In an attempt to improve his woeful free throw percentage, Wisconsin Badgers starting forward Ryan Evans decided to change up his free throw shooting style a bit.
Channeling former NBA pros Hal Greer and Rick Barry, Evans decided to take a step back from the charity stripe and throw up a jump shot.
On the two occasions he was at the line in a 77-46 drubbing of Nebraska, he went 2-of-2 and will most likely make the permanent switch to the jump shot free throw.
Evans’ shot is a lot closer to that of Greer as Barry used the infamous underhand shot when he was at the line. The only difference is that Greer admitted to using the jump shot free throw in order to improve his jump-shooting during the game.
Evans is using it to improve upon the 41.4 percent (53-of-128) free throw mark he’s sporting this season. Last season, the senior shot 72.6 percent (85-of-117) from the line and came into the season with pretty much the same mechanics. The significant dip in production can be completely attributed to the mental aspect of his game.
Whether it’s goofy or not, Badgers nation couldn’t be happier to see Evans finally start making shots at the free throw line. If Wisconsin wants to advance in March, they will need one of their best players and someone who’s on the court an awful lot to have success at the line.
What did you think of Ryan Evans and his choice to use the jump-shot free throw? Let me know by commenting below.
Nick Grays is a senior writer at the Sports Bank where he covers the Wisconsin Badgers and Green Bay Packers. He also enjoys to share Fantasy Advice and pretend to be a Golf expert from time-to-time. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here or visit his blog Nick Knows Best. If social media is not your thing, shoot him an email at grays@uwalumni.com.
*Picture obtained from foxsportswisconsin.com
*Video obtained from larrybrownsports.com