TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Nothing To It

ADVERTISEMENT

By SCOTT CARTER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 12, 2008

Updated: 01/11/2008 11:45 pm

TALLAHASSEE - Andy Enfield knows free throws the way Emeril knows a good bowl of gumbo and B.B. King knows the blues.

Let's just say he is a master of his domain.

The Florida State assistant basketball coach finished his playing career at Johns Hopkins University as the NCAA's career free-throw percentage leader. Enfield missed 35 free throws (431 of 466, 92.5 percent), or about the same number Shaq misses on a three-game road trip.

Enfield has worked with more than 100 NBA players on perfecting their free-throw shooting technique, including Dwyane Wade, Paul Pierce, Jerry Stackhouse, Gilbert Arenas and Grant Hill.

One of his favorite students was Hill, whom Enfield trained early in Hill's NBA career. Hill was already a great player for the Detroit Pistons, but he wanted to improve his shooting technique, especially the release he had at the charity stripe. A right-handed shooter, Hill's release point was low and near the left side of his face on free throws.

"Grant Hill completely changed his shot," Enfield said. "Some players work at it harder than others. Grant Hill thought it was life and death for him. It was amazing how hard he worked."

Hill's numbers improved instantly thanks to hundreds of practice shots daily, helping him become a 76 percent free-throw shooter during his 13-year NBA career.

Still, teaching the talented Hill to improve his shooting is like handing a bass to famed guitarist Eddie Van Halen and asking him to try a few chords.

So, to really put Enfield to the test, we asked him to work with a 30-something, overweight, slow-footed, way-past-his-prime playground legend (OK, that legend part is a lie) who makes his living writing about free throws, not shooting them.

Perhaps feeling the need to do some charity work, or maybe piqued by his unusual student, Enfield rolled out a cart of basketballs at FSU's practice facility Thursday and offered a simple suggestion:

"Let me see you take some shots."

Time For Suggestions

Hmm, sounds easy enough. After a few dunks to get warmed up (yep, another lie), I took my first shot as Enfield watched closely from underneath the basket. The first one was a beauty - nothing but net - and that's the truth. But Enfield didn't blink, simply tossing the ball back for another shot. The next attempt bounced off the rim, then another one glided through the net.

Off to a hot start - well, at least for a sportswriter - I quickly cooled off when two of the next three shots bounced off the rim, one nearly missing to the right entirely. With the stat sheet reading 3-for-6, Enfield had seen enough.

That's when he went to work.

First, he offered some minor adjustments with my grip and release point, moving me closer to the basket to practice the revised form. Next, Enfield simply watched me practice the same as he does NBA stars, FSU players and all the high school and middle school players he helps.

He also explained some of the proper techniques to help me understand some of the adjustments he suggested.

"Great shooters can make the ball go straight, meaning the ball goes toward the middle of the basket," Enfield said. "If the ball is all over the rim, that means there is generally a technique issue. I try to get each player as close to that perfect shooting technique as possible."

Enfield developed his near-perfect shooting form during Shippensburg (Pa.) High practices while he was growing up. His father, William Enfield, was Shippensburg's coach. Long before Andy played for his father in ninth grade, he tagged along to nearly every practice.

As the Greyhounds raced up and down the court at practice, Andy shot baskets from close range on the goals to the side of the main court. His father had one rule.

"I couldn't let the ball bounce out on the court," Enfield said. "He would stop practice and yell at me if that happened. I spent hours practicing my form."

Enfield eventually developed such a perfect technique that even if he missed, he knew the ball would bounce straight back to him. Since his days shooting at Shippensburg, Enfield has spent four seasons as an NBA assistant (Boston and Milwaukee) and started a consulting business called All Net Basketball. As part of his side project, Enfield travels around in the offseason teaching the perfect free-throw shooting techniques.

