Appalachian State Center throws up worst freethrow attempt ever...

[mikey23545]

In an era of bombastic commentary and breathless hyperbole in sports media, words like "great," "legendary" or "catastrophic" are often thrown around a bit too carelessly.

Still, it may not be overstating things to call this free throw from Appalachian State reserve center Brian Okam the worst ever attempted.

With 11:07 left in the second half of Saturday afternoon's game between the Mountaineers and Western Carolina, Okam attempted the second of two foul shots to try to extend his team's lead to 10. Perhaps the ball slipped out of his hand, but it sailed high in the air and fell in the arms of a teammate about 10 feet short of the rim, leaving the Western Carolina TV analyst calling the game in such shock he aptly exclaimed, "I'm not sure what that was. Good lord."

It's difficult to explain exactly how Okam missed the free throw that badly because he was not asked about it by reporters after the game. A message left for Appalachian State coach Jason Capel on Sunday was not immediately returned.

Okam, a Rutgers transfer averaging 2.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per game, seldom reaches the foul line. Prior to going 1 of 4 on free throws against Western Carolina, he was just 3 of 5 from the foul line in his two-year Appalachian State career.

About the only missed free throw in recent memory that rivals Okam's comical blunder was one attempted by Kansas sharpshooter Brady Morningstar against Texas late in the 2009-10 season. An off-balance Morningstar double-clutched his foul shot while tripping forward into the paint, essentially the basketball equivalent of a bad toss on a tennis serve.

"I looked pretty stupid there," Morningstar said after that game. "We laughed about it in the locker room just now."

It was probably harder for Okam to laugh about his gaffe. The miss sparked the late run that propelled Western Carolina to a 70-64 victory.






http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaab-...74--ncaab.html

[Saul Good]

Originally Posted by Baby Lee

In HS our punter had SEVERAL punts that went backwards. Sometimes he just kicked it high and the wind caught it, but sometimes he just flat kicked it over his shoulder.

That punter? coached by none other than Gregg Williams.

You from Belton?

[Baby Lee]

Originally Posted by Saul Good

You from Belton?

Go Pirates!!

[teedubya]

Brady Morningstar had a horrific one a couple of years ago...

[AdumbGuy]

Originally Posted by FAX

Can somebody explain that to me?

How is it possible that a guy who is playing professional basketball cannot develop a half-way decent free throw technique? I don't understand this one bit. I mean, your job in life is to fling the round ball into the hoop. That's it. Well ... and play some defense, maybe. But that's it. How in the name of Mr. Iowanian's handmade, knitted, woolen penis warmer is it possible to have such a bad technique? I don't get it.

FAX

It's obviously not a perfect analogy, but it's akin to saying why don't all punters have excellent tackling technique. FTs are a fairly small part of basketball. You wouldn't cut an expert punter because he's a crappy tackler in the same way you wouldn't bench Shaq because his free throw shooting sucks.

Virtually everything else in hoops is done in motion (when was the last time you saw somebody take a shot without jumping in a game) so shooting free throws isn't really like anything else you would do in a game. Most of these guys probably shoot 80% in practice but it's quite a bit different when the whole arena stops just to watch them shoot.

Finally, some guys, especially bigger guys, simply don't have the physical ability to shoot free throws well. Ben Wallace, a notoriously hard worker, actually had pretty good form, he just couldn't make free throws. It'd be like expecting your linemen (or in our case, our qb) to throw a perfectly spiraled football, accurately, three or four times in a game.

[NJChiefsFan]

I think there is a psychological thing going on as well. Not as bad as it gets in golf but it can still happen. The bigger your hands are, the tougher to have touch. Controlling the ball with your finger tips is especially apparent on free throw attempts.

[Stewie]

Chuck Hayes' free throw technique reminds me of Charles Barkley's golf swing. He fought the hesitation for a long time and it's completely mental.

[lcarus]

That didn't even look like it slipped out of his hand or anything. He just severely undershot it worse than anyone ever has lol.

[Demonpenz]

Shawn Marions jumpshot.