How Morris Udeze improved his foul shooting by more than 30% for Wichita State
The free throw line used to be a constant source of frustration for Morris Udeze.
Through his first two seasons at Wichita State, the 6-foot-8 center missed more foul shots than he made — 32 of 69 for a 46.4% mark.
Too often Udeze would do all of the hard work to get open or create an advantage and draw the foul, only to come away without any points. It also made him a liability for WSU to play him late in close games.
“I left a lot on the table last year,” Udeze said. “Missing three (free throws) a game, it’s frustrating. The more you miss, the more frustrated you get. I just had to get in the gym.”
Udeze’s time in the gym this summer has already translated to success in WSU’s first five games this winter, as the junior had made 12 of 15 free throws this season for more than a 30% improvement.
Capitalizing more at the line has allowed Udeze to have a breakout junior campaign. He scored a career-high 18 points (shooting 4 of 5 from the foul line) on Friday against Emporia State and is averaging 8.8 points — more than double what he averaged (4.3) last season.
“Those points are huge,” WSU interim coach Isaac Brown said. “Any time you get a big kid that can score it on the block and teams are double-teaming him and fouling him, for him to be able to make free throws late in the game is big. Morris really worked all summer long on it and that’s something he’s working on every day before and after practice.”
Udeze said he has been shooting at least 100 free throws every day and slightly changed his shooting mechanics. Video shows that Udeze has a higher release point when shooting free throws this season compared to last. The repetitions in practice have made him more comfortable at the free throw line.
That difference was never more clear than Dec. 12 against Oklahoma State when Udeze was fouled with 34 seconds remaining and WSU trailed by two points. In years past, this would have been cause for anxiety. Instead, Udeze calmly swished both to tie the game.
“Repetition is everything and that gives you confidence,” Udeze said. “The more you do it, the easier it’s going to get.”
Udeze hopes the new confidence at the foul line will carry over to the rest of his game. It certainly did on Friday against an outmatched opponent in Emporia State, as Udeze made all seven of his field goals and blocked three shots.
After struggling to finish inside and missing both of his three-point attempts to shoot 36% (8 of 22) from the field in his first three games, Udeze returned to the basics against Emporia State. He was able to successfully seal his defender and catch lobs for easy finishes and stopped floating around the perimeter and planted himself closer to the basket for higher-percentage looks.
“He really set the tone (Friday),” WSU junior Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler said. “Honestly, Mo is just a dog. It’s going to be really hard to stop a player like that. I’m glad he was successful on the offensive side and it’s letting other players know that they can do that too.”
Udeze was limited to just 10 minutes of action in WSU’s 69-65 conference-opening win at Tulsa last Tuesday. He wants to be back in double-digit scoring when the Shockers (3-2, 1-0 AAC) return to American Athletic Conference play on Tuesday with a 6 p.m. tip-off at South Florida (5-2, 1-0).
“If I stay out of foul trouble, I feel like I can affect the game (more), and that’s what I’ve been working on,” Udeze said. “I’m just trying not to foul, keep my hands up so I can have games like this all the time.”
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