This is my line of thinking as well. We keep saying how this team is so young and learning from these close games. But they aren't..we continue to lose the vast majority of them. And I think that is on the coach.

The coach doesn't miss free throws or make lazy cross court passes. The players do. Maybe he is too easy on his players and should give some of them more bench time after screwing up.

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Let's go Braden!

Valid, but isn't a coach supposed to help his players? If they are missing free throws, shouldn't he spend a bit more time in practice on free throw shooting? Shouldn't he teach the team to play better?

And, again, when the team keeps losing close games (for two years!), shouldn't he be teaching them how to overcome?

It's not like these games have been lost on buzzer beaters (necessarily). We've had chances to win at least 3 games on last second free throws and have blown it.

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Cigarboy sucks!

No matter the amount of practice, some people just won't become better FT shooters. And practice won't help them overcome their nerves when shooting at the end of games. Some people can do it, others struggle. I'm sure FT shooting is done every practice though. I don't know any coach that doesn't have players shoot a number of them every day.

I know you guys hate hearing it, but aren't you the 6th youngest team in division 1? It's tough, and WSU went through it as well, but once you get over that hump and learn to win the close ones, it'll grow from there. Upper classmen know how to win and the incoming group learns from them and it builds from there. That's why it's important to keep recruiting up so you have those guys that come through the system and learn it all and become leaders. Be it the guy that'll get in a teammates face or the one that simply leads by example. It all builds off of the other and a program is built.

I have confidence that you guys will get there. You should be dangerous next season and even the rest of this year. As you've said, you've been within striking distance in most of your losses. At some point, it'll come together and you'll start winning more of those than you lose.

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The Roundhouse