Please read this Mclean

[muskieman]

Hey Millersdad, if you complain and comment about a player expect to get feed back. If that feed back takes a hit at you then show you are a big man and don't whine about it. As far a McLean's FTs he has been a 50-55% FT shooter throughout his career. I am sure coaches are working with him but some players never become a Redford or Holloway. Some players are Shaq and you learn to coach around it.
Last year I heard complaints about Drew's misses at the beginning of the year, they said he stood wrong at the line, and I would say wait and see. How did he end up at the end of the year? McLean is not that type of player....maybe someday someone will hit on a style that might change him around but even the experts in foul shooting couldn't improve Shaq's FT consistently and the "best basketball players" NBA are relatively poor foul shooters.

Foul shooting is one of the two toughest shots to make in basketball. There are many people that are just poor foul shooters because of the pressure from fans, coaches and their own nerves. Confidence, focus, relaxation are the key.

[AlabamaMuskie]

Although I will not attempt to coach players on how to make free throws nor will I single out an individual player (no need to with this team), millersdad does inadvertently raise an issue of great concern. The team's free throw shooting is atrocious. My thoughts:

1) This is something we will have to accept. While the team will probably improve its FT% as the season moves forward, the improvement will be very slight. Why? Because FT shooting is very hard to work on during the season (even in the offseason it is hard - do you guys think that Shaq never tried to improve his FT skills, ever?). This is going to be hard for us to take. We have gotten used to excellent FT shooting over the years. Actually, it became a Xavier "theme". In the past we would often make more FTs than the other team would attempt. This will not happen this year very often.

2) At some level, we will be able to blame every <10 point loss this season on our terrible FT shooting

[muskieman]

I have no idea why the word feed back shows up as *****.

[Wisexuowl]

Hey .. did you guys all miss Dad's brag that he made one of two free throws.
Now, that's 50% with zip pressure .. 50% ... and he wants to lecture on how to shoot free throws?

One quick side story. Early in Bob Quick's senior year, he was missing FT's .. and Quick was like a 75% free throw shooter. We were outat OK City for the All-College and in the first game, Bob had troubles again. After the game, he asked Big Jim (then AD, not coaching) what to do. Jimmy told him to move six inches to his right. The next night, he was perfect from the line, like 8 for 8.
I told Jim, "you're a genius. How did you know that would fix things?"

He told me that moving six inches had nothing to do with it, that Bob just wanted someone to suggest a change and when he made the first one, he believed."

[wkrq59]

Sometimes no matter how hard or how much time you spend teaching a young person anything, they need success and repetition of that success before they can become proficient at what you try to teach them. Ask Jim Boeheim or John Calipari

[Mr. Neutral]

You hope it's just an early-season anomaly.

Last year, C.J. shot more FT's than anyone on the team (154) and made 67%. This year, he's shooting 54%.

Raymond's about the same (82% last year v. 78% this year), but his 3-pt. shooting is down drastically (41% v. 29%).

Brown's improved his FT shooting (78% v. 71%), as has Jason Love (67% v. 60%).

The difference is that guys like Lavender, Duncan and Burrell (87%, 85% and 82%) are gone.

So, basically, CJ needs to get back to last year's level, and the new guys (except for Holloway, who's been fantastic from the line) need to pick it up.

[Pierre Dracot]

Guys, he's Miller's dad.

[Mr. Neutral]

Of course he is! I mean, you'd expect Sean Miller's dad to complain about the coaching staff on this message board, wouldn't you?

[Wisexuowl]

He still bragged about making 50% of his FT's ... and that makes one an expert.
Still he says he can outshoot Neutral(?) and he may. But, here are the conditions. They each drink one pitcher of the cheap stuff at Dana's, then to the outdoor court across the street in the dead of winter with the wind gusts at least 25 mph. Neutral doesn't get to bend his knee's while "Dad" must.
My money's on Neutral(?). Guys from Chicago would have the weather "home court" advantage. Besides, I don't think "Dad" is a pro at the bar.

[millerdad]

The purpose of this post wasn't to complain or to insult. The purpose of this post is to help Xavier win some games! I am a huge XU fan and I do not play team basketball anymore so I cannot contribute on the court. I do want to contribute to help XU win. The only way that I can help XU win some games is to use my knowledge of basketball and point out areas that need improvment and make suggestions. As an astute observer of the finer points of the game of basketball, I feel that I can impart my knowledge for the benefit of the team. You can consider me an additional "assistant coach off the bench" As I carefully studied Mclean's form and pointed out what needs to be corrected...it is my hope that Mclean and the coaching staff will take heed and work with him in the manner in which i suggested or even one that they may know better. In this way, I can help XU win games. The next time Mclean is at the free throw line with the game on the line using his new proper technique...i can get that special fuzzy feeling in my heart that I was somewhat responsible for him making that freethrow and in turn responsible for the XU win!!