Three-point goal . . . Chris Jimenez!

St. Joseph's College junior guard Chris Jimenez did not attempt many three-point field goals in the early years of his high school career at St. Anthony's.

"That's kind of a funny story,'' Jimenez said. "My coach didn't let me shoot all through eighth, ninth, 10th or 11th grade because I couldn't shoot [well] at all. I worked on it behind the scenes. A lot of drills, shooting drills. For about two hours each day.''

Now Jimenez is a three-point shooting star, tied with Ithaca's Jordan Marcus for third in the nation in Division III with an average of 4.1 made three-pointers a game. Griffin Lentsch of Grinnell College (Iowa) leads with 4.7.

"My teammates set great screens,'' Jimenez said, "so I'm always getting a clear shot at the rim. I do the same routine every day. I take 100 threes, 10 from each spot from the five spots on the key that I like to shoot from. And I do it on both sides of the court.''

St. Joseph's coach John Mateyko has a bevy of three-point scorers. "It's not just Chris,'' Mateyko said. Jimenez is 35-for-83, Trey Black 10-for-22, Steve Velazquez 39-for-96, Barry Ingram Jr. 11-for-49 and Vincent Russo 16-for-43.

The three-pointer has been the arc of triumph for the Eagles (9-1, 5-0 Skyline Conference). "We're not big in size,'' Mateyko said. "We have to run with this group. They are able to execute and shoot real well, so makes sense.''

As a team, the Eagles are ranked second nationally with 12.2 made three-pointers a game. Grinnell leads with an amazing 21.2.

Mateyko grew up in Franklin Square and used to watch the Nets of the old American Basketball Association at Island Garden in West Hempstead. "That's where I was first introduced to three-pointers,'' the coach said. "Watching Lavern Tart, Bill Melchionni. And Kentucky had Louie Dampier and Darel Carrier.''

Charlie Peck, Mateyko's assistant, worked under Frank Morris at St. Agnes. Although the three-pointer was not yet part of the high school game, Morris' penchant for having his players look for the open shot from all over the floor was good grooming for Peck. That has been passed on to the college team at St. Joseph's.

In Mateyko's scheme, the three-pointer is set up by the dribble drive. "It's very difficult to defend dribble drives,'' the coach said. "It's the dribble penetration that you get from your guards . They penetrate and look for the guys who can really shoot threes. They get the ball, if they are in the right spot, they put them in. You can't tell them not to shoot threes and I think that's the secret of it.''

Last month, Jimenez set the school record for three-pointers with 10, going 10-for-18 from beyond the arc and scoring a career-high 36 points against SUNY Old Westbury. "In the first half, we only had 7 of 26 [threes] as a team,'' Mateyko said. "So we came back and shot another 22 in the second half. The difference was we [made] 13 of them. You can't worry about missing.''

As a team, the Eagles have made 37 percent from three-point range, which ranks them in the top 10 of the division. Figure it this way: If a team makes 33 percent of its three-pointers, it's the same as shooting 50 percent from inside the arc, which any team would take.

Jimenez also honed his shooting through what could have been an adverse period of his life and playing career. He was struck by a hit-and-run driver in April 2007 and suffered a broken left tibia. "All I could do was pretty much shoot for a while,'' he said. "I just worked on my form.''

Jimenez's philosophy is simple: "It's all about the mind-set,'' he said. "If you get a clear shot at the rim, it is going in.''

SBU soccer coach resigns

Stony Brook University men's soccer coach Cesar Markovic has resigned to become head coach at New Jersey Institute of Technology, Stony Brook announced.

Markovic spent seven seasons at Stony Brook and guided the Seawolves to the NCAA Tournament in 2005 and 2009. His overall record was 58-59-22, 24-20-10 in the America East Conference.

"We appreciate Cesar's efforts in developing our men's soccer program into one of the premier programs in New York and in the America East Conference,'' athletic director Jim Fiore said in a statement. "We thank Cesar for all of his efforts on behalf of Stony Brook and wish him and his family all the best as he pursues future endeavors. With an incredibly talented team returning in 2011, our next head coach will be in a position to maintain our level of success and contend for an America East Conference championship.''

Fiore said a search for Markovic's successor will begin immediately.

"I want to thank Jim Fiore and Stony Brook University for the opportunity to coach at this fine institution,'' Markovic said. "It has been an incredible seven years and I am proud of all that we have achieved.''

Around the campuses

Hofstra wrestler Lou Ruggirello (133 pounds) has been named the Colonial Athletic Association wrestler of the month for December. Ruggirello was 10-2 for the month. He is ranked fifth in Division I in his weight class . . . C.W. Post guard Jonathan Kohler averaged a double-double for the week. He led the Pioneers against Southern New Hampshire, scoring 15 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, then scored 15 points and had 11 rebounds against Post University . . . Molloy's Delmara Reece picked up her fourth double-double of the season by totaling 15 points and 14 rebounds against Southern Connecticut.