The Lost Art of Free
Throw Shooting
by Willis
Wilson
It’s a lost art, a thing of the past. Many college basketball
analysts use such phrases when describing the current state of
free throw shooting. On any given night you can peruse the box
scores to find the evidence. Percentages from the charity stripe
have declined in recent years, but the question is why?
I once asked, former Lamar coach, Billy Tubbs, “Why have your
teams always shot a good percentage from the free throw line?”
He told me, “Every time there is a shooting foul committed in
practice, we shoot free throws.”
Now that sounds like such a simple approach, but then again so
is the act of shooting free throws, if properly approached.
Young players often think that stepping to the line, during
practice, and making ten straight automatically makes them a
good free throw shooter. Well that is not the case. You will
often hear coaches talk about trying to create a ‘game-type
environment’ in practice. That same approach needs to be applied
to shooting from the charity stripe.
All too often, young players are not approaching free throw
shooting in the proper fashion. It’s important to practice the
drill when you are fatigued and mentally and emotionally spent,
which the final few minutes of a basketball game normally
produces.
Here is another way of looking at the approach. In the Olympics,
the Biathlon is a sport that combines rifle accuracy and cross
country skiing. I think it is safe to say that biathletes do not
practice their shooting accuracy when they are well rested. They
exert a lot of energy and then pick up the rifle to practice
their aim. In competition, it’s all about taking a deep breath,
getting composed and concentrating on the target.
One miss results in a penalty lap, which could be the difference
between a gold medal and no medal. On the basketball court, that
miss could be the difference between winning and losing.
We often hear analyst say, “It’s a mental thing.” That’s true,
but that mental process doesn’t start in the game. It begins on
the practice court.
A player must commit him or herself to the task. Free throw
shooting transitions from physical to mental when a player does
not prepare him or herself properly. For young players, shooting
from the line can get boring and monotonous. It’s often
difficult to focus and zone in on each and every practice shot,
which ultimately carries over to the game.
Three things are important when approaching this.
1. Knowing how to work on shooting.
2. Giving the time commitment.
3. And Sacrifice.
These can be difficult challenges to ask young players to comply
with.
Much like ball handling and other eroding aspects of the game,
poor free throw shooting can be attributed -- to a great degree
-- to the climate of the times.
Today’s athletes are still making the same time commitment to
the game as they did 15 or 20 years ago, but that time is not
being maximized. Once upon a time, an athlete would wake up and
hit the practice court to run stations, which was followed by
one-on-one, three-on-three and five-on-five drills. And the day
would conclude with game action in the evening. It was 7 to
8-hour commitment.
In today’s environment, the actual ‘time’ commitment has not
changed. However, now players are spending 30 to 40 minutes
playing in actual games and the other 7-plus hours is spent
around the event.
Today the summer is spent traveling and playing in tournaments,
as opposed to the camp setting, which was the norm years back.
Such an environment is not conducive to success at the free
throw line, not to mention many other aspects of the game.
There seems to be an erosion of the perception of the game
should be played.
He was a Coach's
Teacher
by Willis
Wilson
When
I first learned of Skip Prosser’s passing, I was like a lot of
people -- Stunned. Then I was saddened by the fact that our
profession needs more people like Skip Prosser. He embodied
everything that is right about our profession.
Just a few days earlier I was on the same flight with Skip, from
Las Vegas to Orlando. As is often the case in our profession --
a lot of familiar faces on a red eye to another destination in
the summer. Inevitably you see a lot of faces, but Skip was more
then just a face in the crowd. In fact, he was more then just a
face. He was the always the person who had a nice thing to say
and he always meant it. He was that person that you always
enjoyed seeing.
It was over a decade ago that I first came to know Skip. We
first met at a coaching clinic in Houston. Being around people
and observing them gives you an insight into who they are and
what they are all about. It was evident very quickly that Skip
was going to have a long career in coaching. Not because of his
knowledge of the game, although he was an outstanding coach, but
because of his qualities as a person.
Skip was, as we like to say, a coach’s teacher. He brought a lot
more than just a great knowledge of the game to those he
coached. He taught much more then basketball. Many talk about
the betterment of the student athlete, but Skip Prosser lived
it.
He was always helping to mold young kids into men, teaching them
life lessons. He understood that he had a more important job
then just simply winning basketball games. That was one of the
three things that stand out for me, when I reflect on the man.
Watching, listening and observing, I learned a lot about being a
good coach to my players. I gained a great understanding of how
I can help them become better people and not just better
basketball players.
Skip liked to say, “Be bigger then your problems.” That is a
really good lesson. It’s important for us as coaches to
understand that, but it’s more important for those we coach to
embrace it. Players need to understand the big picture, as it
relates to both basketball and life. Skip was great at conveying
that to his players. He had some really good teams, but to a
man, they were even better people. Those players had a pretty
good teacher.
Skip walked through every day with class and elegance. He was
never overly excited about a win and never down over a loss. He
could walk off the court after a game and his manner would never
tell you whether he had just witnessed a great win or a tough
loss. Unfortunately our profession did suffer a tremendous loss
with his passing.
I wasn’t as close to Skip as many of my colleagues. We worked in
the same circles for years and talked at length, from time to
time. As I reflect there is no question in my mind that I am a
better coach and a better person for having known him. Skip
Prosser was one of those unique individuals that touched a lot
of people.
The loss of Skip Prosser was not only a tough day for our
profession. It was a sad day for all.
Fan Accountability
by Willis
Wilson
Virginia Tech head coach Seth Greenberg made some excellent
points on the subject of fan behavior. One quote from Seth
really sums up the current state of behavior at sporting events.
Seth said, "Some think that because they are a fan that somehow
gives them the right to cross the line. It doesn't."
Unfortunately Seth is correct.
How bad have things gotten when Houston Rockets' veteran Dikembe
Mutombo has to be restrained from going into the stands after a
fan, during an exhibition game at Orlando? A fan was removed by
arena officials after repeatedly attacking Mutmobo verbally,
calling him a monkey.
In the aftermath Mutmobo wondered aloud what was going to be
done by the NBA. He actually called out commissioner David
Stern, making the point that something needs to be done by
association to make fans accountable.
Mutmobo was eloquent with his words, despite being pushed to the
limits of what is acceptable. His reaction brought a lot of
attention to this particular fan, but how about all of the fans
that verbally assault players and coaches without a response?
This incident may not be the rule, but we have learned that it
certainly is not the exception in today's sports arenas.
In the late 1960's and early 1970's, public schools stopped
teaching ethics as part of the curriculum. Once there was a time
that, not only was ethics taught but it was also enforced in
school. When the teaching stopped there were no boundaries to
enforce.
Generally speaking people will try to get away with as much as
they possibly can, sports fans are not exception. They know
exactly where the line between right and wrong lies, but do as
they choose just the same. Then there is another group of fans
that really have no idea how to behave at a sporting event
because they simply have never been coached on what is
acceptable behavior.
That passage was not meant to be sarcastic. It's unfortunate,
but there are many fans that really do not know where the
boundaries of acceptable behavior end and where rude behavior
and criminal actions begin.
If someone verbally assaulted another in restaurant the
possibility of criminal or civil actions would be very real. No
one has the right to walk around town verbally chastising their
fellow man so why then is it tolerated at sporting events every
day?
Fans should consider the fact that physical abuse on the playing
field has been dealt with in courtrooms. Until about fifteen or
twenty years ago these incidents were addressed by the
participating franchises or institutions and the sport's
governing body. That is no longer the case in every instance.
The next step may be litigating against verbal assault at
sporting events, which I don't believe should be the case.
Those of us in collegiate athletics know that the NCAA truly
wants to eliminate this type of behavior. They have taken a
strong stand on this subject, but it's not enough. The
institutions that make up the college athletics must take a
stand as well.
Maybe it is a good idea for a code of conduct to be published in
media guides and school newspapers, as well as being very
visible at arenas and stadiums across the country. Furthermore
game or event management officials must monitor and remove
unruly fans before the person being pointed out feels a need to
respond. Will that keep all fans from stepping out of line? No,
but any grassroots effort must begin somewhere.
In the final analysis it simply should not come down to a coach
and/or a player against the fans or vice-versa. In any incident
in a sport's arena everybody loses.
Not all fans are bad. In fact, the great majority of fans enjoy
the experience of the event without incident. However there are
too many situations that ruin the experience for fans and the
participants on the playing field.
This feature
was also posted on NABC.com, the official website of the
National Association of Basketball Coaches.
When
I first learned of Skip Prosser’s passing, I was like a lot of
people -- Stunned. Then I was saddened by the fact that our
profession needs more people like Skip Prosser. He embodied
everything that is right about our profession. 
