ISU’s Maya Wong makes free throws easy thanks to tip she got at Normal Community

NORMAL, Ill. (WMBD/WYZZ) — They say free throws are supposed to be easy.

For many players, free throws are an adventure. Not for Maya Wong.

“They are free and wide open,” Wong said. “I figure I might as well make them.”

Making free throws is something the fifth-year Illinois State senior is very good at. It seems to come naturally.

While some players shoot hundreds of foul shots daily over the summer to improve their shooting percentage, Wong doesn’t have to.

“At most 50,” Wong said about the number of free throws she may shoot in a day. “What I usually try to do is shoot and see how many I can hit in a row.”

Wong made 46 straight free throws during the 2022-23 season at ISU. She went seven games without a miss from the line this past season.

“When I shoot free throws I’m very intentional to not hit the rim, get as many swishes as possible,” said Wong about her practice plan. “It’s not anything crazy.”

Her strategy works. She has never shot below 83 percent from the foul line in her Redbird career and she was 74 of 79 (93.7%) her junior year.

Wong says she became a good free throw shooter her freshman season at Normal Community High School when she watched one of her teammate’s free throw routine.

“One of my friends, Kylee Schneringer, always was one dribble and then she’d shoot. Then I tried it and I never went back,” said Wong.

The Redbird point guard says she used to “dribble four or five times before shooting.” Now she’s much quicker at the line.

“One dribble and shoot. It’s the same shot every time. I know the team trusts me and I don’t want to let them down,” Wong said. “They are not asking me to shoot a halfcourt buzzer beater.”

Wong often cashes in at the free throw line late in games when she tends to have basketball in her hands.

“What a blessing to have your point guard as one of the best free throw shooters in the country,” said ISU coach Kristen Gillespie. “For Maya, it’s very routine-driven. You’re surprised when she doesn’t make it.”

Wong says she’d like to make all her free throws but says she has a realistic goal of making 90 percent of her foul shots this upcoming season.

“It’s kind of my job and something I like to be good at,” Wong said. “I take pride in it. That’s all.”

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