A close family of shooters from way (way, way) back

This is a story of a Western Pennsylvania basketball family tree that keeps “shooting” upward. New branches have sprouted recently, but the base of the tree was planted more than 40 years ago.

“Hey, this story should be about them, not me,” Joe Myers said.

“Them” is Myers’ daughter and niece. Tess and Katelyn Myers are cousins — and shoot, can they shoot. Tess Myers (Joe’s daughter) plays at Duquesne University and is one of the best 3-point shooters in the country in NCAA women’s basketball this season. Katelyn Myers (Joe’s niece) plays at Highlands High School and has turned into one of the best 3-point shooters in the WPIAL.

Tess, a Duquesne sophomore from North Catholic, entered this week tied for second in NCAA Division I in 3-pointers made per game at 3.4 and third in total 3-pointers with 48 in 14 games.

Katelyn, a junior at Highlands, made 10 3-pointers in a recent game. There are no records available for the most 3-pointers made in a WPIAL girls game, but 10 has to be near the top. And how coincidental that the statistics of these shooting cousins are almost identical. Katelyn averages 3.5 3-pointers per game and 13.8 points. Tess averages 13.5 points.

“With us, it must just be heredity,” Katelyn said with a laugh.

And maybe those shooting genes can be traced back to Joe Myers. There was no 3-point shot when he played at Burrell High School and Duquesne. But all you need to know about Joe’s shooting ability and his long-range bombs was that his nickname in high school and college was “Sonar.”

Joe Myers doesn’t like to talk much about himself and his shooting. He would rather the spotlight shine on his daughter and niece. But bloodlines often mean a lot in sports. And so does a dad who spent countless hours with Tess growing up, working with her on her shooting. Many times, it was just dad rebounding for daughter, who was the proverbial gym rat. Many times, it was simply dad driving her to a gym, sometimes late at night, just to get some shots on a shooting machine (“The Gun”).

“When Tess was in middle school and my daughter, Natalie, played at Burrell, Tess would shoot on ‘The Gun’ so much it was ridiculous,” Joe Myers said. “We even knew the janitors’ names at Burrell, we were there so much. We’d go at night. [Former Burrell star] Sydney Bordonaro was there, too. We’d bring our own balls and just get on ‘The Gun.’ ”

Joe Myers had a quick trigger when he was a 6-foot-5 player at Burrell and Duquesne and averaged 24 points per game as a senior at Burrell, leading the Bucs to a WPIAL championship game in 1979. In the title game against Beaver Falls at the Civic Arena, Myers had a memorable performance with 24 points and 21 rebounds, but Burrell lost a heartbreaker 55-54. He scored 1,500 career points and played in the feature game of the prestigious Dapper Dan Roundball Classic in Pittsburgh against some of the best players in the country.

Joe Myers was a curly-haired, blonde bomber, a good-sized player who had a sweet stroke. He averaged 13 points and 9 rebounds as a senior at Duquesne in the 1982-83 season and shot 50% from the field, knocking down many shots that would’ve been 3-pointers.

Those who remember his playing days remember one thing about him — shooting.

“Tess was in a great program at North Catholic, but her dad really helped her to be the player that she is,” Duquesne women’s coach Dan Burt said. “I can’t say enough about what Joey Myers did for his daughter and that beautiful shooting stroke that she has. It’s much like Joey’s back in the day.”

Tess has heard about her dad’s exploits and acknowledges her father’s impact on her career. Tess is the youngest of Joe and Toni Myers’ four children. Oldest child Drew didn’t play basketball. Tess’ older sisters, Natalie and Taylor, played at Burrell and both scored 1,000 points. Natalie played at Youngstown State and then IUP. But they weren’t the shooter that Tess is today. Then again, just a few years ago, Tess wasn’t the shooter she is today. Oh sure, she could shoot well enough. She scored 1,628 points at North Catholic, made the Post-Gazette Fabulous 5 twice and won four WPIAL titles. But she didn’t shoot it like this season at Duquesne.

“I get asked that a lot: ‘Were you always a shooter?’ ” Tess Myers said. “Being labeled a ‘shooter’ has its positive and negative connotations. Coming into college, I shot 3s, but I wasn’t necessarily a ‘shooter.’ The transition from high school to college was a big jump. My freshman year was a little rocky, especially at the defensive end. I had to find what worked for me and what could get me on the court, and that was knocking down shots.”

Tess used to work out with her cousin, Katelyn, and still does every once in a while. Katelyn, whose father, Kerry, played at Highlands, is much like Tess in that she puts in plenty of extra time working on her shooting. Her older brother, Kerry Jr., played at Highlands a few years ago and made six 3-pointers in the WPIAL Class 4A championship game.

“My son [Mackey] plays at Burrell,” Highlands girls coach Shawn Bennis said. “On Christmas Eve, my son, Katelyn and Tess were in our gym working out, probably each getting up 300 3s each.”

Tess said of Katelyn, “It’s pretty cool to see her evolve, and I love supporting her. I feel like her big sister.”

But with this family of shooters, all these stories about the shooting workouts, brings about some questions. Are shooters born? Is it in their genes? Or are shooters made as they grow?

“I believe shooters are made,” Joe Myers said. “My thing with Tess was to make sure you always had backspin on the shot and follow through. But come on, players put hours and hours in on their craft to become a good shooter.”

Tess Myers said, “I think shooters are made. I mean, I think there comes a point, depending on where you are in your career, it’s hard to fix your shot. But I just think it’s all about consistency. My dad always tells me it’s muscle memory. Look at Steph Curry. It’s the same form every single time, and if you keep working at it, you’ll get better.”

Katelyn Myers also believes shooters can be made.

“It’s about working hard and staying after practice to shoot and putting up shots all the time. I really think anybody who is a player can become a good shooter.”

Well, at least if your name is Myers.

Mike White: mwhite@post-gazette.com and Twitter @mwhiteburgh