The 50-40-90 club refers to a group of basketball players that made, at least, 50 percent of their field goals, 40 percent of their 3-pointers and 90 percent of their free throws in a single season.
The NCAA officially introduced the 3-point line during the 1986-87 season. It was placed 19 feet, 9 inches away from the basket, but has since been moved back twice (most recently in 2019). The current length is 22 feet, 1¾ inches.
But the cut-off for this list will be the 1992-93 season, since it’s the earliest that Sports Reference has records for individual shooting percentages.
A player must have done the following in order to qualify: played a minimum of 25 games during the season, averaged at least 25 minutes per game and scored at least 10 points per game.
Here are the eleven players in college basketball’s 50-40-90 club.
Josh Grant | Utah | 53.0-44.0-92.0 | 1992-93
Josh Grant averaged 17.3 points per game and shot 53 percent from the floor, 44 percent from deep and 92 percent from the free-throw line during the 1992-93 season. Standing at 6-9, the Utah forward was a versatile scoring threat for his size.
Grant took only 11.8 field-goal attempts per game that year, and served as a microcosm for a Utes team that ranked 201st (56.5) in that same category but 23rd in field-goal percentage (49.3).
Salim Stoudamire | Arizona | 50.4-50.4-91.0 | 2004-05
Salim Stoudamire averaged 18.4 points per game and made 50.4 percent of his field goals, 50.4 percent of his 3-pointers and 91 percent of his free-throw attempts as a senior at Arizona.
More than half of his field-goal attempts (57 percent to be exact) came from beyond the arc that season. Stoudamire’s 3-point percentage ranked first in the country, and he was fourth in 3-pointers made with 120.
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Jaycee Carroll | Utah State | 52.6-49.8-91.9 | 2007-08
Jaycee Carroll averaged 22.4 points per game and made 52.6 percent of his field goals, 49.8 percent of his 3-pointers and 91.9 percent of his free throws for Utah State in the 2007-08 season.
Carroll’s 3-point percentage led the nation, and the guard’s clip at free-throw line was second behind St. Bonaventure’s Tyler Relph (93.8). His true-shooting percentage of 67.8 was also the eighth-highest in the country.
Luke Babbitt | Nevada | 50.0-41.6-91.7 | 2009-10
Luke Babbitt averaged 21.9 points per game and shot 50 percent from the floor, 41.6 percent from beyond the arc and 91.7 percent from the free-throw line during the 2009-10 season.
His free-throw percentage ranked third in Division I that year. Only California’s Jerome Randle (93.3) and Appalachian State’s Donald Sims (95.1) fared better at the line.
Oddly, Babbitt also played in the WAC when he joined the 50-40-90 club, just like Josh Grant and Jaycee Carroll before him. However, Utah, Utah State and Nevada are no longer members of the conference.
Levi Knutson | Colorado | 50.6-47.4-90.4 | 2010-11
Levi Knutson averaged 11.7 points per game and made 50.6 percent of his field goals, 47.4 percent of his 3-pointers and 90.4 percent of his free-throw attempts for Colorado in the 2010-11 season.
Knutson’s is the only player on this list that wasn’t a full-time starter, as he came off the bench in 30 of his 38 games as a senior.
Isaiah Williams | Iona | 53.4-42.7-90.0 | 2013-14
Isaiah Williams averaged 11.3 points per game and shot 53.4 percent from the floor, 42.7 percent from beyond the arc and 90 percent from the free-throw line for Iona in the 2013-14 season.
Of the ten players on this list, Williams’ 7.9 field-goal attempts per game were the lowest. He’s also the only member of this club that joined as a freshman.
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Matt Kennedy | Charleston Southern | 51.1-50.0-90.8 | 2013-14
Matt Kennedy averaged 12.5 points per game and shot 51.1 percent from the floor, 50 percent from deep and 90.8 percent from the free-throw line as a senior at Charleston Southern.
Prior to that season, Kennedy had never started a single game in college. But he started all 31 for the Buccaneers in 2013-14 and was the team’s third-leading scorer.
Miles Bowman | High Point | 51.1-49.3-90.1 | 2016-17
Miles Bowman averaged 14.1 points per game and made 51.1 percent of his field goals, 49.3 percent of his 3-pointers and 90.1 percent of his free throws during the 2016-17 season.
Bowman’s free-throw shooting percentage led the Big South that year.
Cassius Winston | Michigan State | 50.7-49.7-90.0 | 2017-18
Cassius Winston averaged 12.6 points per game and shot 50.7 percent from the floor, 49.7 percent from deep and 90.0 percent from the free-throw line as a sophomore at Michigan State.
Winston is one of two sophomores on this list, the other being the aforementioned Luke Babbitt.
David Cohn | William & Mary | 52.9-42.6-91.2 | 2017-18
David Cohn averaged 14.2 points per game and made 52.9 percent of his field goals, 42.6 percent of his 3-pointers and 91.2 percent of his free throws as a senior at William & Mary.
Cohn shot just 8.8 field goals per game. But that’s understandable, given the makeup of William & Mary’s roster. He was one of five players who averaged double figures in scoring for the Tribe in 2017-18. The club had the fourth-highest scoring average in the country at 85 points per game.
Trey Murphy III | Virginia | 50.3-43.3-92.7 | 2020-21
Trey Murphy III averaged 11.3 points per game and shot 50.3 percent from the floor, 43.3 percent from beyond the arc and 92.7 percent from the free-throw line as a junior at Virginia.
More than half of his 7.8 field-goal attempts per game were taken behind the the 3-point line (4.8). Murphy’s true shooting percentage of 67 ranked third in the ACC for the 2020-21 season.