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Shark Bytes / A Shooter's Touch

March 23, 2011 - Premier Basketball League (PBL)
Rochester RazorSharks News Release


Everybody sees the shooter. His game is simple to evaluate. His shot is either in or it isn't. And when that player is 33 years old, everyone is a critic.

Keith Friel is in his sixth season as a Rochester RazorShark. He has been here since the beginning. Friel is the franchise leader in scoring, points per game, three point field goals, free throws, steals and games played. That's some resume.

"I still feel like I have a lot of game left," says Friel. "I'm shooting at a tremendous clip. My ball is going up great. But I'm only as good as the guy next to me, in terms of the execution, setting the screen, getting the ball delivered at the right time. With a shooter's game, you're only going to be open for a split second. So if you're not getting the ball, you're not getting it."

Friel's best year scoring was in 2009 when he averaged 20.8 points and then tossed in 28.3 per game in the postseason, as Rochester won the third of their league championships.

This season while seeing reduced playing time and taking fewer shots, Friel is still averaging 15 points in a balanced attack that sees four players scoring between 14 and 16 per game. He leads the Premier Basketball League with 51 three-pointers, 22 more than the next best guy. Despite moving the three-point line back two feet to 23' 9" this year, Friel is hitting better than 45%. His career best.

Coming off a strong road trip, Friel believes he can do more.

"In the past I might have been more aggressive," he says. "To be honest with you, at the start of this road trip, I said, 'No matter what happens, I'm going to be more aggressive.' When I'm more aggressive our team scores at a better clip and our offense flows more."

After a 2-6 start, the Sharks have won nine of eleven games and nailed down a playoff spot Tuesday night at Dayton. They show championship mettle. Friel has celebrated three titles with this team. Would this be the best'

"Of course," he says, "because it's the latest. The way we started, we've come a long way. But there's a long way to go"

Practice this week:

Thursday: 9:00-noon at Downtown YMCA

Friday: 9:00-noon at Penfield YMCA

Saturday: Game Day 20; Kentucky at Rochester, Blue Cross Arena 1:05pm

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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