve seen basketball change on every level and the limits to what it means to be a truly great shooter expand beyond our wildest dreams. Also, how many times have you heard a debate about players from different eras and the three-point line comes up?

With the idea that quality is almost always going to be better than quantity when it comes to shooting three-pointers — players like Steph Curry, who can win games by shooting threes, don’t come along very often — here’s a look at the greatest three-point shooters in college basketball history.

20. Jared Stohl, Guard

Kevin P. Casey / AP Photo

High school: Marysville Pilchuck High School (Marysville, Washington)

College: Portland (2007-11)

Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 165 pounds

Games/three-pointers: 126 G, 336-754 (.446)

Bottom line: Jared Stohl started off his career at Portland hot with 58 three-pointers as a freshman and never slowed down. He came just one three shy of hitting at least 90 threes in each of the next three seasons and led the NCAA in three-point field-goal percentage (.478) as a junior, when he hit a career-high 98 three-pointers.

(Minimum 200 career three-pointers and 2.0 three-point attempts per game)

19. Scott Bamforth, Shooting Guard

Michael Albans / AP Photo

High school: Del Norte High School (Albuquerque, New Mexico)

College: Weber State (2010-13)

Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 190 pounds

Games/three-pointers: 99 G, 258-578 (.446)

Bottom line: Scott Bamforth was lightly recruited out of Albuquerque’s Del Norte High and spent one season at Western Nebraska Community College before transferring to Weber State, where he broke NBA star Damian Lillard’s career and single-season records for three-pointers.

Bamforth was a three-time All-Big Sky selection at Weber State and has been playing pro basketball overseas since 2013.

18. Jason Kapono, Small Forward

Mark J. Terrill / AP Photo

High school: Artesia High School (Lakewood, California)

College: UCLA (1999-2003)

Height/weight: 6-foot-8, 215 pounds

Games/three-pointers: 127 G, 317-710 (.446)

Bottom line: Jason Kapono lit it up during his four years at UCLA, becoming the first player in school history to earn All-Pac-10 honors four consecutive seasons and leaving school No. 3 on the career scoring list with 2,095 points.

At 6-foot-8, Kapono’s ability to shoot threes made him a nightmare matchup for opponents on the college level and in the NBA, where he played for a decade, won an NBA championship with the Miami Heat in 2006 and won the NBA Three-Point Contest twice, in 2007 and 2008.

17. Scott Neely, Guard

Campbell's 1992 Big South Championship Team

Campbell University Athletics

College: Campbell (1991-96)

Height: 6-foot-3

Games/three-pointers: 115 G, 244-553 (.441)

Bottom line: Plenty of players on this list were one-trick ponies — all they could do was shoot three-pointers — but that wasn’t Campbell’s Scott Neely.

Neely averaged over 15 points in each of his last two seasons. His career line of 12.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists showed a more complete player. He also hit an almost equal amount of two-pointers (235) as three-pointers (244) and was a career 80 percent free-throw shooter.

16. Luke Avdalovic, Shooting Guard

Young Kwak / AP Photo

High school: Vista Del Lago High School (Folsom, California)

Colleges: Northern Arizona/Pacific (2019-23)

Height/weight: 6-foot-5, 195 pounds

Games/three-pointers: 135 G, 279-624 (.447)

Bottom line: Luke Avdalovic spent all four seasons of his college career as a starter, with the first three seasons at Northern Arizona and the last two at Pacific. The Folsom, California, native benefited from having an almost complete extra season in college because of the pandemic.

15. Brandon Provost, Guard

Paul Beaty / AP Photo

High school: Seven Lakes High School (Katy, Texas)

Colleges: Air Force/Texas-Rio Grande Valley (2008-13)

Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 189 pounds

Games/three-pointers: 110 G, 233-521 (.447)

Bottom line: What’s amazing about Brandon Provost making this list is that he spent his freshman season at the Air Force Academy in 2008-2009, where he played in 18 games and went 0-for-11 on three-pointers.

Provost more than made up for that in his final three seasons after he transferred to Texas-Rio Grande Valley, where he made over 70 three-pointers each year and shot almost 50 percent from beyond the arc.

14. Ray Allen, Shooting Guard

Susan Ragan / AP Photo

High school: Hillcrest High School (Dalzell, South Carolina)

College: Connecticut (1993-96)

Height/weight: 6-foot-5, 205 pounds

Games/three-pointers: 101 G, 233-520 (.448)

Bottom line: After leading Hillcrest (S.C.) High to a state championship as a senior, Ray Allen was a shooting star in three seasons at UConn, where he averaged 19.0 points and 6.0 rebounds for his career and hit 115 three-pointers as a junior before leaving school early for the NBA Draft.

Allen played 18 seasons in the NBA and held the record for career three-pointers for a decade before it was broken by Steph Curry in 2021. He also won two NBA championships and was a 10-time All-Star. Allen was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018 and named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team in 2021.

