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Moreno's FTs

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JonathanW2

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Aug 6, 2025
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I think Moreno is very good, already better than JR Garrison. I think he and Johnson may become my favorite 2 Cats this year.
But how could he have made it this far without some coach correcting his FT form. Shooting it from above his head is good for a post guy on a 10' jumper (to not be blocked), but NOT for a FT. Very few from that position (above the head) put much/any arc on the shot. What does that mean?
The ball is about 9" in diameter, and the rim is about 18" in diameter. Dropping it straight down that gives you a huge room for error. Coming in at a 45 degree angle you still have a pretty good room for error, but at 30 degree that opening is getting smaller, and at 15 degree you have to have nearly a perfect shot to make it.
 
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GoAndRunIsGoneAndDone

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Dec 12, 2023
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beepthacreep said:
I have watched him play several times in person on the high school level and i can assure you he is a good free throw shooter, maybe nerves played a part to start this season, but ive seen him hit 15 out of 15 a few times always 80 percent or better. DONT WORRY ABOUT IT!
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That alone could get him good minutes on this team. Garrison isn't good at FT's and unless JQ has completely revamped his ft shooting...he's terrible from there. If Moreno can shoot 70%, it'd be hard to put either of the others in, late in tight games. We'll see...but his shot has been pretty ugly at times so far.
 
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theBlues

theBlues

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Oct 18, 2025
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Well, he's not as bad as the small sample from this year makes it look: he shot 65% his last two years of high school.
That being said, yes, the shot is terrible and just begs to be broken down and revamped. A guy that can shoot 65%
with that form could be a decent shooter with better form.
 
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JonathanW2

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GoAndRunIsGoneAndDone said:
That alone could get him good minutes on this team. Garrison isn't good at FT's and unless JQ has completely revamped his ft shooting...he's terrible from there. If Moreno can shoot 70%, it'd be hard to put either of the others in, late in tight games. We'll see...but his shot has been pretty ugly at times so far.
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I HOPE, JQ has improved there. I mean, he's had months where the only thing basketball related he could work on was his FTs and maybe ballhandling.
 
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JonathanW2

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Pensacola_Cat

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It’s mind-boggling how anybody in Div 1 basketball can’t fix their shooting mechanics. They rarely even try or are encouraged to change. It’s literally half of their life, and they can’t figure how to do what most of the 10 year old kids at the local YMCA have done. I shake my head at guys like Moreno and Oweh.
 
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M

mr peein in your pants is the coolest

All-Conference
Jan 25, 2004
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Anon1757190905 said:
It’s mind-boggling how anybody in Div 1 basketball can’t fix their shooting mechanics. They rarely even try or are encouraged to change. It’s literally half of their life, and they can’t figure how to do what most of the 10 year old kids at the local YMCA have done. I shake my head at guys like Moreno and Oweh.
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Yep — and with players having their own offseason trainers and “basketball gurus,” it isn’t just a simple coach-and-player relationship anymore.


Mechanics absolutely matter. You can point to a few guys who became great shooters despite subpar mechanics, but those are the exception. And even then, you have to wonder how much better they could’ve been if they’d been taught proper form early on.


With Moreno, bringing the ball behind his head is just sub-optimal. It creates extra motion, messes with timing, and makes it harder to build a consistent shot pocket.


And shooting above the head—especially for a big—isn’t inherently a problem. You can still generate plenty of arc and get the optimal entry angle. KD is a perfect example of a high release without sacrificing touch. Nate Ament has a similarly elevated release, and it doesn’t hold him back.
 
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WallMash

All-Conference
Oct 30, 2009
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yep, his shot ugly, OP had good comments on his mechanics.

If Moreno stays 4 years I think he could be a monster and the best player in SEC. The only knock I have with him now is.... he plays a little freshman soft, needs more muscle and desire. But he is naturally a better scorer than Garrison. Some players get to double figures easy, and he's one of those.
 
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Anon1759768907

All-Conference
Oct 6, 2025
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WallMash said:
yep, his shot ugly, OP had good comments on his mechanics.

