Ryan Welty always shot well from the outside, even as a versatile forward in high school.
Still only halfway through his freshman season at Northwest Missouri State, the Park Hill South graduate already owns a piece off MIAA Conference history. He hit 16 consecutive 3-point attempts dating from a Dec. 17 game against Central Missouri to his first make from beyond the arc Thursday, Jan. 5 against Missouri Southern.
Ryan Welty
“It’s just a record,” said Welty, who graduated from Park Hill South last spring. “Honestly, I don’t really care. I came here to win games and win a national championship. That is all that really matters to me.”
Welty’s record streak included a 9-for-9 performance against Northeastern State, tying the Northwest record for most 3s in a game. He hit one with 13 minutes, 16 seconds left in the first half against Southern to make it 16 straight.
After the record shot, Welty missed his next try and then made two more. He finished with 13 points in a 90-68 win for Northwest, ranked No. 1 in the Division II national poll and leading the MIAA standings.
A two-time Class 5 Missouri Basketball Coaches Association all-state selection at Park Hill South, Welty has appeared in 14 games this season with Northwest and attempted a 3 in all but one of them. He’s currently shooting an absurd 76.9 percent on 3-point attempts (30-for-39) and has gone perfect on shots beyond the arc in five games.
Welty’s run of 16 straight 3s stretched across wins against Central Missouri, Missouri Valley Northeastern State, Simpson and Missouri Southern. He’s averaging 7.9 points per game, including a career-high 29 on his 9-for-9 night against Northeastern State, to go with 2.1 rebounds per game.