GLENS FALLS— Joe Girard III had made only one of his first four free throws, but when he stepped to the line Sunday night for number five, there was no doubt. Swish. That gave him 4,000 in his high school basketball career for Glens Falls.

Everybody in the building was relieved: Syracuse assistant coach Gerry McNamara patted Girard III’s father on the thigh. Dozens of fans left the venue. Just as he’d become New York’s all-time leading scorer on a free throw, he did the same for a new monumental mark.

“It seems like it happens on a free throw all the time,” Girard III said. “It happened in the Civic Center a bunch of times, too. It’s fun how the world works and how God works it out.”

Needing 29 points, Syracuse class of 2019 commit Girard III started slow but hit the mark in the third quarter. He heated up down the stretch to finish with 52 points in a Glens Falls 78-74 win over Amsterdam. He’s the 14th player nationally to score 4,000 points in his career, per the National Federation of State High School Associations, and he now sits at 4,023 career points.

On Sunday, Oct. 14, Girard III verbally committed to SU by declaring he’d be “staying home.” Since then, he won his second state football title in the Carrier Dome, witnessed Tyus Battle’s game-winner against Georgetown and continued his record-breaking scoring pace.

Girard III already surpassed Lance Stephenson’s New York State scoring record during a junior season in which he averaged 50 points per game. He’s scored the ball with ease from his first varsity game as an eighth-grader, when he dropped 31 points and hit a game-winning shot.

With a high, quick and fluid release, Girard III’s shooting progression began at his Glen Falls’ home with a short hoop and small ball, so he didn’t have to sacrifice form to reach the basket. As he grew taller and stronger, he gravitated to the 10-foot rim, which he now reaches from 20 to 25 feet away. Next season, Girard III, 18, will try to replicate that range and bolster SU’s shooting presence, while adding a dribble-drive ability to the Orange backcourt.

“With Joe coming in and Buddy (Boeheim) being here, we have two of the better shooters out there,” McNamara, who recruited Girard III, said Sunday night. “Possibly the best shooter in each of the last two classes. His shooting ability translates, but he has some ability off the ball to make plays for himself and others. He can create his own shot. All of the pieces are there.”

Billy Heyen | Senior Staff Writer

On one of Girard III’s first trips down the floor Sunday, one thought crossed his mind: Get to the basket. He’d been waiting the chance to score 4,000 points in front of the community that rallied around him. He felt nothing could stop him, and he inched closer with an and-one from the right block.

Early in the game, Girard III couldn’t find much rhythm, though. His mother texted his father: “This is why I hate the hype.” After he missed his third free-throw, his father, Joe, said: “He’s missed a lot. Let’s hope he gets 10 points, so we can get this over with.”

“The guy’s only scored 3,990 points,” McNamara said from his courtside seat.

Nineteen at the half was a slow night for a player averaging nearly 50 a game, and his father grew antsy. “Attack!” he yelled. “Take care of the ball! Let’s go, Joe! Let’s go, Joe! Move!”

“I’m not comfortable,” he said to McNamara. “Joe’s not Joe. Maybe he’ll calm down now.”

“He’ll make it happen,” McNamara assured him.

Girard III scores in bunches, and soon came another quick burst: Two free throws, a fastbreak bucket, and then his most difficult basket of the night to get within three of 4,000. Dribbling toward the left wing, right in front of where his father and McNamara were sitting, Girard III stepped back and faded away before nailing a 3-pointer in his defender’s face. The separation created by the stepback was next level.

A backdoor cut, a finish through contact, and the free throw gave everyone what they’d come to see. The game stopped while Girard hugged his teammates and family, posed with a jersey that read “Mr. 4000” and watched a tribute video on the scoreboard.

In the final moments of the game Sunday, Girard III’s father yawned. With the milestone accomplished and the win locked, he thought about work Monday morning.

“Hey, at least you don’t have a two-and-a-half-hour drive right now,” McNamara told him. “You’ll be doing a lot of those pretty soon.”

Published on January 27, 2019 at 10:34 pm

Contact Matthew: mguti100@syr.edu | @MatthewGut21