Rebecca poses an interesting question

[pap49cba]

Rebecca Lobo ‏@RebeccaLobo 17h
When did women's basketball players forget how to make free throws?

Rebecca Lobo ‏@RebeccaLobo 4h
Last night Duke was 12-22 (55%) from the line. Kentucky 9-16 (56%). Uconn 12-20 (60%) in last game.

Note: UConn is shooting 76% from the line YTD. The interesting number is in 12 games played KML has shot only 6 FTs.

 

[HGN]

The question Rebecca poses is a good one.......I don't think WCBB has forgotten how to shoot FT's...I think its the Pressure.

Games are so competitive today. With far more nationally televised games and the local converage puts the kids under so much pressure to make that FT and to win. A missed free throw can mean the difference between a win or loss , and kids are fighting for playing time. Coaches want kids to be able to make key plays and not crack at the FT line.
Thus every eye in the arena is on the player at the FT line.

IMHO , its the pressure. They practice and practice free throw shooting but its the pressure of the actual game that gets them.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Rebecca Lobo ‏@RebeccaLobo 17h
When did women's basketball players forget how to make free throws?

Rebecca Lobo ‏@RebeccaLobo 4h
Last night Duke was 12-22 (55%) from the line. Kentucky 9-16 (56%). Uconn 12-20 (60%) in last game.

Note: UConn is shooting 76% from the line YTD. The interesting number is in 12 games played KML has shot only 6 FTs.

Eh, where did that thing about UConn come from??? Huskies were 12-16 in their last game, a decent 75%. They haven't been 12-20 in a game since back in Nov. against OSU. They've been pretty good lately, with the 7-11 against Rutgers being the worst. Did Rebecca actually post that?

 

[Wbbfan1]

Fundamentals stopped when so many players joined AAU teams to play games instead of using the time to work on Fundamentals. Also so many players are more concerned either shooting 3 point shots or athletic plays driving to the basket.

 

[meyers7]

Eh, where did that thing about UConn come from??? Huskies were 12-16 in their last game, a decent 75%. They haven't been 12-20 in a game since back in Nov. against OSU. They've been pretty good lately, with the 7-11 against Rutgers being the worst. Did Rebecca actually post that?

Some Twitterer should axe her.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Well, in any case, we can always point to some fluky freaky cases to stir up untrue assertions. FSU couldn't make a FT last night, and only took 2. Is that normal? No of course not. And dragging UConn into this question is completely wrongheaded. UConn this year is on a pace to finish with the 4th best ever team FT%, just barely behind only the 2010-11, 2012-13 and 2011-12 teams, so you might notice kind of a trend of the women being very good lately (and the 2009-10 and 2008-9 teams are 7th and 8th on the list). Back in the 1990s in Rebecca's time her teams were pretty poor with none of them shooting even 70% and the best of them will be only 15th after this year finishes up.

I don't have access to WCBB stat trends, but a cursory look at the #100 team in the NCAA rankings for the last 13 years shows a steady strong rise in FT%. So I wouldn't let a few random games be trotted out to prove a stat trend. They don't.

That said, in the first game against Memphis the Huskies made 22 of 24 FTs. How come WCBB players don't miss FTs anymore?

 

[CL82]

Fundamentals stopped when so many players joined AAU teams to play games instead of using the time to work on Fundamentals. Also so many players are more concerned either shooting 3 point shots or athletic plays driving to the basket.

AAU is great but a lot of games are glorified pick up games. Kids sign up for multiple teams to maximize game time. Practicing is deemphasized. You have to do your research to find the programs that focus on player development.

 

[mrmojack]

I watched Virginia upset Maryland last night. Maryland made 18-22 ft's
and Virginia made a bunch down the stretch going 20-22 for the game.
Nice win for Virginia. Seems like teams is beating up and on each other
in the ACC. Its a very competitive conference.

 

[jsloanjr]

The ACC is the most balanced in years. Most teams will have 2 or 3 loses in conference this year and maybe more..........

 

[UcMiami]

Free throws in small sampling can be really deceptive - every team has a brick thrower and if they are unlucky enough to have the brick thrower(s) shoot most of their foul shots in a game, the numbers can look really bad. As an example - Duke up until the last three minutes of regulation was shooting even worse - something like 5 of 14. The at the end and in OT Liston got fouled three times and made 5 of 6 and Jones got fouled once and made 2 of 2. They hadn't shot any free throws previously and Liston shoots over 90% (not sure what Jones shoots.)
Add to that that every shooter has mini slumps during the course of a year and the team numbers in a single game or a few games running can look horrible - Hartley was done in the 50-60% range early this year and is now back to her standard mid-seventies. Dolson and Stewart both had a couple of games clanging the iron but average 75 and 79% respectively.
I can also be like looking at a few game stretch where Kaleena can't hit anything and asking why Geno lets that kid shoot so much?

