Notes: Humrichous gets his shot back on track

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Jan. 3—EUGENE, Ore. — The message hasn’t changed from Brad Underwood to Ben Humrichous in the last several weeks. It’s been the same “Keep shooting.”

What Humrichous did Thursday night against Oregon was proof why you don’t stop. The veteran Illinois forward, who had made just a single three-pointer in six of his last seven games, shot 4 of 7 from deep in the Illini’s 109-77 win against the Ducks.

“You stay confident,” Humrichous said about his approach. The 6-foot-9 Evansville transfer shot 43 percent from three-point range in the first seven games of the season and then 20 percent in the next five before getting back on track against Oregon.

“You stay committed to your process and keep praying up to the Lord,” Humrichous continued. “That’s what I do, I shoot. It’s fun when it goes in, and it’s fun when it doesn’t. (Thursday) was fun.”

Humrichous’ history is why Underwood kept telling him to get shots up even when they weren’t falling all that often. He made 114 total three-pointers in his final two seasons at NAIA Huntington (Ind.) University and then shot 41.4 percent from beyond the arc last season with the Purple Aces.

“It’s so hard to change programs and find comfort right away,” Underwood said. “Marcus Domask last year first semester wasn’t great. It was the Northwestern game at home that kind of got him going. It just takes. (Humrichous) is very cerebral. He’s a perfectionist and wants to be perfect all the time — maybe to a fault — but I think it’s just now comfort. He was a guy that’s found a good rhythm.”

Part of finding that rhythm was trying to get shots to fall inside the three-point line, too. Humrichous’ first bucket against Oregon came on a mid-post fadeaway. He also put pressure on the rim with an emphatic, one-handed dunk in the first half of Thursday’s game.

“It’s not something we talk about a ton in the room — about me getting on the rim like that — but it was a ton of fun,” Humrichous said. “Seeing the ball go in closer to the rim can help with…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/notes-humrichous-gets-shot-back-154700996.html

Author : The News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.

Publish date : 2025-01-03 15:47:00

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