Wichita State basketball looks to fix free throw shooting issues for East Carolina game

There is a laundry list of problems the Wichita State men’s basketball team must fix in order to return to winning, but free throw shooting remains one of the more perplexing issues.

The Shockers have been in a nosedive recently from the foul line, making just 57% of free throws during their seven-game losing streak. That stretch has tanked their season-long accuracy to 66%, which ranks No. 324 in the country.

WSU doesn’t generate many free throws, which makes the missed opportunities at the line all the more painful. The Shockers (8-10, 0-5 American Athletic Conference) hope a return to Koch Arena will help cure their woes, as they face East Carolina (9-10, 2-4 AAC) at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday with the game available through streaming on ESPN+.

“I’ve heard coaches talk about breathing techniques, but really, you just have to find something that you’re comfortable with,” WSU head coach Paul Mills said on his radio show Monday. “At the end of the day, at least get it over the front of the rim to give us an opportunity.”

Foul shooting wasn’t a concern in the first six weeks of the season. In fact, WSU had generally been an above-average shooting team from the charity stripe. Outside of the Western Kentucky game, when WSU missed 11 free throws in a win, the Shockers were making 74% of their free throws in their other 10 games.

What makes the recent struggles unusual is that centers Kenny Pohto and Quincy Ballard, who have traditionally struggled shooting free throws, are shooting a combined 68% during the losing streak — an acceptable mark for big men.

Meanwhile, the traditionally good shooters have struggled.

Colby Rogers cleared 83% from the foul line his last two seasons, but he sits under 70% this season and is shooting 57% during the losing streak. Harlond Beverly made 80% at Miami, but he is at 65% this season and 50% during the losing streak. Xavier Bell made 79% on 113 career attempts but is shooting 43% during the losing streak. Dalen Ridgnal made 80% last year at Missouri State but is at 65% this season and 40% during the losing streak.

“The only way that I really know how to help is to make them shoot more free throws,” Mills said. “Just dive deeper and deeper in the work, so that’s what we’ve been doing.”

Missed free throws stunted any comeback hopes against North Texas and proved costly in road losses to Temple, Florida Atlantic and South Florida.

Mills has a specific technique he has been using with WSU’s shooters called BRAD (“back rim and down”). Rather than aiming to place the ball in the middle of the rim for a pure swish, studies have found the most ideal place is to aim a little deeper where half of the ball hits the back of the rim and is forced down into the goal.

The arc of every foul shooter is recorded during WSU practices, which gives the coaching staff concrete data to use when assessing mechanics of a foul shooter.

“We need to make sure that we have arc consistency,” Mills said. “Good shooters have arc consistency. And we’ve just got to give ourselves a chance by making sure the ball gets over the front of the rim.”

Increased practice time and advanced metrics can help, but Mills said at the end of the day, it’s up to the players to be in the right mental space to knock down free throws during the course of the game.

He said the mental aspect reminds him of a story that Alabama football coach Nick Saban liked to tell.

“If you gave somebody $100 to walk across a two-by-four, eight feet long, they would do it, no problem,” Mills said. “But if you stick that same two-by-four 200 feet up in the air, all of a sudden, there’s a switch. It’s the same two-by-four, you’re putting the same steps in front, but now all of a sudden, you begin to think about the consequences rather than what are the steps needed in order to accomplish what we need to get done.”

East Carolina vs. Wichita State basketball preview

Records: WSU 8-10, 0-5 AAC; ECU 9-10, 2-4 AAC

When: 6:30 p.m. Wednesday

Where: Koch Arena (10,506), Wichita

How to watch: ESPN+ (Shane Dennis with Bob Hull)

Radio: KEYN, 103.7-FM (Mike Kennedy with Dave Dahl)

KenPom says: WSU 76, ECU 71

Series history: WSU leads 7-1

Projected starting lineups

Wichita State Shockers (8-10)

Coach: Paul Mills, first season, 8-10

East Carolina Pirates (9-10)

Coach: Mike Schwartz, second season, 25-27

This story was originally published January 23, 2024 at 1:31 PM.

Taylor Eldridge

The Wichita Eagle

316-268-6270

Wichita State athletics beat reporter. Bringing you closer to the Shockers you love and inside the sports you love to watch.