Syracuse Basketball: Top 3 free throw shooters in Jim Boeheim-era history

Our hoops guru gives his take on the best Syracuse basketball free throw shooters under head coach Jim Boeheim.

Leading up to the 2021-22 Syracuse basketball campaign, it’s a good time for a 10-part series highlighting the best of the Boeheim-Era (1976-present).

I’ll give my takes, ranking the “Top 3” in many categories, from best free throw shooters to most exciting on a fast break. From top games in the Dome, to top games in the NCAA tourney and everything in between.

I was 7-years-old in 1976 when Jim Boeheim became head coach, and if I haven’t watched (or listened on the radio) intently to every single Syracuse basketball game since then, then it’s close to 98%.

Statistical facts in each Top 3 are fueled by the awesome OrangeHoops.org web site.

Part 1: Top 3 Triple-Doubles.

Today, Part 2: My Top 3 Free Throw Shooters:

Fairly or unfairly, Syracuse basketball has been branded as a poor free-throw shooting team for much of Boeheim’s tenure. Sure, there have been some memorably sad moments and games from the line, and some players that wrestled with 50% from the charity stripe. But there have also been flashes of greatness and players who you could always count on to hit nothing but net.

1. Gerry McNamara, 2003-2006. G-Mac was 435-490 from the line for his four years, 88.78%.

McNamara shot over 90% twice in one full season (his freshman and senior years), which are the two best single-season marks in Boeheim-era history.

Gerry is not only the best free-throw shooter in Syracuse history, he’s one of the top 20 in all of NCAA basketball since 1992.

We know he’s a great shooter in general, after all, he also has the most 3-pointers in Orange history with 400. But free-throw shooting is as much about performing in the clutch (another one of G-Mac’s traits).

Other than Boeheim himself, does anyone bleed Orange like G-Mac? He was a spectacular player and fighter on the court with many game-winning shots, and set a record for threes in the first half of the NCAA championship game as the ‘Cuse won its lone National Championship in 2003 when he was a Freshman.

He’s been a Syracuse basketball assistant coach since 2011.

I had the opportunity to meet McNamara during the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas in 2015, and introduce him to my son who was 12 at the time. I told Gerry that my son was born in 2003. G-Mac replied, “Good year.”

As sure as McNamara was from the line.

2. Tyus Battle, 2017-2019. Battle went 370-461 from the line in his three years in Orange, for 80.26%.

You probably don’t really remember Tyus as a classic high-percentage free throw shooter, because of his slashing style and other talents, but in his sophomore year, he was an awesome 167-199 for 83.9%.

And among the top 30 Boeheim-era free throw shooters by percentage, other than G-Mac, Battle made the most free throws (370) and did it in just three years. In short, that means he got to the line often and he cashed the freebies in.

3. Joe Girard III, 2020-21. So far, Girard is 123-144, at 85.41%.

In Joey G’s freshman year, he was an incredible 84-94 for an 89.4% percentage, and it really was completely shocking if he ever missed.

He came to the ‘Cuse with that reputation of being a great shooter and scorer, averaging 50 points a game in high school.

Girard’s sophomore year was weird, with Covid-19 knocking everybody off-center a little bit, and he was “only” 39-for-50 from the line.

Still, though, each time he misses, it’s a shock. And, I suspect his free throw shooting percentage the next two years from the line will be stunning.

Others of note, with strong arguments any could have been in the Top 3:

– Danny Schayes, 1978-81. The center was 315-for-391, 80.56% in his career.

As a senior at Syracuse, when he finally got a chance to start every game, he was 166-202 for 82.2%.

Then in an 18-year career in the NBA, he was 2,788 for 3,461 from the free-throw line, for that same 80.6%.

The son of NBA Hall of Famer Dolph Schayes of the Syracuse Nats, Danny had unusual pressure to perform and then found himself playing behind Roosevelt Bouie for three years. But he was so fundamentally sound, he did everything right: rebounding, passing, shooting and free-throw shooting, which he parlayed into that long NBA career.

– Who could forget John Gillon’s one season at SU, 2017, when he was 93-108 from the line for 86.11%, including a streak of 48 consecutive free throws made, which set a Syracuse record.

– Last year, Alan Griffin was an underrated 52-for-58 from the line for 89.7%, in his one season in Orange.

– Others who were money at the line during the Boeheim-era, include Marty Headd, Tyler Lydon, Andrew White III and Marius Janulis, all better than 80% from the line for their Orange careers.

Next time: Top 3 Most Exciting Players on a Fast Break.