 

[watanabe]

Slow night on the Lobo news station.

 

[DobbsRover2]

Some Twitterer should axe her.

I finally did check, and yes she did post it. Geesh, she really should run these things past her BY fact checkers first.

 

[ndmb]

Well, in any case, we can always point to some fluky freaky cases to stir up untrue assertions. FSU couldn't make a FT last night, and only took 2. Is that normal? No of course not. And dragging UConn into this question is completely wrongheaded. UConn this year is on a pace to finish with the 4th best ever team FT%, just barely behind only the 2010-11, 2012-13 and 2011-12 teams, so you might notice kind of a trend of the women being very good lately (and the 2009-10 and 2008-9 teams are 7th and 8th on the list). Back in the 1990s in Rebecca's time her teams were pretty poor with none of them shooting even 70% and the best of them will be only 15th after this year finishes up.

I don't have access to WCBB stat trends, but a cursory look at the #100 team in the NCAA rankings for the last 13 years shows a steady strong rise in FT%. So I wouldn't let a few random games be trotted out to prove a stat trend. They don't.

That said, in the first game against Memphis the Huskies made 22 of 24 FTs. How come WCBB players don't miss FTs anymore?

But let's not let any of that stop us from railing on kids these days.

 

[pap49cba]

I finally did check, and yes she did post it. Geesh, she really should run these things past her BY fact checkers first.

So, some people thought I made this up?

 

[RadyLady]

Fundamentals stopped when so many players joined AAU teams to play games instead of using the time to work on Fundamentals. Also so many players are more concerned either shooting 3 point shots or athletic plays driving to the basket.

Someone should remind those kids that games can be, and have had been decided on free throws

 

[RadyLady]

Some Twitterer should axe her.

 

[HoopsFan21]

Rebecca Lobo ‏@RebeccaLobo 17h
When did women's basketball players forget how to make free throws?

Rebecca Lobo ‏@RebeccaLobo 4h
Last night Duke was 12-22 (55%) from the line. Kentucky 9-16 (56%). Uconn 12-20 (60%) in last game.

Note: UConn is shooting 76% from the line YTD. The interesting number is in 12 games played KML has shot only 6 FTs.

The better question is when did women's basketball players forget how to make lay ups? They've always missed lots of lay ups. It's the first thing Coach Auriemma always mentions as the difference between the men's and women's game and why one of his suggestions is to lower the hoop.

 

[KnightBridgeAZ]

The free throw issue can't be minimized by pointing out that there are games where folks are extraordinary on the good side. There are also some free-throw shooters that are just plain good, and as someone noted, some brick-layers. It does cost games, and I can't see why it should be such an issue. But it is.

The point is, there are players who don't shoot a good percentage, and / or don't shoot well at key times, and games get lost because of it. As many have said, including an old friend, they call them "free" throws.

 

[DobbsRover2]

But let's not let any of that stop us from railing on kids these days.

You betcha. All those kids care about nowadays is attending those AAU camps and showing up all the other campers with their spiffy FT shooting. Whatever happened to the good old days when they worked on their flops, gotta a few tattoos, and tried a couple hundred futile dunks. Now all they learn is how to dish the ball, and nail some bombs, strip the ball-handler and other things that just pander to the watching college coaches. Not like it used to be -- snarl, gnash teeth, spew.

 

[huskyblooz]

Time for olde coach's FT seminar

 

[hussybulldog]

1. I bet she never took a class in statistics when she attended UConn.
2. She forgot how bad her team was at FT. It was not like her team was a the pinnacle of WB FT when she won NCAA.

 

[UcMiami]

And lets not forget there are plenty of brick layers on the men's side as well - there was a reason a whole defensive strategy was developed and named 'hack-a-shaq' better to have him make 50% of his free throws than 95% of his dunks.

 

[Icebear]

Raise the men's hoops to 12'.

 

[ThisJustIn]

Raise the men's hoops to 12'.

I've been suggesting that the height and weight of men's teams from 25 years ago should be compared to today's teams, and the % increase should be applied to the size of the court and the height of the basket....

 

[herbiep]

Some Twitterer should axe her.

I'm confused, was that comment for humor or racist?