AP Ryan Evans has spent the entire season battling a brutal case of the ‘yips’.
Evans, a career 71.1% shooter from the charity stripe that shot 81.1% from the line in Big Ten play last season, is banging home just 41.4% of his free throws this season, and it’s gotten to the point that he is quite literally costing his team games. He was 1-9 from the line in a loss to Marquette earlier this season. He was 2-8 from the line when the Badgers lost to Minnesota in overtime earlier this month. He’s made just six of his last 20 free throws and has four airballs on the season.
To make matters worse, Evans’ struggles are starting to extend to the rest of his game. He’s down to 39.3% from the floor this season. He’s hit just two of the 23 threes that he’s attempted. He was 2-12 from the floor in a loss to Michigan State at home and 1-10 from the floor in a loss at Ohio State.
It’s a mental thing for Evans at this point, and in an effort to change that, he’s changed the way he shoots free throws.
From now on, Evans will be taking a jump shot from the foul line. He debuted it last night against Nebraska:
Twice, Evans finished off a three-point play with his new free throw technique. He rattled home to first one, and swished the second.
“It worked tonight, so I’m going to keep it going,” Evans said after the game. “It felt good. I feel a lot more confident out there.”
(h/t Bucky’s Revenge)
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Oregon State’s Joe Burton eyes potential motivational speaking career
May 25, 2013, 10:34 AM EDT
AP
Oregon State senior forward Joe Burton will graduate from the school in June after a four-year career and over 1,000 points scored. But although many college players with such a pedigree look to play professional basketball after their careers end — as Burton will also do — Burton’s mother said that he could also go…
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Former Marshall forward Jamir Hanner transferring to Buffalo
May 24, 2013, 8:55 PM EDT
AP
With Javon McCrea and Cameron Downing entering their senior campaign at Buffalo, first-year head coach Bobby Hurley can use some additional front court depth that will benefit the Bulls in 2014. Hurley’s numbers received a boost on Friday afternoon, as it was reported by Adam Zagoria of ZagsBlog.com that former Marshall forward Jamir Hanner has…
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AP
According to the Idaho Statesman, Boise State freshman forward Vukasin Vujovic has decided to leave the program. In his one season at Boise State, the native of Serbia saw action in just nine of the Broncos’ 32 games. In those nine games the 6-9 Vujovic averaged just 4.0 minutes and 1.4 points per game. Vujovic’s…
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Kyle Vinales won’t leave Central Connecticut State after all
May 24, 2013, 6:00 PM EDT
AP
When it was announced just over a month ago that Central Connecticut State leading scorer Kyle Vinales would look to transfer, the biggest factor in his decision was a desire to reach postseason play. Vinales, who averaged nearly 22 points per game as a sophomore, at one point tweeted his decision to transfer to Toledo only…
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DePaul grants forward Donnavan Kirk permission to pursue transfer opportunities
May 24, 2013, 4:38 PM EDT
AP
With the recent news that former Purdue forward Sandi Marcius would transfer to DePaul, it was only a matter of time before the other shoe dropped in this scenario. That would be Donnavan Kirk looking to finish his collegiate career at another institution. On Friday the school announced that it has granted Kirk permission to…
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Northeastern becomes final piece of 2013 Puerto Rico Tip-Off puzzle
May 24, 2013, 2:37 PM EDT
Last November the organizers of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off announced its completed eight-team field, with programs such as Florida State, Georgetown and Michigan being confirmed participants. Also among the eight teams: Auburn. But apparently something changed with the Tigers’ schedule, leading to a report from Andy Katz of ESPN.com that Northeastern would be the eighth…
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AP
During the spring multiple allegations surfaced regarding Green Bay head coach Brian Wardle’s treatment of some of his players, and some of the charges went well beyond the use of profane language. In one instance former center Ryan Bross alleged that he was forced to run sprints until ultimately soiling his shorts, despite stating the…
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Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski appears on ‘The Dan Patrick Show’ (VIDEO)
May 24, 2013, 12:45 PM EDT
Getty Images
In an appearance on “The Dan Patrick Show” this morning, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski discusses topics such as his decision to return as head coach of the US men’s national team for the 2016 Summer Olympics and his future at Duke. Also of note were Krzyzewski’s comments on incoming freshman Jabari Parker, stating that…
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Getty Images
Earlier this week an advertisement for Calhoun’s BBQ done by former Tennessee basketball player Steven Pearl hit the airwaves, and it included a reference to current Ohio State point guard Aaron Craft. But that reference has led to the compliance department at Ohio State getting involved, looking to make sure it’s clear that there was…
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Is Sheldon Jeter’s transfer ‘issue’ because of a lack of communication?
