You can hear it from the fans in stands. You can see it from his teammates on the sideline. When freshman forward Luke Fabrizius puts up a 3-point attempt, you don't even have to look at the hoop to know if his shot goes in.

"His release is so quick," teammate forward Chris Wright said. "I mean when I see him setting up the shot I just put my hands up because I know where it's going. It ain't gonna hit no rim. It's going straight through the hoop."

Take a look at the 6-foot-9 big man and you'll guess he's an inside post player as most guys his size are. Opponents who make that mistake and leave him open from behind the arc are punished accordingly. Fabrizius is second on the Dayton Flyers so far this season in 3-point field goal shots - only behind junior Marcus Johnson.

"It's definitely something that sort of stands out," Fabrizius said of his unique playing style for a player his size. "It was something I just happened to develop and developed at a good pace."

Fabrizius said his father got him and his younger brother, Brian, shooting deep when they began playing at a young age. It was about seventh grade when he started to get better touch outside from 3-point range.

As a senior at John Hersey High in Arlington Heights Ill., a town 20-some miles northwest of Chicago, Fabrizius averaged 14.7 points, eight rebounds and four blocks a game while hitting 47 3-pointers. Rivals.com listed him as the No. 23 ranked forward in the nation in 2007-08.

Now, Fabrizius wears the No. 23 on his jersey as a Flyer. And since he began playing with the team, he's become a fan favorite.

Giving the finger

Don't mistake the roar of the crowd when he hits his treys. It may sound like they're saying "Booo," but, rest assured, they're saying "Luuuke,"

"I hope they're saying 'Luke,'" Fabrizius said with a laugh following a game earlier in the season. "Being a freshman I didn't know what to expect coming here and I've had a great experience so far. I absolutely love it here."

But to all these antics about 3-point shooting, Fabrizius just does one thing: he gives it the finger.

Watch him close enough when he's shooting from the outside, and you'll see his pointer finger jolt down after releasing his shot. It's all part of his follow-through, and, like a machine, Fabrizius does it every single time.

"That was something an old coach taught me, just to get that follow-through going," Fabrizius said. "When you get that going you get better spin on the ball and it leaves a softer touch on the rim. So that's something we worked on a lot."

But it's not something he shares with his teammates.

"Everyone sort of develops their own kind of stroke, their own kind of shot. It's something we work on as a team, holding that follow-through. But it's something I develop myself," he said.

Practice makes perfect

In practice, Fabrizius said he works more on the inside and post game then he does his shooting.

"I try to concentrate on the post moves and play down low and focus on defense," he said. "Then after practice I tend to get up shots."

He said he puts up at least 100 shots from behind the 3-point line following practices every day. At least half, or hopefully more than half, Fabrizius said, go in.

This year's team has an arsenal of 3-point shooters and Fabrizius said there's no lack of competition and rivalry among them.

"Oh yeah definitely," he said. "We have shooting competitions after practice, so there's definitely a little rivalry. It's fun."

Fabrizius said redshirt junior Mickey Perry has won the last few competitions.

"We do partner shooting. Me and Dan Fox lost to Mickey and Luke Hendrick the last couple of times."

Providing energy

Following the Flyers' Atlantic 10 opener against Massachusetts on Saturday, Fabrizius is 19-for-57 from downtown for the season, good for a .333 clip. He's only averaging 9.3 minutes on the floor a game, though, but accepts his role as a bench player.

"What we look for off the bench is energy," he said. "They put you on the floor to play defense. So that's something you got to focus on. It's definitely playing defense. Any minutes any of the guys get off the bench we try to bring energy and get our guys rested a little bit and get them back out there."

Don't blink

So wait for the fans to roar "Luuuke", watch for the players on the Dayton bench shoot up their arms when he goes to shoot, and feel the energy he brings to the court. Watch for the finger, but don't watch too long. Luke Fabrizius is giving the finger, and, bam, it's good for 3.