If Moreno stays 4 years I think he could be a monster and the best player in SEC. The only knock I have with him now is.... he plays a little freshman soft, needs more muscle and desire. But he is naturally a better scorer than Garrison. Some players get to double figures easy, and he's one of those.
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might be lucky to get him for 2 yrs
 
Johnnie Africa

Johnnie Africa

All-Conference
Feb 27, 2003
503
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JonathanW2 said:
I HOPE, JQ has improved there. I mean, he's had months where the only thing basketball related he could work on was his FTs and maybe ballhandling.
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I mean Shaq had 15 years to get better at FTs. Some of it comes down to natural ability and not just practicing.
 
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The_Answer1313_rivals

Heisman
May 27, 2007
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megablue said:
To add to free-throw shooting woes from the Center position, JQ shot 47.9% from the line last year ... and only 45.9% in conference play. Not good.
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/jayden-quaintance-1.html
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ouch. I mean at that % it's scary to have that type of shooter in during crunch time because teams will just foul him. But by all accounts we'd want him on the floor during that time for his defense. So that could be a tough decision for Pope when he does become available
 
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The_Answer1313_rivals

Heisman
May 27, 2007
31,129
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Anon1757190905 said:
It’s mind-boggling how anybody in Div 1 basketball can’t fix their shooting mechanics. They rarely even try or are encouraged to change. It’s literally half of their life, and they can’t figure how to do what most of the 10 year old kids at the local YMCA have done. I shake my head at guys like Moreno and Oweh.
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I feel like it's pretty much with anything in that yeah sure players can improve. They can get better but there's limits.

No one was ever turning Shaq into a good free throw shooter.

This is why I always just take the stance of guys are what they are. If Moreno shot 65% in High School, he's probably going to be around 65% when its all said and done. Sure he might hit 70%, he might be around 60%. But it'll probably be around the averages.
 
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megablue

Heisman
Oct 2, 2012
14,246
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Johnnie Africa said:
I mean Shaq had 15 years to get better at FTs. Some of it comes down to natural ability and not just practicing.
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This simply HAS to be the course for the vast majority of situations.
Improvements can be made, but I would suspect significant improvements are rare and short-lived.

I looked up these LIFETIME free-throw shooting percentages:
Wilt Chamberlain 51.1%
Shaquille O'Neal 52.7%
Bill Russell 56.1%

The lowest LIFETIME percentage in NBA history (based on a minimum of 1,000 attempts) belongs to Ben Wallace at 41.4% over 17 seasons.
Despite his poor free-throw shooting, Wallace was a dominant defensive player and an integral part of the Detroit Pistons' 2004 championship team.
 
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The_Answer1313_rivals

Heisman
May 27, 2007
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megablue said:
This simply HAS to be the course for the vast majority of situations.
Improvements can be made, but I would suspect significant improvements are rare and short-lived.

I looked up these LIFETIME free-throw shooting percentages:
Wilt Chamberlain 51.1%
Shaquille O'Neal 52.7%
Bill Russell 56.1%

The lowest LIFETIME percentage in NBA history (based on a minimum of 1,000 attempts) belongs to Ben Wallace at 41.4% over 17 seasons.
Despite his poor free-throw shooting, Wallace was a dominant defensive player and an integral part of the Detroit Pistons' 2004 championship team.
Click to expand...

Sometimes I guess you have to live with the flaws if the benefits outweigh them.
Wilt............Shaq............Russell..........despite the poor FT% there was no way they were being taken out of the game lol.
 
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storm1507

storm1507

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Sep 24, 2022
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beepthacreep said:
I have watched him play several times in person on the high school level and i can assure you he is a good free throw shooter, maybe nerves played a part to start this season, but ive seen him hit 15 out of 15 a few times always 80 percent or better. DONT WORRY ABOUT IT!
Click to expand...
80% &15 of 15 with that same form? It's pretty ugly.
 
K

kybassfan

Heisman
Jul 1, 2005
20,032
16,368
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Come guys. It’s funny how you think some form corrections are going to fix this. Go run a mile, not jog, I mean run. Let guys hit and push you every five steps. Add 5000 people screaming things about your mother. Then heap on some pressure. Like we’re gonna taze your jewels if you miss. Now….. shoot even 50%.

Welcome to free throws… Some people handle that better than others. Good luck with your form.
 
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