Bradley is almost automatic at the line
Braden Norris apologized to Hilliard Bradley teammates Isaiah Speelman and Matt Allocco for not holding up his end of the bargain at the free-throw line this season.
“I’ve been pretty inconsistent,” deadpanned the junior point guard.
Norris has made 49 of 58 foul shots, good for 84.5 percent. Still, he trails Allocco (44 of 48, 91.7 percent) and Speelman (61 of 70, 87.1 percent) and is only marginally above the team’s astonishing 82.8 percent clip.
The Jaguars’ dead-eye foul shooting has been a key factor in their 13-1 record.
“We don’t show the guys our stat sheet, so the only way they would know for sure is by reading the leaders in the paper each week,” coach Brett Norris said.
Allocco ranks No. 1 in the area in free-throw accuracy, with Speelman third and
Norris fourth.
“Nobody really talks about it that much,” said Braden Norris, the coach’s son. “Matt likes to talk a little trash about it sometimes when somebody misses one. We don’t have any specific goals, but you definitely want to be above 85 percent.”
According to WinningHoops.com, high school players shoot on average 65 percent at the line, and that figure rises to 69 percent in college and 72 percent in the NBA. Bradley’s opponents, by contrast, are shooting 62 percent, and subsequently have scored 88 fewer points at the line.
“Our free-throw shooting definitely has
given us a huge advantage,” Brett Norris said. “I see other teams struggle a lot at the line, and I like to think that it’s an area of the game we can have some control over. I don’t pretend to have any magical formula. It’s more a byproduct of what we do as a program and an investment level on each of the kids’ behalf.”
Bradley, which uses an open-post offense with four guards, also shoots 48 percent from the field, which is exceptional considering it is shooting 43.2 percent beyond the three-point arc. Norris, Speelman and Allocco have combined to make 104 of 234 (44.4 percent) of their three-point shots.
“I don’t think we spend any more time in practice shooting free throws than anyone
else,” Brett Norris said, “but we like to replicate game-night situations when we do. It’s not a matter of me being oldschool. It’s all about the individual work the kids put in during their free time.”
Speelman said it’s not uncommon for him to take 100 or 200 consecutive foul shots as part of an offseason workout.
“My dad always told me when I was younger that when you go to the free-throw line, you’ve got to make them,” he said. “He said that they’re free points. That always stuck with me.”
Allocco’s father, Gregg, is a Bradley assistant. A noted gym rat, Matt has tagged along with his father and shot on the side since he was a tyke.
“A lot of days, I go to the gym by myself and shoot for hours,” said Allocco, a freshman guard. “I’m not sure how many players do that sort of thing anymore.”
Speelman, a junior forward, leads the Jaguars in scoring (19.8 points per game), followed by Norris (16.3) and Allocco (13.0). Bradley is outscoring its opponents by an average margin of 58.5 to 38.1.
“We’re not as big or athletic as most teams, so a lot of what we do is predicated on setting screens, executing our offense and getting open perimeter shots,” Brett Norris said. “The same holds true in getting to the line a lot and converting when we get there.”