In front of over 2,200 fans in the John J. Lee Amphitheater, Yale men’s basketball forward Brandon Sherrod ’16 set an NCAA record for most consecutive field goals made in the team’s 86–72 win over Columbia on Friday night.
Sherrod entered the Columbia matchup one shy of the previous NCAA record of 26, shared by Torian Oglesby of Bowling Green and James Thompson of Eastern Michigan. Prior to the Lions’ game, the senior had not missed a shot in more than three games- — his streak of 25 straight field goals dated back to the Elis’ Jan. 16 win over Brown at home. By the time Sherrod missed from the floor, the new NCAA record stood at 30 consecutive made baskets.
“I wouldn’t go as far as to say we have the best inside duo [in forward Justin Sears ’16 and Sherrod] in the country, and Brandon won’t like to hear me say this, but if he was 6-foot-10, we would,” Yale head coach James Jones said. “If he’s 6-foot-10, he’s playing in the NBA, making a lot of money and I’m asking for a loan.”
The streak began with Sherrod’s final field goal against the Bears at home and continued with perfect performances against Brown in Providence, followed by Penn and Princeton at home, when he went 9–9, 7–7 and 8–8 from the field, respectively.
He tied the record with an emphatic dunk with 16:05 remaining in the first half on Friday, and surpassed it with a layup with 12:39 to go until halftime that brought the Bulldogs to within one point, 13–12. Sherrod went on to extend the record, making another three baskets before missing a hook shot with just under five minutes remaining in the first half.
“There was no way I could come into the game thinking I wanted to get all my buckets at the rim and make them all in a row because I would’ve done a great disservice to my team,” Sherrod said. “It would’ve been very selfish for me to think that way, so as the game flowed … I was able to get opportunities … because of my teammates.”
Perhaps precipitated by a national news blast from the NCAA Stats and Information Bureau informing subscribers that Sherrod entered the Columbia game one shot shy of the record, news of his accomplishment quickly spread throughout national media. ESPN, SportsCenter and the NCAA are among the groups that tweeted immediately after the senior made his 27th consecutive field goal.
26 in a row!
Yale's Brandon Sherrod ties record for consecutive made field goals! pic.twitter.com/RzHwLyzWhg
— NCAA Stats (@NCAAStats) February 5, 2016
Brandon Sherrod of @Yale_Basketball sets NCAA record by making 30 straight shots (over 5-game span) pic.twitter.com/W3NWEDTIHC
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 5, 2016
After the game, the daily sports news program SportsCenter ran two features on Sherrod’s record, jokingly titling a shot chart graphic “30-for-30: The Brandon Sherrod Story.” “30-for-30” is the umbrella title for ESPN’s documentary series about important moments or individuals in the sports world.
“As you can see, there’s a lot of work in the paint,” sportscaster Scott Van Pelt said on SportsCenter Friday night. “Thirty straight before the miss. Well done.”
Sherrod’s record-setting performance comes more than four years after Oglesby set the original mark, back on Jan. 1, 2012. Thompson’s tying streak of 26 baskets ended on Jan. 9 of this year.
Sherrod went on to finish 6–8 from the field against Columbia, adding 13 free-throw makes on 18 attempts to finish with a career-high 25 points.
Following his 10-point performance in Yale’s 83–52 smackdown of Cornell the following night, Sherrod ranks first in the Ivy League in field goal percentage, at 77.6 percent, and third in scoring, with 18.3 points per game.