Practice shot without the ball, receive the ball from the referee, three right-handed dribbles, spin the ball into his left hand slightly, a few knee bends and release.
This is ASU junior forward Obinna Oleka’s free throw routine. The same one that has made him one of the most prolific from the charity stripe in the Pac-12 this season.
He currently sits fourth in the conference in free throw shooting percentage at 81 percent, just four points behind league leader Bryce Alford. If he somehow makes up that ground, he would be the first Sun Devil to lead the conference in free throw shooting percentage in over 25 years.
“He looks real relaxed there and comfortable,” ASU head coach Bobby Hurley said. “He’s not in his own head, he’s been making them and he expects to make them.
In the 20 games Oleka has shot at least one free throw, he’s perfect from the line in nine of them. He’s 64 for 79 on the season but has perfected his technique in conference play where he’s 38 of 41 and has made his last 24 free throws.
It wasn’t always this way. In his freshman year at State College of Florida in 2012-13, he hit just 49 of 80 free throws. The offseason allowed for a change in mentality.
“It was just about confidence,” Oleka said.
The following year he was 32 of 37 from the line and has recently stepped up his game for ASU as well.
Oleka has quietly put together eight straight games of double-digit points. His ability to knock them down from the line comes with an increase in aggressiveness too, taking 10 shots in four of his last six games, something he only did twice in out of conference play.
More impressive about his free throw shooting is that he’s better in front of opposing fans in hostile atmospheres, making 87 percent of his free throws on the road and 79 percent at home.
“He’s a confident player,” sophomore point guard Kodi Justice said. “He doesn’t let the crowd or the moment get to him. He just steps up, hits a free throw and he’s onto the next play.”
So how many free throws does Oleka take in any given day? Week? He doesn’t know but he was the last one off the floor on Wednesday after practice and remains a perfect 10 of 10 from the line in the month of February.
“It’s just about not getting distracted by the crowd and getting into the gym,” he said. “When I do it, I try and make sure I make them all.”
Even after his impressive stretch, Oleka still doesn’t feel as if he’s fully got his confidence back playing at the higher speed of the Division I level. He has certainly found his rhythm at the line but hopes more consistency going forward can help ASU turn some close losses into wins.
“Once that comes back fully I really feel like I’ve got a good chance of being a good player here and to help this team win some more games,” Oleka said.
