Shooter

Gary Buchanan made eight consecutive free throws in Villanova's season opener. Three nights later, on Nov. 17, he missed his first free throw at Duke. He has not missed since. Last season, Buchanan missed two free throws against Penn State on Dec. 11. He did not miss again until Feb. 26. Basketball purists constantly decry the lack of shooters. It is, they claim, a lost art. Well, it has been found on the Main Line. If foul shooting is the purest form of shooting, Buchanan has nearly perfected it. "Believe it or not, when I go to the free throw line, I don't even concentrate anymore," said Buchanan, a 6-3 sophomore.

Gloucester Catholic's Josh Copskey went into the season known as one of South Jersey's top long-range shooters. Though the 6-foot-4 junior still has NBA distance, the other parts of his game have improved and made the Rams one of the surprises in the area. After graduating all five starters from an 18-7 team, Gloucester Catholic is 16-8 and has earned a first-round South Jersey Parochial A berth against Camden Catholic. "Everybody knew he [Copskey] could shoot, but this year he is doing everything for us," Rams coach Pat Murphy said.

MURDER CASES can be mysteries. In one case, however, authorities aren't scratching their heads over who did it. They believe they have the right man. Instead, they're puzzled by the actions of a police officer who said he witnessed the shooting, before changing his story the day of the suspect's preliminary hearing. Now, that officer is being investigated by police Internal Affairs, while the victim's mother is left to hope that the case against her son's alleged killer doesn't fall apart.

A Common Pleas Court jury yesterday acquitted one man and convicted another in the murders of a North Philadelphia grandmother, her grandson, and his best friend in a dispute over $1,000. Richard Singletary, 20, of North Philadelphia, was convicted of first-degree murder and weapons offenses in the slayings of Willie Mae Alston, 67; her grandson Andre Giddings, 20; and Kenneth Best, 17. They were killed Feb. 18, 2005, in Alston's home. Singletary did not show any emotion when the verdict was read after 8 1/2 hours of deliberation over two days.

DION WAITERS SYRACUSE Position: Guard Height, weight: 6-4, 215 Hometown: Philadelphia Relevant Stats: 12.6 points off the bench as a sophomore in 24.1 minutes. Breakdown: Zooming up draft charts. Lottery lock. Power guard who teams are comparing in style to Dwyane Wade. Improved long-range shooter. Seen as a very good pick-and-roll player. Could go as high as No. 5. -- MAALIK WAYNS VILLANOVA Position: Guard Height, weight: 6-2, 185 Hometown: Philadelphia Relevant Stats: 17.6 points as a junior Breakdown: Terrific penetrator with serious quickness.

Allen Rubin calls Stephen Vasturia a coach's delight. It turns out that Notre Dame's Mike Brey will become the lucky coach. Vasturia, a 6-foot-4 junior guard at St. Joseph's Prep, gave an oral commitment Monday to play basketball for the Fighting Irish. He is scheduled to hold a news conference at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at his school. "He's a terrific shooter, [a] heady player that has a great understanding of the game," said Rubin, a recruiting analyst and editor for Hoop Scoop recruiting service.

1. As a robust shot-blocker. 2. As an unlikely three-point shooter (6 in one 1993 game). 3. As a boxer vs. William "the Refrigerator" Perry. 4. As an advocate for peace and justice in Sudan.

For the 18th consecutive season, the Daily News is attempting to give college basketball coaches a helping hand with recruiting. Our five categories for seniors are point guards, wing guards, small forwards, power forwards and centers. Players are categorized by the position we project them to play in college. But remember, a player's role can depend upon the basketball level of the school he attends. The players in "the best" category are those we feel would be most capable of playing in Division I or the higher levels of Division II, or in a competitive junior college program if the need for academic strengthening is evident.

A Philadelphia Housing Authority officer was shot in Germantown late last night. According to initial reports, the officer was sitting in a security booth in the Queen Lane Apartments, 301 W. Queen Lane, when he was shot in the hip around 10 p.m. The bullet appeared to hit just below his bulletproof vest. The officer, whose name was not immediately released, was taken to Temple University Hospital, where he was in critical but stable condition, according to police reports. The rifle used in the shooting and a backpack allegedly belonging to the shooter were recovered near the apartment complex, according to television reports.

The quiet of Christmas Eve morning was shattered by gunfire when a suspected drug dealer, angry that a customer had bilked him, began shooting at the man on Bloomsdale Road, police said. The victim, who has a reputation for not paying for his drug purchases, police said, was probably shot in the leg because he was seen limping. However, no hospitals reported treating any gunshot wounds early Saturday morning, police said. "He is known to roll people" or take drugs and money, said Police Detective R.J. Mills.