Steve Alford’s 1986 Christmas present came in October.
It was a rainbow line on his basketball court. Behind it, where Alford often shot, was a 3-point pot of gold.
It was a perk Jerry West, Calvin Murphy, Rick Barry and Pete Maravich never had.
“I thought it was great,” Alford said.
In the 1987 NCAA championship win over Syracuse, Alford hit seven 3-pointers in the first 29 minutes. He shot 202 three-pointers in 34 games. The rest of the Hoosiers shot only 54. He hit 53 percent, Indiana hit 50.8 percent.
“Coach (Bob) Knight made it clear he didn’t like the rule,” Alford said.