Chinanu Onuaku follows through on plan to shoot free throws underhand

The granny shot is back in college basketball. Somewhere Rick Barry is smiling.

Louisville big man Chinanu Onuaku had a miserbale freshman season at the foul line a year ago and experimented throughout the summer and in exhibition play with shooting free throws underhand. When the regular season began for the Cardinals on Friday night in a home game against Samford, Onuaku found himself at the line in the first half and he stayed true to his plan, sinking his first free throw of the season in throwback fashion.

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Onuaku shot 46.7 percent from the line as a freshman and coach Rick Pitino is going to need him to be able to stay on the floor late in games, particularly when the Cardinals are ahead and opponents might be fouling. Pitino suggested Onuaku try the underhand approach this summer and the sophomore appears to be making the most of it, despite the fact that he is likely to be heckled by fans and harassed by opponents.

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His teammates might have given him a hard time at first, but if the approach works and helps them win games, it won’t last long. The 6-foot-10 sophomore attempted only 30 free throws last season when former teammate Montrezl Harrell was the primary offensive option in the post for Louisville, but Onuaku is likely to see his free throw opportunities grow this season.

Barry, an NBA Hall of Fame member, shot 90 percent from the line during a 14-year pro career and has been a proponent of struggling free throw shooters using the underhand approach.

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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo