Josh Haymore wants his legacy at Piedmont College to be his leadership. But he knows well that he may be remembered just as much for his 3-point shooting.

Haymore, a senior and North Hall High graduate, has connected on 173 career 3-pointers (tied for second at Piedmont since the Demorest school joined the NCAA in 2000).

He needs just 29 more to break Caleb Baker's school record of 201. With 14 regular season games remaining at Piedmont (2-9) and at least two games in the Great South Athletic Conference tournament, it's likely that he'll get there.

"It'll be nice to get the record, but my main focus is getting our team back on track since we're struggling this year," Haymore said. "If I can get the record and it helps our team get back going strong, that'll be great."

Right now, Haymore knows he's at a bit of an intersection in his career.

He's a senior team captain and has scored in double figures already six times this season, including 12 points in Tuesday's 95-78 loss to No. 5 Emory.

However, his main objective is to pass along his confidence and passion for the game to the younger members of the Lions, who hit the floor this year with nine freshmen and only three returning players from last season.

"He really loves the game of basketball and the process of the game," Piedmont coach Lee Glenn said. "His best quality is his controlled competitiveness."

Haymore already owns the school record for 3-pointers in a season after connecting on 81 of 170 attempts (47.6 percent) as a junior in 2010-2011.

Also as a junior he set the program's single-game 3-point mark when he knocked down eight long-range shots twice in seven days with a 36-point effort against LaGrange College and a 34-point showing against Berry College.

Haymore's confidence on the floor comes from the discipline gained through multiple athletic endeavors growing up.

He studied martial arts under his father, Jim, who owns Jim Haymore's United Karate in Gainesville. He was also a standout outfielder on the Trojans baseball team in high school, with plans originally to pursue both sports in college.

Now that his senior season of college is nearing the midpoint, Haymore is trying to pass down the lessons others taught him early in his career.

He says part of the job as a veteran leader is to give positive encouragement to the younger players while they learn the speed and catch up with the talent level of the college game.

"I've found myself in the position of being a player-coach on the floor and can relate to the younger guys on more of a personal level than the coaching staff is able to," Haymore said. "When we get to the bench, I'll pat a guy on the back that needs encouragement and remind them to keep playing hard.

"The coach isn't going to pull them out of the game if they're playing their hardest."

Glenn is just glad he stumbled upon Haymore in high school before it was too late.

He recalls attending a North Hall game in 2007 to evaluate a specific player, but the then-junior Haymore immediately caught his eye with his non-stop competitive streak.

"Josh is so physical, even though he's a little undersized," Glenn said. "I knew he'd be a perfect fit for our program.

"He attacks like a bulldog the entire game."

Once Haymore completes his business management degree in the spring, he'd like to continue on and pursue a master's degree and possibly stay with the men's basketball program as a graduate assistant.

He's an honor student and currently holds a 3.58 grade point average.