May 24, 2013, 10:20 AM EDT
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In the aftermath of Sheldon Jeter’s decision to transfer from Vanderbilt it was reported that Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings was blocking Pittsburgh as a possible destination. Some assumed that tampering was the reason for the move, but according to a report by Andy Katz of ESPN.com that may not be the case. Regardless of…
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Illinois forward Myke Henry requests release from scholarship
May 24, 2013, 8:52 AM EDT
AP
With the graduation of leading scorers Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson, there was a chance that 6-6 forward Myke Henry would see more opportunities to produce for Illinois in 2013-14. However it seems as if the Chicago native won’t be around to realize such possibilities, as it was reported by the Champaign News-Gazette that Henry…
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Charlotte, head coach Alan Major agree to extension through 2017-18
May 23, 2013, 10:50 PM EDT
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Head coach Alan Major led the Charlotte basketball program to its first 20-win season since 2008 this past year, as the 49ers won 21 games and received a bid to the Postseason NIT. Next up for Major’s program is Conference USA, and the former Ohio State assistant will make the move with a new contract…
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Colorado assistants get new titles in hopes of bolstering head coaching prospects
May 23, 2013, 9:30 PM EDT
AP
While the head coaching carousel is the focus every offseason the many changes within a coaching staff can also have an impact. At Colorado, head coach Tad Boyle is fortunate to have led the same staff for each of his three seasons in Boulder, resulting in the most successful stretch in the history of the…
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Saint Louis, Wisconsin headline 2013 Cancun Challenge field
May 23, 2013, 8:00 PM EDT
Getty Images
The eight-team field for the 2013 Cancun Challenge is finally set, with 2013 NCAA tournament participants Saint Louis and Wisconsin headlining the field. The event will feature two four-team fields, with the Billikens and Badgers being joined by Old Dominion and West Virginia in the Riviera Division. The Mayan Division bracket consists of Bowling Green,…
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Atlantic 10 announces that all members will play in 2014 conference tournament
May 23, 2013, 6:20 PM EDT
With four departures (Butler, Charlotte, Temple and Xavier) and one arrival (George Mason), the Atlantic 10 Conference will have 13 members for the 2013-14 academic year with Davidson joining in 2014. Those changes have brought about another for the conference: beginning next season, all members will play in the Atlantic 10 tournament at the Barclays…
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Coach K: ACC will be ‘best conference in the history of the game’
May 23, 2013, 5:26 PM EDT
While much of this past season was spent lamenting the changing of the Big East, another result of conference realignment was the improvement of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s basketball product. Sure Duke and North Carolina managed to carry their share of the load in the years following the move from nine to 12 schools, but…
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Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski made it official on Thursday afternoon: he’ll be coaching Team USA basketball through at least the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. That’s been known for almost a week now. The interesting bit of news that came out of his press conference on Thursday afternoon had nothing to do with…
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I’m not sure there is a coach in the country that is better at developing players in his program than Bill Self at Kansas. Over the years, the best players that have come through Lawrence during his tenure have been moderately recruited — i.e. somewhere around the top 40 or top 50 of most lists…
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Bringing in ex-Gator Cody Larson worth the risk South Dakota State
May 23, 2013, 1:05 PM EDT
Cody Larson’s basketball career never got off the ground in Florida. After redshirting as a freshman, Larson was involved in a bizarre incident along with a team manager and Erik Murphy where he tried to break into a car after sneaking into a bar after closing time to inquire about a lost wallet. After being…
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It’s late May, it’s Thursday, and you don’t want to be paying attention at work when it’s nice out. So take 10 minutes and watch some dunks.
