Gabby...a question

[Bigpetunia]

I am, like most of you, a HUGE fan of Gabby’s play. Her athleticism and aggressiveness combine to make her performances pretty electrifying. It comes as no big surprise to me that her field goal percentage is so mind-blowing, given her physicality down low and her great mastery of all the angles off the glass, even though most of her shots are very hotly contested. Given the nature of her game, it also does not surprise me how frequently she gets to the line. I think she has more FT attempts than KLM and MoJeff combined, and, if I’m not mistaken, has the third most attempts on the team despite her limited minutes in comparison with others. This takes on significant potential importance since she makes over six in ten FG attempts, but fails to convert almost six in ten attempts from the stripe. True, this team doesn’t play many close games, but I could envision scenarios after she becomes an eventual starter when this deficiency could be a genuine determining factor.

Obviously, there is a lot of precedent for this “dilemma” in basketball, otherwise great players like Wilt and Shaquille who struggled unendingly at the line. I am not complaining about Gabby, too much to like, but her issues, and those of others, lead to the question: is success at the line ultimately a teachable skill, or do players have to just get it (or not) on their own? Great free throw shooters seem to have rigidly repetitive routines when they approach the line, so controlled and rehearsed that it seems there is no other place for the ball to go but in the hoop. I liken it to grooving in a golf swing, or something akin to what great field goal kickers must do to ready themselves. Others, Gabby included, seem to just walk to the line and let it fly, so that each attempt becomes something of a “hope” shot. No matter how great coaching is, one cannot “teach” anyone to be KML from 3-point range, but FT shooting falls, I think, into a different category where confidence can be “learned” via repetitive and teachable mechanics. I know that the history of the game suggests that I am wrong in that assumption, but my own personal experience from many years ago suggests otherwise. Just wonderin’.

 

[Jeff H]

There's nothing that you can't get better at if you're willing to practice, practice, practice and you're not too stubborn to listen to good advice. My guess is neither Wilt or Shaq made getting better at free throws enough of a priority when they we're young and eventually it got to be a mental thing they could never fix. If Gabby practices enough and listens to the coaches she can go at least from lousy to respectable.

And I agree is she doesn't improve it could be a big deterrent to keeping her on the floor in certain situations and possibly lessen her playing time in general.

 

[mrmojack]

If you watch Gabby shot foul shots, you will notice that the majority of her misses
are long, they hit the back of the rim. I believe once the coaching staff realizes this, if they haven't already, it can be fixed. Many players struggle with free throws. Some
players are never able to shoot a good percentage and others will continue to improve.

I believe Gabby will be fine in time. If a free throw hits the front of the rim softly first it will bounce back to the backboard and many will fall in. If a free throw hits the back of the rim it will bounce away as many of Gabby's misses do. This is what I have
noticed watching Gabby shoot free throws since the early games this year.

 

[Suebird10fan]

Everything you always wanted to know about free throw shooting from the late Olde Coach (Warren Witherell):

http://www.huskynan.com/freethrows

 

[DobbsRover2]

We've had a couple of threads on this subject this season, so to repeat some of what was already said:

1. UConn players as freshman have often come in and not shot the freebies well. Many of them have improved in the following seasons, some like Sales improved by 20% in later years, while for a chronically abysmal shooter like Wolters the gain was only about 8%.
2. So yes, good FT shooting can be taught with adjustments to form, repetition, better focus, and psyching yourself into a level of confidence.
3. It takes some freshmen a while to adjust to the crowd dynamics at college games. Practices set up to make players shoot FTs under distracting conditions will help.
4. FT inaccuracy can be caused by many things, but if your ball is going straight toward the hoop but either going too short or too long (Gabby tends to be too long), that is more easily fixable than ones that constantly miss right or left.

At the moment Gabby does not look confident when she steps to the line (with reason), but she and the staff have a lot of time to help her make the adjustments in the body and mind to help her be a decent FT shooter.

 

[mysticmajor]

I agree that it can be learned. I agree that Gabby will get it in time. As one who has a list of things a mile long that I need to learn to do better, my thought is that there probably isn't enough time in the day to get to all the things Gabby is trying to absorb right now. I tend toward patience. Would I like her to hit a higher percentage? Yes. Would I rate it as the top value add today based on the time it would take to make a difference? Not so sure. How many hours a day do you think it would take?

 

[ndmb]

Gabby's not going to finish her career as a sub 50% FT shooter, but a lot of players work very hard with good coaches to improve their FT% and don't. There's really now way to know for sure until we wait and see. It'll be really telling to see how she's shooting after this off-season.

FWIW, I knew that Gabby was a poor FT shooter from the first shot I saw her take; it's not an easy fix, but we know she's a hard worker and has the best in the business to help her along.

 

[CocoHusky]

Big,
I agree with most of what has been said already 1) Gabby free throw form is more fixable because she consistently misses long. 2) She needs to relax at the line. From the time the foul is call and she realize that she has to shoot a certain amount of anxiety builds up in her and makes her tense. Both 1 & 2 a teachable, coachable and fixable.
There are a couple points in your posting that caused me to pause and eventually came to disagree with. “after she{Gabby} becomes an eventual starter” and “it comes as no big surprise to me that her {Gabby} field goal percentage is so mind-blowing”.
The former is not a given- Gabby may never be a starter at UCONN. This should not be taken as a knock on Gabby but a tribute to current roster and skill set of incoming committed players specifically (Boykin & Erwin). In the dog days of May someone will start a thread projecting next year’s UCONN starters so there will be plenty of time to debate this.
On the latter point, what Gabby does specifically always knowing the right angles to takes shots, the speed of execution, and the elevation is unique for her size & unique for women’s basketball. The only basketball comparison I have ever seen that is close to Gabby is Shawn Kemp in the NBA. So for me this is a huge & pleasant surprise. Can anyone else think of a Gabby comparable?

 

[HGN]

If I had to guess , I would think that Gabby spends adequate time practicing her free throw shooting. And probably does ok ....while practicing. If you watch , there is NOTHING wrong with her form. But shooting that free throw in game situations and under that game pressure is another thing....Thus , I have concluded that its all psychological with Gabby. And as soon as she gets comforatable with herself and more confident she will be a good FT shooter..... I remember Griner's freshman year. She was absolutely horrible. She was usually taken out of games by Mulkey in crunch time because other teams would foul her intentionally. But she got better each year following.

I think Gabby is going to be a fine player and a fine FT shooter.

 

[stamfordhusky]

There's nothing that you can't get better at if you're willing to practice, practice, practice and you're not too stubborn to listen to good advice. My guess is neither Wilt or Shaq made getting better at free throws enough of a priority when they we're young and eventually it got to be a mental thing they could never fix. If Gabby practices enough and listens to the coaches she can go at least from lousy to respectable.

And I agree is she doesn't improve it could be a big deterrent to keeping her on the floor in certain situations and possibly lessen her playing time in general.

It's not always practice. So much is mental. Many of the worst FT shooters shoot them well in practice. Wilt was a good FT shooter in HS. And if you had watched Wilt warm up prior to NBA games, you often would have seen him hitting 80%+ of his FT's. Even hit a good percentage from 20 feet in practice. But once a game started and he started thinking about the shots, his form changed. Similar to the affliction that has hit a number of MLB players, where they can't even make the easiest of throws. Steve Blass, Rick Ankiel, Steve Sax, Chuck Knoblauch, Dale Murphy, Steve Garvey, etc. Steve Blass, who the older posters will remember, went from being one of the best pitchers in baseball to being unable to throw the ball anywhere close to the plate. And yet when he threw the ball in his backyard, he could hit someone's belt buckle 100 straight times from 60'6". All mental - and practice didn't help.

 

[DobbsRover2]

But why is it so mental? Real games versus practice. There's a huge difference between focusing on the rim with no one distracting you in practice and in a game situation where you have six other players ranged to the side in front of you and an often hostile group of fans trying to do everything to distract you basically right in your face. Even the smallest effect of these distractions can lead to a clank. The best FT shooters are almost on automatic pilot with their good form and muscle memory and can make themselves almost oblivious to the distracting surround sound and motions. So it's the experience in games more than the thousands of repetitions in practice that can be the bigger difference.

 

[Zorro]

The answer is simple; when Gabby shoots freebies, we put Stewie and Kiah on the lane. If she misses, we get the rebond. Problem solved.

 

[stamfordhusky]

The best FT shooters are almost on automatic pilot with their good form and muscle memory and can make themselves almost oblivious to the distracting surround sound and motions.

Yes, automatic pilot is the key. As soon as a player thinks about what they're doing or tries to aim the ball, they are in big trouble. All the practice in the world can only do so much in cases like these.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

Absolutely a head game as long as the athlete makes it one. It is a pathetically easy shot from a favorable position and that is the rub for some athletes. I am convinced that some athletes are great shooters because their shot is bedded in their subconscious sense of where the hole inside the rim is and the move that will take the ball there. Slow it all down and its a rim and a backboard and they are lost.

 

[Woof 101]

Absolutely a head game as long as the athlete makes it one. It is a pathetically easy shot from a favorable position and that is the rub for some athletes. I am convinced that some athletes are great shooters because their shot is bedded in their subconscious sense of where the hole inside the rim is and the move that will take the ball there. Slow it all down and its a rim and a backboard and they are lost.

