Courtesy of Joey Knight, Tampa Bay Times

TAMPA - Barely a half-decade has passed since lanky Alonso High freshman Alex Jacovides was struggling for playing time on the Ravens junior varsity.

Today, he's a 6-foot-4 testament to resilience.

And statistically, the NCAA's best men's 3-point shooter.

A 2017 Alonso graduate, Jacovides shot 53.8 percent (63-for-117) as a sophomore this past season for Division III Suffolk University, nestled in downtown Boston. It's the highest percentage for any male player (Division I, II or III) who has tried at least 100 3-pointers this season.

Norfolk State's Derrik Jamerson leads Division I in 3-point efficiency (92-for-179, 51.4 percent); Nova Southeastern's Mikkel Kolstad leads Division II (80-for-151, 53.0 percent).

"He didn't even start his freshman year on JV," recalled Alonso coach Todd Price, who watched Jacovides score 25 points (on a school-record seven 3-pointers) in a 57-55 home upset of Sarasota Riverview during his junior year.

"He stuck with it every year and really improved himself as a player."

For the season, Jacovides averaged 12.1 points. Suffolk finished 18-8, falling in the quarterfinals of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference tournament.