"Not everyone is going to have a perfect shooting technique," Enfield said. "You have to evaluate how good a shooter is before you make any adjustments at all. If they have weird form or unusual form, but are still making shots at a high level, I don't touch them. But 99 percent of all great shooters shoot the ball the way I teach it."

Seminoles Getting Results

Enfield joined Seminoles coach Leonard Hamilton's staff last season and immediately raised FSU's shooting percentage, helping the Noles increase their team free-throw percentage 5.4 points in one season. To show their commitment to free-throw shooting, the Noles practice at the line at the start and end of every practice.

Is it working?

Well, FSU leads the nation in free-throw shooting (hitting 80 percent) entering tonight's game at Clemson, and is coming off one of its best shooting performances ever. In Saturday's 81-76 comeback victory against La Salle, FSU hit 30 of 32 free throws, including 25 consecutive to end the game.

"They won the game at the free-throw line," La Salle coach John Giannini said. "That's an amazing percentage they shot. You don't expect them to miss when they're up there."

Hamilton said there is no secret as to why Enfield's addition has paid immediate dividends.

"What Andy has done is correct their form," Hamilton said. "When you shoot the ball correctly, it's a lot easier."

Senior guard Isaiah Swann is Enfield's prized pupil. In his first two seasons at FSU, Swann was a 69.6 percent free-throw shooter. He has made 32 of 33 this season.

"He pretty much changed the alignment with my feet at the line and told me to shoot the same shot every time," Swann said. "That's really all. It worked. It just shows how much he knows."

Dreaming Of A Showdown

As for trying to make a sharpshooter out of that over-the-hill sportswriter, Enfield told his latest student that what he needed to do most was align his shooting elbow with his right foot. He next told him where and how to place his non-shooting hand on the ball, then reminded the chubby fellow to make sure to flick his wrist when releasing the ball.

Of course, old habits die hard, and there were enough misses to prove that notion - at first. But soon, the shots started falling more regularly, a wave of confidence suddenly rushing through Enfield's latest wannabe star. At one point, three consecutive shots dropped through by using the new technique.

Shortly afterward, I baited the shooting guru into a question about Shaquille O'Neal, wondering deep down if he would be favored to beat the Big Clank in a free-throw shooting contest.

"You can't make shots at a high level shooting the ball like Shaq does," Enfield said. "Shaq is one of my favorite players of all time, and I think he is probably the most dominating player to ever play this game, and I really like him as a player and a person. However, his shooting technique is terrible."

Based on that answer, I prepared to leave class with a confident swagger, truly believing if I ever show up at a playground and Shaq happens to be there, I can outduel at least one NBA star from the free-throw line. But to make sure I wasn't dreaming in my baggy shorts, I asked Enfield to imagine that the man standing at the free-throw line was his latest recruit.

Could he turn him into a stellar free-throw shooter?

"I'm impressed. You've made some real improvement," Enfield replied. "You would shoot at least 83 or 84 percent with your hand-eye coordination."

Swish! And I don't think he was lying.

For more information on Andy Enfield and his free-throw shooting camps, go to www.allnetshooting.com

1 Make sure you have good balance, starting with spreading your feet shoulder-width apart. "Balance is important, but it's not what makes great shooters," Enfield said. "It's what you do with your hands and arms that really makes or breaks you as a shooter."

2 Hold the ball properly in your hands, meaning letting the ball rest on the pad of the fingers on your shooting hand, not in the palm.

3 Place your non-shooting hand flat on the side of the ball rather than using your fingertips, which can cause the ball to spin improperly on release.

4 Form a proper L with your arm over the foot under your shooting hand. As you release your shot, make sure to extend your elbow completely and snap your wrist to create proper rotation. The goal is to control the ball at release so you know it will go straight.

5 Practice, practice, practice. "That's the key," Enfield said. "Free-throw shooting is technique first, confidence second. How do you become a confident shooter? You see the ball go in over and over again."

shooting.com. Reporter Scott Carter can be reached at (850) 294-3088 or scarter@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT