Louisville's Chinanu Onuaku is shooting underhand free throws

by
Mark Konezny / USA TODAY Sports

Chinanu Onuaku is definitely not concerned about style points in the offseason.

While competing for a roster spot on the Under-19 USA Basketball team, the Louisville sophomore forward/center is shooting his free throws underhand, or "granny style," according to the Colorado Springs Gazette's Aaron Reiss.

The 6-foot-10, 230-pound big man has a method to his madness: he's looking to improve his percentage at the charity stripe.

Onuaku made just 46.7 percent of his free throws last season. And after head coach Rick Pitino showed him a video of NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry shooting underhand with a nearly 90-percent free throw percentage, the then-freshman started practicing the form before his season ended.

Onuaku cannot place a percentage on his free-throw shooting improvement, but he told the Gazette he has improved from his overhand scoring.

If Onuaku lands a U19 roster spot, he'll likely unveil his underhand style at the FIBA U19 World Championships in Greece this summer.

Advertisement