Calipari: Practice Does Not Make Perfect

Michael Bamberger

April 13, 1998

There's a school of thought among NBA coaches that too much discussion of free throws and too much practice increases pressure and worsens free throw shooting. John Calipari, coach of the Nets and a .730 free throw shooter in college, typifies this view. "You can't practice everything, there's not enough time," he says. "If we play great defensively, the free throws take care of themselves. The only thing I pay attention to with free throws is what a guy does in the final four minutes of a game. If you can improve players' self-esteem and confidence, get them to relax, teach visualization and routine, they will shoot as well, or better, with the pressure on."