Off The Boards by Jack Scheuer – January 10, 2018 Edition

Off The Boards

By Jack Scheuer

January 10, 2018 Edition

The fact that Joel Embiid is shooting 80%  from the foul line brings up the question of who is the all-time best free throw shooter among the giant centers?  We know that Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Walt Bellamy and Shaquille O’Neal were among the worst, so they are quickly ruled out.  Tim Duncan, Bill Walton, Artis Gilmore, and Nate Thurmond were all in 60% range although Gilmore made 69.8% and Duncan was at 69.6.  Those in the 70’s include Patrick Ewing , Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Robert Parish, Moses Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon and Bob Lanier, who is the leader at 76.7.  Only two of the big boys made over 80% of their foul shots: Bill Laimbeer at 83.7, and the winner, at 84.3, Mike Gminski, who also still holds the Sixers career record for centers at 87.3 %.

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The Holidays are becoming the Royal Family of Basketball: Coming into this week, Aaron, at UCLA , was averaging 19.4 points per game and is leading the team in assists; Jrue was scoring at a 18.2 clip with New Orleans, and in Chicago, Bulls guard Justin was putting up 13.6 a game.

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Trivia Time: Who is the Big 10’s all-time leading scorer? Answer at the end of the column.

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Justin Tillman, VCU’s talented  senior forward, must have been talking to shooting guru Herb Magee.  In 3 previous seasons Tillman had not made a 3-point shot, but this year he is 18-for 41 from deep.  Also, a career 63% free throw shooter, he’s at 80% this season.  That’s some improvement.

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This and That :  Guard Andrew Dakich, son of the shy, low key TV analyst  Dan, is getting minutes at Ohio State after transferring from Michigan….Iowa freshman guard Connor McCaffrey, who had been red-shirted, is now playing for the Hawkeyes. His coach is dad Fran; his uncle is sports writer Jack…. Deandre Hunter, a 6-7 freshman from Friends Central, is a big part of streaking Virginia’s rise to # 3. The Cavs only loss was at West Virginia…. And finally, a nit-picking complaint : Why do people keep saying “he made the old fashioned 3-point play,” when a player scores and makes a free throw ?  It’s not the old fashioned play, it’s the only 3-point play, and shouldn’t  be confused with a 3-point shot.

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Answer to Trivia Time: Indiana’s Calbert Chaeney scored 2,613 points.