Spartans' Carr Has Taken Big Stride in One Key Area
The No. 7 Michigan State Spartans (18-2, 9-0) have seen one of their most electric stars improve immensely in one key area that held him back last season. Sophomore forward Coen Carr has taken a giant leap in his free throw shooting ability this season, elevating his game to the next level.
Many are becoming well aware of Carr's high-flying ability and dunking prowess that puts him on numerous highlight reels on a weekly basis. The part of his game that has not always been so sharp is his free-throw shooting, but this season has shown how much work Carr has put into that aspect.
After shooting just 56% from the free- throw line as a freshman, Carr only made 28 of 50 total free throws. It was one of the only struggling pieces of his game and has quickly turned it around in less than a year. Carr is delivering at the free throw line this season, shooting 69.8%.
In the past three games, Carr has gone10-13 from the charity stripe, doing a fabulous job of driving to the rim and drawing a foul call. There was a four-game stretch at the start of December where Carr made 14 straight free throws. Roughly 25% of his points this season have come from the charity stripe.
Following last week's victory over Rutgers, Coach Tom Izzo spoke on Carr's game, highlighting the strides he has made at the free throw line. The star sophomore went 4-5 from the line in the win.
“Coen’s defense has probably improved — I mean, his free-throw shooting … has improved from 40% to 80 some," Izzo said. "His shooting has improved a lot, but his rebounding and defense have improved the most, and he's got a live body, and when that body gets going, he did some great things and got open on a break and got that going."
There is a lot to be said about Carr's game and how dynamic he is at any spot on the floor. The free-throw improvements have earned him more playing time, more opportunities to score, and more success as he is quickly turning into a three-level scorer. The Spartans are very lucky to have him.
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