Why do we struggle so much at FT's?

On one of Burton's last night, he slammed the ball hard on his dribble before the free throw, then, you guessed it, he shot too hard and it clanked off the back of the rim.
 
I want to know how Peter Jok learned to shoot free throws. He has the shortest and simplist routine at the line. And he makes almost all of them. It looks like he could stand there all night and do the same thing. Whereas, our guys seem to have trouble even finding a routine at the line. Bad FT shooting is going to cost us important games down the line.
 
Looking at Bowie's career stats, he has never been a good free throw shooter, but he did shoot it 67% last year. Right now he's shooting 39%...
 
It's amazing to me that a guy can get a full D1 scholarship - and major minutes, or even an NBA contract, and can't his 65% of FT's - considering the amount of practice time invested.

We're shooting 64% as a team. Unreal.
 
I want to know how Peter Jok learned to shoot free throws. He has the shortest and simplist routine at the line. And he makes almost all of them. It looks like he could stand there all night and do the same thing. Whereas, our guys seem to have trouble even finding a routine at the line. Bad FT shooting is going to cost us important games down the line.
Not sure why people are disagreeing with you. Shooting is all about replication. If you can do the same stroke time after time without any change, you WILL be a good shooter. Which is easier to do the same way over and over again... Two dribbles and shoot? Or three dribbles, spin the ball, around your back, dribble again, spin again, shoot? I watched one of Texas' players get the ball from the ref and turn to look back at Shaka before starting his normal routine. Looking back at coach wasn't part of his routine and sure enough he missed it.

Peter Jok is a great shooter because he can replicate his stroke. Watch great shooters warm up before a game. They will make 7,8,9, sometimes 10+ three's in a row with no problem. Their stroke is the same every time. Fred Hoiberg, Tyrus McGee, Thug Life Scotty, Jake Sullivan, Matt Thomas. They were great shooters because their strokes were butter, the same every time.

You watch half our guys go to the line and the ball is heading for the hoop with a different trajectory every 5 shots.
 
  • Agree
Reactions: Cycsk
Naz and Thomas are shooters whose shooting translates into great FT%, 85% and 94% respectively. Morris is at 76% which isn't bad but it seems like he is one of the most automatic mid range jump shooters we've had in forever.

Jackson, Burton and Young are players where it seems they aren't really shooting any better from the stripe than they would in play. Jackson has a great shot and the other two shoot well for their size but all in the 55-60% range from FT.

Bowie has something mental going on.
 
Looking at Bowie's career stats, he has never been a good free throw shooter, but he did shoot it 67% last year. Right now he's shooting 39%...

Promising. Bowie will progress to historical mean of 67% and be nearly perfect from the charity strip over the next span of games then.
 
  • Creative
Reactions: CTTB78
I can relate to this in a certain respect. In high school I shot 95% on free throws in practice but in games was nearly 50%. It's a mental issue more than anything IMO.
Same here. I would always brick the **** out of the first one and my second wouldn't even touch net and be right down the middle.
 
I want to know how Peter Jok learned to shoot free throws. He has the shortest and simplist routine at the line. And he makes almost all of them. It looks like he could stand there all night and do the same thing. Whereas, our guys seem to have trouble even finding a routine at the line. Bad FT shooting is going to cost us important games down the line.

MT does the same thing. Naz does the same thing. Weird how top level shooting guards seem to shoot from the line well, the mid size combo forward guys shoot a bit worse, and the post players don't shoot them so well isn't it?
 
MT does the same thing. Naz does the same thing. Weird how top level shooting guards seem to shoot from the line well, the mid size combo forward guys shoot a bit worse, and the post players don't shoot them so well isn't it?

The best FT shooters touch their face every time to say high to their kids.

Good enough for 16th best % in NBA history and from a Cyclone.
 
  • Like
Reactions: cyclone101
When we've lost 3 games by a combined 5 points and in those games:

Gonzaga - 5/8 - 63%
Cincy - 5/11 - 46%
Baylor - 5/11 - 46%

Sub 50% free throws is just ridiculous. Cost us 2 games.
 
When we've lost 3 games by a combined 5 points and in those games:

Gonzaga - 5/8 - 63%
Cincy - 5/11 - 46%
Baylor - 5/11 - 46%

Sub 50% free throws is just ridiculous. Cost us 2 games.

The Cincy game we should have been at the line late when they intentionally fouled and the refs wouldn't call it...but maybe we miss the FTs anyway. Dozens of reasons for that loss.

Baylor game we played pretty well and 5/11 is definitely the primary culprit.

With Gonzaga the problem was in the first half we didn't even play aggressive enough to earn a free throw.
 
I can relate to this in a certain respect. In high school I shot 95% on free throws in practice but in games was nearly 50%. It's a mental issue more than anything IMO.

Yeah, it's funny how you can shoot thousands of free throws, yet that first free throw can make you feel like your in an unfamiliar place. This is why I think shooting 100 FTs in a row, or even in groups if 10 isn't really that productive. I think it's better to practice shooting 1-2 free throws with a high heart rate ten different times rather than shoot 10-20 in a row.
 
Not only do we shoot poorly, but we also don't shoot very many of them.

It was very interesting to me during the broadcast last night that our rate of free throw shooting is something like 330 out of 351 (or so) Division I basketball teams. Not surprising when you consider how perimeter oriented we are, but that was quite a stat.
 
How fast would he go to hack-a-Bowie if we were playing against Tim Floyd?
 
Ugh, if an opponent actually uses hack-a-Bowie, that sphincter is gonna tighten up like a coin purse.
 

Help Support Us

Become a patron