Brandan Wright All-Stars: Pac-10

This picture appeared in a "Brandan Wright" image search. Seriously.

Every team has at least one of these players at some point in their history. He's very talented, very athletic, can shoot lights out from the fields, and does almost everything that's asked of him.

The emphasis here is "almost." He has one major flaw: he can't shoot free throws to save his soul. As a fan, you watch him shoot from the stripe, and it invokes the kind of reaction akin to seeing a freshly run-over squirrel:




So this is dedicated to the players who are good at everything but the freebies. The supremely talented men who happen to be the Stripe Sultans of Suck. These...are the Brandan Wright All-Stars of the Pac-10.

A refresher on the BWAS rules... First and foremost, it must be a five-man lineup that one could envision trotting onto the court. That's why we can't just have five big guys make the team. The primary criteria for qualification is for a player's field goal percentage to EXCEED their free throw percentage. A bit of leeway is given to guards, for which finding enough to meet this criteria can be difficult. In those cases, a sub .500 shooting efficiency is enough. In most circumstances, players must also have played at least 10 minutes per game, been healthy for all or most of the year, and have shot enough free throws (10+) for statistical relevance.

On to the Pac-10 squad:

Center: Eric Boateng, Arizona State. Finally! We finally get a Dukie on this roster, albeit a transfer. His field goal efficiency (61.2%) is nearly double his percentage from the line (32.4%).

Forward: Jon Brockman, Washington. A potential All-Conference player, no one can doubt Brockman's abilities. Still, his foul shooting leaves a bit to be desired (53.7%).

Forward: Taj Gibson, USC. Despite his seeming lack of size, Taj is a beast in the paint for the Trojans, grabbing key rebounds, shooting 59.3% from the floor, and getting to the line on a consistent basis. Too bad he doesn't do very well once he gets there; he's a partly 56% from the line.

Guard: LeKendric Longmire, Oregon. Of all the Brandan Wright All-Stars so far this year, LeKendric Longmire has by far the most awesome name. His free throw shooting...not so much (33.3% from the line compared to 46.6% from the field).

Guard: Angelo Johnson, USC. The Trojans have four members of their regular roster with a FT percentage under 60. Among them is Angelo Johnson (50%). Tim Floyd may have to improve his entire team's free throw shooting if he wants the Trojans to make noise during OJ Mayo's likely short time on campus.

Dishonorable mention: Artem Wallace (Washington), Josh Owens (Stanford).