Wow great post. You played or coached because many forget the backboard. This would solve a lot of foul shooters problems. Hit it in the middle of the square and your chances double.
Your analogy of a subconscious sense of where the hole inside the rim is and the move that will take the ball there is right on also.

 

[Sonny44]

I would make her study Kelly's form and have her copy it. Why? Kelly was an average shooter overall, but she made up for that with excellent mechanics. Why not Kaleena? Kaleena is a great and talented shooter. Her FT percentage wouldn't suffer if they blindfolded her.

 

[Bill In Georgia]

EDD ... Long before she signed with UConn, I was very anxious to see her on the "Free Throw Line" .... In my time I have shouldered with some well paid guys, but anybody who could hit 60 out of 60, and miss 3 out of 100 ... had my attention. If anybody is interested it bears looking into.!! Well worth the price of a little R & D.

"Ole Coach" has it pretty well broken down, but the key is what happens under game pressure..

Remember the young lady , with UConn down 1 point and she was fouled with 3 seconds to go .... as the great shooter she was, (And I would put a Kings Ransom on her ability) ...she missed both ...TN won!!! So as stated above it can become a mind game ....

We had a guy who could hit 50 out of 50 and he bragged about it, and challenged other guys to a shoot off...go till you miss.... All was well, but before he took his first shot the coach came out with a ladder and tacked a $50.00 bill on the rim...Coach said it's yours if you make the first three shots, and I'll give you two chances.....Of course all in the gym gathered around, and the cat calls started......."He missed the first three"...So again it could become a mind game.......

So what does your schools sport physiologist have to say???

 

[Deadrody]

It is a curious thing, indeed. Especially since she was a guard in HS. You'd expect guards to be more confident at the FT line than post players, but 1) I don't know what her percentage was in HS to begin with, so 2) there's no way to know if that carried over or not.

Assuming, however, that she was a good FT shooter as a guard in HS, its possible that one of the things that gets you in rhythm at the FT line is shooting jump shots. That is one thing that Gabby never does during a game, nor since she is a freshman off the bench, does she even get that opportunity during warmups.

It could be just a function of her not being completely comfortable with all the aspects of her transition from guard to post player, and the one area where that manifests is at the FT line.

I really have no doubt, however, based on her ridiculous athleticism, that she'll be a much improved FT shooter going forward.

 

[Rixxx]

Short term fix.... Back up 4 inches from the line. Just saying...

 

[stamfordhusky]

I would make her study Kelly's form and have her copy it. Why? Kelly was an average shooter overall, but she made up for that with excellent mechanics.

But if the problem is mental (i.e. thinking while shooting), then all of the mechanics in the world won't help much.

 

[stamfordhusky]

It is a curious thing, indeed. Especially since she was a guard in HS. You'd expect guards to be more confident at the FT line than post players, but 1) I don't know what her percentage was in HS to begin with, so 2) there's no way to know if that carried over or not.

Assuming, however, that she was a good FT shooter as a guard in HS, its possible that one of the things that gets you in rhythm at the FT line is shooting jump shots. That is one thing that Gabby never does during a game, nor since she is a freshman off the bench, does she even get that opportunity during warmups.

She shot 65% from the line her senior year in HS. I'm not sure shooting jump shots helps a player get her FT rhythm but, in any event, she takes plenty of jumpers in pregame warmups.

 

[CocoHusky]

It is a curious thing, indeed. Especially since she was a guard in HS. You'd expect guards to be more confident at the FT line than post players, but 1) I don't know what her percentage was in HS to begin with.

In another thread one poster veriifed that gabby shot 65% FT while in high school. There was also a quote from her father stating that gabby shot 90% in AAU- Probably parental over-enthusiasm.

 

[CocoHusky]

She shot 65% from the line her senior year in HS. I'm not sure shooting jump shots helps a player get her FT rhythm but, in any event, she takes plenty of jumpers in pregame warmups.

Stamford, might have been more Freshmen and Sophmore years. My recollection was that she missed most of her Senior and junior seasons including playing in Big Mac All american game as a senior.

 

[Joobie]

Wilt, Shaq & Rondo all have problems shooting free throws (& come to think of it, prolly Andre Drummond as well), have HUMONGOUS hands & that becomes an issue at the line. Don't think that's a problem Gabby faces, so her free throw shooting should improve with (lots of) practice. Ray Allen, an excellent shooter at the line at UCONN & in the NBA has said that the only time he feels uncomfortable on the court is when he's at the line because all of the attention is focused on him. Maybe that's some of Gabby's problem. In both cases, it's certainly fixable.

 

[meyers7]

Everything you always wanted to know about free throw shooting from the late Olde Coach (Warren Witherell):

http://www.huskynan.com/freethrows