Watkins finding success at free-throw line

By Chuck Walsh

Seminoles.com

A perfect 11 of 11 against Wake Forest. 

A near-perfect 11 of 12 against Virginia.

A perfect six of six in the second half and nine of 12 overall on the road at Syracuse. 

Nine of 11 at Virginia Tech and eight of 10 at Louisville.

You couldn’t ask much more from Florida State’s junior Jamir Watkins when he steps up to the free throw line this season.

He enters Saturday’s game against Duke ranked second in the ACC and 44th nationally with 113 free throws made. Watkins finished with 15 points to lead FSU’s scoring. He also set a career-high with four blocked shots.

As the Seminoles’ leading scorer, Watkins has scored nearly one-third of his career-high 348 points from the free throw line.

Watkins is ranked 11th in the ACC in conference games only statistics with a .829 free throw shooting percentage and 14th in the ACC with his career-high .796 success rate. He has made at least five free throws in 10 games and at least 11 free throws in three games. Watkins became just the third player in school history in an ACC to finish a game perfect from the line on at least 11 free throws against Wake Forest.

During his current career-best 10-game, double-figure scoring streak, he is averaging 17.1 points and shooting .824 from the line (61 of 74).

So, what’s his secret to getting to the line and even more importantly, to making nearly five free throws each game this season for the Seminoles? Last Saturday was the exception when Watkins missed the one attempt he made from the line.

“Coming into this season, I wanted to get to the free throw line more often and make more free throws,” said Watkins who transferred from VCU to begin the 2023-24 season. “Getting to the free throw line opens up the game for me. Instead of taking a quick 3-point shot, or driving for a contested lay-up, getting to the line, and seeing the ball go through the basket early in the game helps me take better shots for the rest of the game.”

Seeing the ball go into the basket early is certainly something Watkins has realized this season. He is nearly 80 percent from the free throw in the first halves of Florida State’s 25 games this season. He has scored in double-figures in the first half of six games including against Virginia Tech when he totaled his first-half season-high of 13 points.

During his current scoring streak, Watkins has been in double figures four times before intermission. He is shooting .857 percent from the free throw line (24 of 28) and has made 15 of his last 16 (.938) first half free throws.

Watkins knows exactly why his improvement from the free throw line has helped him become a more all-around player this season: It’s been his dedication and desire to make free throw shooting an important part of his overall game.

He shot .729 from the free throw line during his two-year career at VCU. He is shooting nearly seven percentage points better and has made nearly as many free throws this season (113) as he did in his first two collegiate seasons combined (124).

Watkins says shooting countless free throws each day with his dad before arriving in Tallahassee last summer has led to his overall improvement from the free throw line. It’s a practice he continued throughout the season.

In addition to working to perfect his free throw shooting touch with more practice free throw shots than he can count, Watkins’ free throw shooting style is simple.

“I step up to the line, receive the basketball from the referee, take two bounces and don’t think of anything,” said Watkins. “I have found that not only simplifying, but being consistent in my approach, has really helped me become a better free throw shooter. The most important part of my approach is that I don’t think any anything except watching the ball go through the basket.”

Watkins’ new-found ability to focus on just the basketball and the basket on his free throws, has enabled him become an improved free throw shooter.

“It doesn’t matter if the fans are loud like they were at Virginia Tech, or if they are quiet like in some of the arenas we play in during the season,” said Watkins. “I have taught myself to focus. I don’t really hear the crowd noise when I shoot a free throw.”