13. Pete Campbell, Forward

Joe Raymond / AP Photo

High school: Yorktown High School (Muncie, Indiana)

Colleges: Purdue Fort Wayne/Butler (2005-08)

Height/weight: 6-foot-7, 205 pounds

Games/three-pointers: 94 G, 248-550 (.451)

Bottom line: You could never accuse Pete Campbell of being scared to let the ball fly. In his freshman season at Purdue-Fort Wayne, he went 65-of-171 on three-pointers before transferring to Butler for two seasons.

With the Bulldogs, Campbell hit 81 three-pointers in his first season and shot 51.9 percent from beyond the arc, then made 102 three-pointers in his final season with Butler. Campbell left Butler with the single-season record and career record for three-point shooting percentage.

12. Eric Channing, Guard

Bill Haber / AP Photo

High school: Warrenville South High School (Wheaton, Illinois)

College: New Mexico State (1998-2002)

Height/weight: 6-foot-4, 190 pounds

Games/three-pointers: 124 G, 283-627 (.451)

Bottom line: Eric Channing had exactly one Division I scholarship offer out of high school from New Mexico State and turned it into a record-setting career. Channing set New Mexico State’s career scoring record (1,862 points) and hit at least 60 three-pointers in each of his four seasons. He also led the Aggies to the NCAA Tournament as a freshman in 1999 and was a two-time All-Sun Belt Conference selection. Channing was elected to the New Mexico State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008 and was also a three-time Academic All-American.

11. Karvel Anderson, Shooting Guard

Don Wright / AP Photo

High school: Elkhart Memorial High School (Elkhart, Indiana)

College: Robert Morris (2012-14)

Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 190 pounds

Games/three-pointers: 69 G, 201-444 (.453)

Bottom line: The player with the least amount of games to make this list is former Robert Morris star Karvel Anderson, who played at three different junior colleges before making it to Division I. Anderson played two seasons for Robert Morris — just 69 games — but hit 201 three-pointers, connecting on almost 50 percent of his attempts.

Anderson averaged 19.4 points as a senior and was named the Northeast Conference Player of the Year in 2014. He’s been playing basketball overseas for the last decade, including the last three seasons with Scaligera Verona in Italy.

10. Kyle Korver, Small Forward

Leon Algee / AP Photo

High school: Pella High School (Pella, Iowa)

College: Creighton (1999-2003)

Height/weight: 6-foot-7, 210 pounds

Games/three-pointers: 128 G, 371-819 (.453)

Bottom line: Kyle Korver grew up watching the Showtime-era Los Angeles Lakers in Southern California before his father, a pastor, moved the family to Iowa when he was in middle school.

Korver was magic at Creighton, where he was a three-time All-Missouri Valley Conference selection, two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year and AP All-American as a senior in 2003.

Korver played 17 seasons in the NBA, where he set NBA records for most seasons leading the league in three-point percentage (four) and the NBA single-season record for three-point field-goal percentage (51.3) in 2010.

9. Shawn Respert, Point Guard

Dave Martin / AP Photo

High school: Bishop Borgess High School (Detroit, Michigan)

College: Michigan State (1990-95)

Height/weight: 6-foot-1, 195 pounds

Games/three-pointers: 119 G, 331-729 (.454)

Bottom line: The oldest player to make this list is former Michigan State star Shawn Respert, who was a revelation shooting three-pointers for the Spartans in the early 1990s.

Respert led Michigan State in scoring for four consecutive seasons and his 2,531 career points were second in Big Ten history when he left school. Respert capped his career by being named Big Ten Player of the Year as a senior in 1995 and was also a two-time All-American. He was selected No. 8 overall in the 1995 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers but only started five games over four seasons for different teams.

8. Corey Reed, Guard

Todd Warshaw / AP Photo

High school: Bremen High School (Bremen, Indiana)

College: Radford (1994-98)

Height/weight: 6-foot-6, 190 pounds

Games/three-pointers: 104 G, 232-510 (.455)

Bottom line: Reed only hit 56 three-pointers in his first two seasons at Radford before exploding for 167 three-pointers in his final two seasons, including 98 three-pointers as a senior in 1997-1998. He capped his career at Radford by helping lead his team to 20 wins and the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.

7. Salim Stoudamire, Point Guard

John Miller / AP Photo

High school: Lake Oswego High School (Lake Oswego, Oregon)

College: Arizona (2001-05)

Height/weight: 6-foot-1, 179 pounds

Games/three-pointers: 129 G, 342-747 (.458)

Bottom line: Salim Stoudamire capped his career at Arizona by leading his team to the Elite Eight in 2005 — the same year he led the NCAA in three-point percentage (.504).

