The Highlights
- Before the official Gambling Olympics, some of the participants will compete in preliminary events.
- One of these events is a basketball contest in which Peter Jennings must hit at least 60-of-100 high school 3-pointers.
- Peter is a smooth shooter, but 60% is an aggressive mark.
The 2018 Gambling Olympics is a two-day, 12-person contest taking place in Las Vegas on July 9-10. The buy-in is $2,500, and the winner gets $10,000.
Before, during and after the Gambling Olympics, we will provide extensive coverage via participant profiles, event breakdowns and live in-person analysis. Be sure to follow all the action in the Gambling Olympics section of the site.
3-Point Contest: Jennings vs. His Former Glory
A few days before the Gambling Olympics, Peter Jennings will attempt to regain his Jimmy Chitwood-esque youth by draining more than 59.5-of-100 high school 3-pointers. Adam Levitan is betting $1,000 on the under 59.5; Pete is taking the over.
There are no odds for the event at MyBookie.ag, but there could be significant side action.
Details
Pete gets 20 shots from five different locations. (I'm assuming from the top of the key, the two elbows and two wings.) He gets to take breaks when moving from one spot to the next, and he can use his own ball. He also has the option to shoot on a court of his choice (indoor or outdoor). An indoor court seems as if it would be better, but I believe that this event might actually occur outdoors (but I might be wrong).
Analysis
Pete was probably the smoothest shooter at last year's FantasyLabs retreat in Florida, and he might have been a good basketball player at Chatfield High School, but CSURAM was born in 1988. Senior year was a long time ago, Pedro.
Peter has a lot going for him. He's shooting high school 3-pointers (19-foot-9) instead of NBA treys (23-9). He doesn't have a running clock. He can move at a leisurely pace. He can shoot a ball that feels comfortable in his hands. He can choose the venue. I think he can even choose the time.
But he's still going to be shooting on a court that's unfamiliar to him. Even if he's indoors, in Las Vegas the high temperature could start to fatigue him. And most importantly, he has to shoot from five different spots. The requirement that he move could prevent him from becoming comfortable and getting into a prolonged groove.
In researching this event (read: telling people about my unbelievable job), I received direct guidance from a high school shooting coach and indirect insight from a high school basketball coach. Here's what they told me.
Assuming that Peter actually was a good shooter in high school and practiced regularly before the event, take the over if he's allowed to shoot 100 shots from the top of the key. If he can't shoot all 100 from the same spot, take the under.
If Peter is gracious enough to let me take some action against him, I'll definitely look to make an investment.
The Pick: Under 59.5
