Center postion

[DocCatsFan]

Alex is going to have to be really consistent this year and stay out of foul trouble. JVZ is a terrific athlete but I don't see him getting many minutes in very close games when it comes down to crunch time. More than 3 feet away from the basket is out of his range and his foul shooting is actually worse than Shaq. This is a tough combination because he's going to be fouled A LOT the aggressive way he plays. Can't afford to have him shooting free throws when the game is on the line. Love his defense and shot blocking though.

 

[NJCat83588]

Alex is going to have to be really consistent this year and stay out of foul trouble. JVZ is a terrific athlete but I don't see him getting many minutes in very close games when it comes down to crunch time. More than 3 feet away from the basket is out of his range and his foul shooting is actually worse than Shaq. This is a tough combination because he's going to be fouled A LOT the aggressive way he plays. Can't afford to have him shooting free throws when the game is on the line. Love his defense and shot blocking though.

Completely agree. He must have some sort of mental block or "yips". I have never seen such a poor FT form. He managed to clank one of the left side of the backboard that didn't even touch the rim. Passing the ball to him is almost a guaranteed turnover if he cannot dunk it, just foul him and he'll miss the FTs.

As an aside, perhaps the most amazing stat of last nights game is that Alex had more dunks (1) than Joey.......it was really nice to see AO elevate and flush one!!

 

[winnetkat1]

Completely agree. He must have some sort of mental block or "yips". I have never seen such a poor FT form. He managed to clank one of the left side of the backboard that didn't even touch the rim. Passing the ball to him is almost a guaranteed turnover if he cannot dunk it, just foul him and he'll miss the FTs.

As an aside, perhaps the most amazing stat of last nights game is that Alex had more dunks (1) than Joey.......it was really nice to see AO elevate and flush one!!

VZ should try shooting his free throws underhanded like Rick Barry!

Speaking of interesting stat lines, Sanjay Lumpkin had a pretty good one... tying Olah for a game-high 12 rebounds without scoring a point.

 

[mikewebb68]

VZ should try shooting his free throws underhanded like Rick Barry!

Speaking of interesting stat lines, Sanjay Lumpkin had a pretty good one... tying Olah for a game-high 12 rebounds without scoring a point.

Isn't that a typical Sanjay line tho?

 

[MCC_Cat]

Didn't watch the game but the coaches should get JVZ to focus on timing the elements leading into the FT's. I played competitively for years and the key for me was counting, starting with the knee bend into the shot. It was the same every time and I always released on the count of "5."

 

[NJCat83588]

Didn't watch the game but the coaches should get JVZ to focus on timing the elements leading into the FT's. I played competitively for years and the key for me was counting, starting with the knee bend into the shot. It was the same every time and I always released on the count of "5."

He seems OK on the elements, but when he starts his shooting motion he kind of spasms up.

 

[MCC_Cat]

Ok, I'll check it out next game. I would think Olah could give him some good pointers as he's really figured out how to shoot FT's.

 

[pawildcat_rivals209725]

Always amazes me how some good athletes have trouble with free throws. I was far from a good athlete and could make about 75 percent when I was of high school-college age. With some big guys, their hands are so large and powerful that they seem to have trouble developing the "touch" you need for medium-range shots. Sometimes it becomes a mental thing. Wilt Chamberlain was actually a good free-throw shooter as a young player, but had a terrible time as a pro. I remember him trying jump shots, underhand and all kinds of things to make FTs. And of course Shaq's woes as in "hack a Shaq" were well documented.

 

[Deeringfish]

Completely agree. He must have some sort of mental block or "yips". I have never seen such a poor FT form. He managed to clank one of the left side of the backboard that didn't even touch the rim. Passing the ball to him is almost a guaranteed turnover if he cannot dunk it, just foul him and he'll miss the FTs.

As an aside, perhaps the most amazing stat of last nights game is that Alex had more dunks (1) than Joey.......it was really nice to see AO elevate and flush one!!

He should try turning his back to the rim looking between his legs and flipping it backwards. When I was 12 I was little and couldn't shoot that far but if I shot with both hands backward, I honestly could sink free throws 9 of 10 times. It was hysterical. Unconventional but try it 50 times and see.

 

[spartcat]

With him it really is all about the stroke. Extending the arms then flipping with the wrists is really bad form. At this point something extreme would be necessary. Maybe left handed would be better. Underhand (Rick Barry, Ollie in Hoosiers) might work. Otherwise I'd just give up on him in the last few minutes. If nobody told him to start over before now, there is no hope.

 

[Medill90]

I am of the strong opinion that once the season starts next to nothing can be done. Telling a player how to adjust his or her shot is a death knell and will only make it worse.

Free throw shooting is to a great degree psychological. It's the only time, other than a wide open three, that the player has time to think about the shot. And the worst thing you can do while shooting, is to think about the shot.

That was JVZ's first game. Let's see if he doesn't settle down a little.

 

[DocCatsFan]

I am of the strong opinion that once the season starts next to nothing can be done. Telling a player how to adjust his or her shot is a death knell and will only make it worse.

Free throw shooting is to a great degree psychological. It's the only time, other than a wide open three, that the player has time to think about the shot. And the worst thing you can do while shooting, is to think about the shot.

That was JVZ's first game. Let's see if he doesn't settle down a little.

First of all, I can say with confidence that it cannot get worse. It's as bad a free throw as you'll ever see. Second of all, don't expect much better. He is a fifth year senior and I believe his foul shooting at VT was career something in the 30s% Actually, I just looked it up. 38% for his career (69/182) and 31% last year.

 

[Cat Fan in Buckeye Land]

First of all, I can say with confidence that it cannot get worse. It's as bad a free throw as you'll ever see. Second of all, don't expect much better. He is a fifth year senior and I believe his foul shooting at VT was career something in the 30s% Actually, I just looked it up. 38% for his career (69/182) and 31% last year.

Yeah, I don't think he's all of a sudden going to figure it out. He'll just have to do what he does, and hope that the negative impact of his FT shooting is minimized.

On a side note, Doc, I listened to the WNUR broadcast of the exhibition game, and thought your son did a nice job on the play by play on the broadcast.

 

[DocCatsFan]

Yeah, I don't think he's all of a sudden going to figure it out. He'll just have to do what he does, and hope that the negative impact of his FT shooting is minimized.

On a side note, Doc, I listened to the WNUR broadcast of the exhibition game, and thought your son did a nice job on the play by play on the broadcast.

Many thanks for that and for listening! It's been awhile since he's done basketball and was glad to get back on that horse. Nice of you to say that.