Stoudamire, the cousin of former NBA guard Damon Stoudamire, was also named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year in 2002 and an AP All-American in 2005. Stoudamire was selected in the first round of the 2005 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks but only played three seasons in the league.

6. Steve Novak, Power Forward/Small Forward

Ann Heisenfelt / AP Photo

High school: Brown Deer High School (Brown Deer, Wisconsin)

College: Marquette (2002-06)

Height/weight: 6-foot-10, 220 pounds

Games/three-pointers: 126 G, 354-768 (.461)

Bottom line: The tallest player to make the list is 6-foot-10 former Marquette Star Steve Novak, who went from being Wisconsin High School Player of the Year in 2002 to playing in the Final Four alongside Dwyane Wade in 2003.

Novak shot over 50 percent from beyond the three-point arc as a freshman and was named Conference USA Sixth Man of the Year before averaging double digits for the next three seasons. Novak hit 89 three-pointers as a sophomore and again as a junior before hitting 121 three-pointers as a senior on the way to being named All-Big East in 2006. He still holds the Marquette career record for three-pointers (354) and played 10 seasons in the NBA for nine different teams.

5. Dan Dickau, Point Guard

Shawn Jacobson / AP Photo

High school: Prairie High School (Brush Prairie, Washington)

Colleges: Washington/Gonzaga (1997-2002)

Height/weight: 6-foot, 190 pounds

Games/three-pointers: 97 G, 215-465 (.462)

Bottom line: Few players are associated with Gonzaga’s rise to becoming a national college power more than former point guard Dan Dickau, a Washington native who spent two years playing in the Pac-10 for the University of Washington before finishing his career with the Zags.

Dickau, the shortest player on this list at 6-foot, was a two-time All-WCC selection and named an AP All-American as a senior in 2002 after he averaged 21.0 points and 4.7 assists and shot .457 from beyond the three-point arc (117-of-256).

Dickau was drafted in the first round of the 2002 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks and played for six teams over six seasons in which he was traded a staggering eight times.

4. Micah Mason, Guard

Keith Srakocic / AP Photo

High school: Highlands High School (Natrona, Pennsylvania)

Colleges: Drake/Duquesne (2013-16)

Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 180 pounds

Games/three-pointers: 119 G, 311-671 (.463)

Bottom line: Micah Mason played one season at Drake before playing his final three seasons at Duquesne. There, he capped his career by setting the single-season record with 118 three-pointers and led his team in scoring at 18.4 points per game.

Mason’s career shooting three-pointers was a study in consistency, increasing his total by at least 20 threes each season: 40 as a freshman, 65 as a sophomore, 88 as a junior and 118 as a senior.

3. Ross Land, Small Forward

Northern Arizona Athletics

High school: Chico High School (Chico, California)

College: Northern Arizona (1996-2000)

Height/weight: 6-foot-5, 190 pounds

Games/three-pointers: 117 G, 308-664 (.464)

Bottom line: Ross Land left Northern Arizona with a school record 308 career three-pointers and held the NCAA career field-goal percentage record (.464) until 2005. He also finished his college career second on NAU’s career scoring list with 1,525 points. The player was inducted into the Northern Arizona Athletics Hall of Fame in 2005.

2. Jaycee Carroll, Shooting Guard

Utah State Athletics

High school: Evanston High School (Evanston, Wyoming)

College: Utah State (2004-08)

Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 175 pounds

Games/three-pointers: 134 G, 369-793 (.465)

Bottom line: Jaycee Carroll showed he was an elite three-point shooter while he was still at Evanston (Wyoming) High School, where he once scored 56 points and hit 14-of-16 three-pointers in a win over Green River.

Carroll, a two-time Wyoming Gatorade Player of the Year, spent two years on an LDS mission before making his way to Utah State, where he starred for four seasons and averaged 18.8 points for his career, including being named WAC Player of the Year and an AP All-American as a senior in 2008. Carroll spent 13 seasons playing overseas, playing the final 10 seasons with Real Madrid and winning two EuroLeague championships.

Utah State retired Carroll’s No. 20 jersey in 2023.

1. Stephen Sir, Guard

AP Photo

High school: Cretin Derham High School (Saint Paul, Minnesota)

Colleges: San Diego State/Northern Arizona (2002-07)

Height/weight: 6-foot-6, 225 pounds

Games/three-pointers: 111 G, 323-689 (.469)

Bottom line: Only true basketball heads have probably ever heard of former San Diego State and Northern Arizona guard Stephen Sir, who can claim the title of the most accurate three-point shooter in college basketball history.

Sir took almost 700 threes during his college career and hit almost half of them — by comparison, he took just 168 two-point attempts in his career. The thing was, Sir didn’t need to do much more than shoot threes as he averaged in double digits each of his final three seasons, including 15.1 points as a senior when he went 124-for-253 (.490) from beyond the arc.