It was one shot out of 213.
Nothing was special about this particular three. It only kept Wednesday’s game close early in Northwestern’s 18-point win.
It was not like the shot was a game-winner at Michigan or a miracle heave that sent the home crowd nuts in a win against Penn State.
No, Craig Moore’s record-setting 3-pointer was as ordinary as any other. No one would have known that the senior sharpshooter had just broken Vedran Vukusic’s school record for most 3-point makes in a career.
But the record was not just about Moore. His accomplishment is the team’s achievement.
The Princeton offense is built on a system of players working together to create holes in a defense by cutting to the basket and hitting 3-pointers.
But as Moore has made others better with his shooting ability and leadership skills, his play has been made better by those around him. He has gotten to the top of NU’s record book thanks in part to the strengths of those around him.
Moore has relied on the driving ability of Tim Doyle and Michael Thompson to give him open looks at the basket. Cutters and slashers like Kevin Coble and Mohamed Hachad have pulled defenders away from the perimeter.
And, yes, he began his career strong thanks to the spacing provided by the 3-point shooting ability of Vukusic.
Every player on the floor has had a hand in every 3-point shot he has made.
The team has set Moore up, and the senior has used his shooting touch to finish the shots off.
The relationship is reciprocal. He has helped his teammates play to their strengths.
Kevin Coble, who is no scoring slouch himself, is quick to mention after any of his high scoring games that his production was a team effort. At this level of basketball, very few players can truly take over a game and get anywhere they want on the court.
Having a player like Moore shooting from the outside frees up Coble for those big scoring nights. He is an important cog in the offensive machine and helps drive it while he is on the court with his basketball knowledge and leadership.
The senior did not have his best game Wednesday night, scoring 14 points on 4-of-10 shooting and hitting only one of seven 3-pointers in the game.
But he contributed in so many other ways.
It was the senior sharpshooter who suggested coach Bill Carmody that the team return to the press when Texas A&M-Corpus Christi closed the gap to 10 points.
Moore made his impact a leader on the floor rather than as a shooter.
His name went into the record book Wednesday. But it is not his name that people should look at when they see it listed in 10 years. Rather, it is the year that comes after his name.
Because the NU players from 2005-09 deserve to revel in this accomplishment as much as Moore does. He helped those teams play to their fullest potential just as they helped him play to his.
For Moore, after all, the shot was just one make of 213 so far.