RAPID CITY - Robbie Fedor can shoot the basketball.

The South Dakota School of Mines junior shooting guard has always been able to knock down the 3-point shot, but it wasn't until he took advantage of the opportunities inside the arc that his game really took off.

"I have really worked on driving the ball and getting to the basket because just shooting the 3 makes you so easy to guard," he said. "I didn't have a great season last year and fought with my shot. I tried everything and I even talked with people, but I couldn't get them to go.

"Now I look to attack and I am not too slow to be able to get inside the paint. It makes you more comfortable and being in attack mode helps open things up for my teammates."

Fedor's new approach is something that he brings with him everyday to practice.

"I remember one time my coach telling me I couldn't shoot a 3 the whole practice," he said. "I didn't know if I could do it but I did, and really, I found out that if you hit a couple of easy ones it gives you confidence."

The early returns for Fedor through seven games are quite impressive as he leads the team in scoring at nearly 16 points a game, assists, free-throw shooting at 90 percent and is second in 3-pointers made.

It has been steady improvement for the junior from Moticello, Minn., despite a sophomore slump. Over three years in the Mines lineup, Fedor adjusted his game to the college level where he found out in a hurry he was no longer the fastest, strongest or smartest player on the court night in and night out.

"It is a great challenge each game but I enjoy it," he said.

Fedor has also grown as a leader this year which is something his coaches saw in him early on. The shooting guard had never played the point in high school, but as a freshman he was thrown into the role on a senior-laden team.

"All the other freshmen that came in with him redshirted, but he got an opportunity to start at the point," Mines head coach Jason Henry said. "He was pretty athletic and he could shoot and stretch the floor, so we put him there."

For Fedor, it was an eye-opening experience but one he credits for improving his game.

"It was definitely a challenge having never played the point, but it changed how I viewed the game and how I had to work to get other people shots," he said. "It really helped me improve my ball handling and improved my court vision."

While the experience may have been a little overwhelming as a freshman, Fedor has grown into a leader during his third year as a starter for the Hardrockers.

"I feel like I have more of a leadership role and it is a role that I thrive off of and I enjoy that extra pressure," Fedor said. "I try to lead the guys and hopefully they are listening, but we have a really good group of guys so my job is not that hard."

"There is no question we saw his leadership skills and that is why he is one of our captains," Henry said.

Fedor's experience gives Henry a strong backcourt of players all capable of shooting or creating throughout the game.

"I love our balance this year with me and A.J. (Tennepohl) and Kyle (Kurth)," Fedor said. "We share the ball and we have been distributing better. Our team is very unselfish."

While the backcourt can provide some firepower, it is the improved frontcourt that Fedor thinks will give the Hardrockers the advantage this year.

"We weren't very big last year, but we have some hardworking guys and when they get going defenses aren't able to get up on us as tight," he said.

Fedor and the 'Rockers hope to continue their solid start - which has seen the team jump out to a 4-3 record despite playing five of those games on the road - as they play at home in the US Bank Thanksgiving Classic which begins today.

"It is great to be home because playing on the road is tough," Fedor said.

It may seem tough but Fedor is making it look easy early on.