Carroll rings bell 184 times from line

Here is an article in the Charlotte Observer about Bobcats shooting guard Matt Carroll making 184 free throws in a row. Click on the link above to read the entire article. Here is a good excerpt from Carroll about having a routine:

"Shoot as many as you can; the more you shoot, the better you become, plain and simple. You've got to get a routine, no matter what it is. Everyone has a different form when they shoot, a different technique. Whatever your routine, you've got to practice that routine. Don't shoot 50 shots 25 different ways."

Game 5: Lakers 99 Orlando 86

Los Angeles showed their dominace last night along with their improved toughness and rebounding from last year to win the championship. I found this little piece on Phil Jackson teaching a young Kobe Bryant about leadership:

The young Kobe used to seem very much alone, especially in victory. But the Kobe Bryant who rules his sport today finds himself encircled by respect and gratitude. As the last seconds of the long seven years ticked away, he was embraced by teammates and coaches who appreciated all that he had done for them.

"There was a point when we sat together and watched tape,'' Lakers coach Phil Jackson recalled of a film session they shared eight or nine years ago, after the young Kobe had been drawn into a needless one-on-one scoring duel against Vince Carter in Toronto.

"So I talked to him about leadership and his ability to be a leader, and he said, 'I'm ready to be a captain right now.' And I said, 'But no one is ready to follow you.' He was 22 at the time. He was a young guy.

"In those years that have ensued, he's learned how to become a leader in a way in which people want to follow him. And I think that's really important for him to have learned that, because he knew that he had to give to get back in return. He's become a giver rather than just a guy that's a demanding leader, and that's been great for him and great to watch.''

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Kobe's leadership and determination might have been best seen when failure came to him. During Game 3 Bryant missed 5 free throws in their 108-104 loss. Many people would feel sorry for themselves and do nothing about it. Kobe on the other hand, goes out 2 1/2 hours before Game 4 to shoot free throws and visualize the success that he was going to have. The result was a 16 for 16 performance from the line in Games 4 & 5

Notes from Rick Majerus

Philosophy: "Be straightforward and honest with players"

*Does your best player get the most shots?

(Shot distribution/shot allocation)

*You must get to the free throw line more than your opponent. (And you must take advantage of it)

*To shoot better free throws: 1.) Only shoot two at a time (four max) Two sprints each miss. 2.) No talking, no drinks

*Free throw shooting is difficult because it requires relaxation and concentration at the same time. The only way to achieve this is through practice.

*Offense- spacing, spacing, and more spacing. Spacing is offense and offense is spacing.

*At St. Louis they work on 3 things daily:

1.) Conversion Defense

2.) Skill Development

3.) Shoot Free Throws

"Those to whom defense is not important will have the best seat in the game"

Cuts

1.) Make every cut to the basket hard

2.) Slow down in the target area, give a hand target

3.) Post up in paint if you're a post

4.) Cross screen to bring a big in

5.) Outlet to the three fast

6.) Economy of motion, don't waste movement that is unnecessary

Four things Majerus told his players to do during the summer:

1.) Deny so hard that you get backdoored every time.

2.) Pressure the ball so hard that the player has to dribble to dribble to his shot every time (then level off the dribble)

3.) Get a hand up on every shot.

4.) Blockout

If you get to the foul line, you win games

Article in the N.Y. Times today on Connecticutt's ability to draw fouls and get to the free throw line. A philosophy for coaches is that they want their team to make more free throws than their opponents attempt. Not only are they getting to the foul line, but they are also keeping their opponents off the free throw line, committing the fewest amount of fouls out of any tournament team:

When it comes to fouls in college basketball, not all teams are created equal. And this season’s UConn team has been called for fewer fouls than any other (12.1 a game in the regular season) while getting fouled more than most (20.6).

That foul differential of 8.5 is far larger than any other team’s. It allowed UConn, the top seed in the West Region of the N.C.A.A. tournament, to shoot an average of 14.5 more free throws a game than its opponents.

“Every game we’re coming in, we’ve got 8 points built in the bank on foul shots,” Calhoun said in a phone interview on Sunday. UConn averaged nearly 10 more points a game on free throws, actually. “That’s unusual. But it’s a great advantage.”

Seven of the past eight national champions have had differentials of at least 2.6. (The exception was Kansas last year, at 1.1, which beat Memphis — 2.7 — in overtime.) Only 11 of this year’s tournament teams have differentials that high.

“Ours is, without question, a concerted effort to try to get fouls,” Calhoun said. “For example, if one of our kids tries to take the ball to the rim and avoids the foul by trying to scoop the ball, we would be all over him. We want him to initiate contact. Nine times out of 10, around the basket, if you’re trying to complete a shot, the call’s going to go against the defensive player.”

Jordan on FT Shooting

From Rick Majerus' book "My Life on a Napkin":

"I got paid to be a coach at Jordan's camp, but I would have done it for free. it was worth it just to hear Jordan talk. I picked up things to tell my own team. I'll tell you one thing that was really a great point. Someone asked him during the talk-back, 'When you go to the foul line after you get hit, what are you thinking about right there?'

He said, "Number one, I expect to get hit. My expectation is that I'll be hit, and I'll be hit hard. Then I go to the foul line, and I try not to go to the foul line angry. I don't want those thoughts to cloud the concentration and the mechanics needed to make a foul shot.'