Struggling With Free Throws, Wofford Center Resorts To Shooting Them ‘Granny Style’

Published•Updated
Ben Joyce on Throwing 105 MPH, MLB Adjustments, and Faith in Baseball
On the latest Trey Wallace Podcast, Los Angeles Angels pitcher Ben Joyce joins the show. The paid get into a number of topics, including Joyce throwing the fastest pitch in MLB History. Angels signing Kenley Jansen as the lead closer, and how Ben handled that signing. How does he feel about the ‘Torpedo Bats’ in baseball right now? Does he actually care? Making the transition from playing in the SEC to moving up to Major League Baseball. Also, who is the most interesting batter he’s faced so far in his career? How has Ben Joyce embraced his faith and not shied away from it, as others use their platform to praise God. This, and much more in the latest podcast.
0 seconds of 21 minutes, 48 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
Next Up
Fergie Jenkns On The STRUGGLES Of Playing At Wrigley Field | The Ricky Cobb Show
01:23
00:00
21:48
21:48
 

Kyler Filewich has struggled with free throws his entire career. But the Wofford big man might have finally come up with a solution.

And when we say he's "struggled," that's putting it mildly. Filewich shot 47% from the charity stripe during his first two college seasons at Southern Illinois. In his three seasons at Wofford, though, he's steadily gotten worse, going from 40.7% his first year with the program to 31.6% last season and then to 31.2% this year.

So with nothing to lose at this point, Filewich is trying a new method: shooting his foul shots "granny style."

WATCH: 

Although it's pretty funny to see a 6-foot-9, 250-pound athlete shooting the ball underhand, it's not completely unheard of. Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Barry was famous for his underhanded free throws, and even the legendary Wilt Chamberlain was known to throw up the occasional granny shot in his day.

A recent ESPN broadcast detailed how Filewich recently got in touch with Barry, who is now 80 years old, for tips on how to improve his touch.

Is it working, though? Right now, the sample size is too small to tell.

While he did go 1-for-2 against Chattanooga and was 0-for-4 vs. Mercer, Filewich has made more than 60% of his attempts in the last 2 games. In a win over The Citadel, Filewich was 4-for-6, which is good for a 66.7% rate from the foul line. 

He followed up that performance by making 6-of-10 tries during Saturday’s game against Samford. Wofford lost that game, 76-68, but it marked a career-high for Filewich in free-throws made in a single game. So things could be looking up!

Struggling With Free Throws, Wofford Center Resorts To Shooting Them ‘Granny Style’

If all else fails, shoot it "granny style."

(Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Wofford Terriers are 14-13 this season and currently sit in fifth place in the Southern Conference.