It took Nick Banyard longer than he expected to shake off the rust from not playing in a game for a year. The Illinois State junior forward is confident it won't take the Redbirds as long to get over their free throw troubles.
The 6-foot-8 Banyard has strung together his two best games at ISU after transferring from New Mexico. He tries to make it three straight when the Redbirds (4-6) face Illinois-Chicago (1-6) at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the UIC Pavilion.
Coming off the bench, Banyard averaged 10 points and 6.5 rebounds in a loss to Alabama-Birmingham and Sunday's 63-61 win over Murray State. That comes after averaging 4.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in the first eight games.
"I was getting frustrating with it, but the coaches were on me to trust the process," said Banyard. "It's definitely starting to come around for me."
Banyard said he isn't worried anymore about playing time or making shots. Instead, Banyard is focused on being energetic and positive with his teammates.
He's also not concerned about ISU's free throw percentage of .584, which included a 3-of-12 effort against Murray State. ISU ranks No. 347 out of 351 Division I teams in free throw percentage.
"Honestly, we're thinking way too much about it," said Banyard, who is 3 of 14 at the line. "I just think we're beating ourselves (up). There's not one person on the team that can't shoot free throws. For the most part you see us all hit jump shots."
ISU coach Dan Muller hopes shooting more free throws outside of practice ? especially with plenty of free time now between semesters ? corrects the problem.
What Muller would rather talk about is the impact Banyard has started to make.
"I really think he's focusing on the right things now," said Muller. "That's part of the rust, though, figuring out how to handle game pressure, but also game role and accepting what you're really good at. Right now Nick is playing to his strengths."
This is the start of a four-year deal between ISU and UIC. The Redbirds felt like they were at home the last two years while making a trip north during the nonconference, beating Northwestern in 2013 and DePaul last year.
"We've played well (in Chicago) and a lot of it is the support we've gotten," said Muller. "It's a later game this year on a weeknight, so I'm not sure if it will be similar to what we've had. The main reason we're doing a series with UIC is to continue playing in Chicago when we can."
The 6-foot-8 Banyard has strung together his two best games at ISU after transferring from New Mexico. He tries to make it three straight when the Redbirds (4-6) face Illinois-Chicago (1-6) at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the UIC Pavilion.
Coming off the bench, Banyard averaged 10 points and 6.5 rebounds in a loss to Alabama-Birmingham and Sunday's 63-61 win over Murray State. That comes after averaging 4.0 points and 3.4 rebounds in the first eight games.
"I was getting frustrating with it, but the coaches were on me to trust the process," said Banyard. "It's definitely starting to come around for me."
Banyard said he isn't worried anymore about playing time or making shots. Instead, Banyard is focused on being energetic and positive with his teammates.
He's also not concerned about ISU's free throw percentage of .584, which included a 3-of-12 effort against Murray State. ISU ranks No. 347 out of 351 Division I teams in free throw percentage.
"Honestly, we're thinking way too much about it," said Banyard, who is 3 of 14 at the line. "I just think we're beating ourselves (up). There's not one person on the team that can't shoot free throws. For the most part you see us all hit jump shots."
ISU coach Dan Muller hopes shooting more free throws outside of practice ? especially with plenty of free time now between semesters ? corrects the problem.
What Muller would rather talk about is the impact Banyard has started to make.
"I really think he's focusing on the right things now," said Muller. "That's part of the rust, though, figuring out how to handle game pressure, but also game role and accepting what you're really good at. Right now Nick is playing to his strengths."
This is the start of a four-year deal between ISU and UIC. The Redbirds felt like they were at home the last two years while making a trip north during the nonconference, beating Northwestern in 2013 and DePaul last year.
"We've played well (in Chicago) and a lot of it is the support we've gotten," said Muller. "It's a later game this year on a weeknight, so I'm not sure if it will be similar to what we've had. The main reason we're doing a series with UIC is to continue playing in Chicago when we can."
