Top 10 players with the most free throw attempts in a season ft. Zach Edey
Whistles are a part of March Madness. The Tennessee Volunteers could certainly agree after Purdue's Zach Edey attempted 22 free throws in the Elite Eight today. However, this is not an anomaly for Edey. Zach Edey's 2023-24 season is one of the most prolific in free throw shooting history.
Here's the rundown on the top 10 players with the most free throw attempts in a season.
Top 10 players with the most free throw attempts in a season
10. Pete Maravich, LSU, 1968-69 (378)
It would figure that Maravich, the leading scorer in men's basketball history at 3,667 points, took some free throws. Playing only three seasons in the era before the 3-point shot, Maravich piled up points in other ways. In his junior season at LSU, Maravich scored 44.2 points per game.
Playing in just 26 games (LSU missed the NCAA Tournament), Maravich took 378 free throws. He made 282, for a 74.6% shooting clip.
9. Len Chappell, Wake Forest, 1961-62 (383)
Like Maravich, Chappell did his damages before the shot clock or 3-point shot. The 6 ft. 8 forward led the ACC in scoring in each of his three years of college basketball. As a senior, Chappell scored a whopping 30.1 points per game.
Chappell played in 31 games that season and tried 383 free throws. He connected on 278, for a 72.6% shooting percentage.
8. Oscar Robertson, Cincinnati, 1958-59 (398)
The player called "The Big O" was a pioneer in the art of the triple-double. He also was excellent at getting fouled. Robertson averaged 33.8 ppg in college as well as 15.2 rebounds per game. He led the nation in free throw attempts in each of his three seasons.
In Robertson's junior year, playing in 30 games, he took 398 free throws. Robertson connected on 316 of the shots, good for 79.4%. He remains fourth on the NCAA's career-made free throw list with 869.
7. Wilt Chamberlain, Kansas, 1956-57 (399)
Unlike most of the players on this list, Chamberlain was not a great foul shooter. In an era of post-friendly rules, the 7 ft. 1 "Wilt the Stilt" was unstoppable. So he got fouled plenty, shooting 690 free throws in 48 collegiate games.
In his sophomore season, while averaging 29.6 ppg, Wilt took 399 free throws. He made just 250, for a 62.7% rate, just ahead of his total college record of 61.9%, and well ahead of his NBA mark of 51.1%. He was still virtually unstoppable.
6. Dickie Hemric, Wake Forest, 1954-55 (403)
In four seasons at Wake Forest, Hemric was a free-throw shooting machine. He scored 2,587 points and shot 1,359 total free throws. As a freshman and sophomore, he had poor shooting percentages of 56% and 59%, respectively. However, he significantly improved to 74% and 75%. as an upperclassman.
In his senior season, Hemric took 403 free throws, making 302 (74.9%). His 905 career free throw makes was a record under Tyler Hansbrough broke in 2009.
5. Zach Edey, Purdue, 2023-24 (424 and counting)
Edey is the only player since 1970 to reach this list. The 7 ft. 4 big man has always been a capable shooter, but his attempts have risen from 4.7 per game in 2022 to 7.1 last season to 11.3 this year.
Edey has scored 2,458 career points. This season, he has attempted 424 free throws and has made 301(71.0%). To break the all-time mark for attempts, Edey needs 21 more free throw attempts. He's still 54 shy of the record for makes so that one seems safe.
4. Walter Dukes, Seton Hall, 1952-53 (425)
Dukes played three seasons at Seton Hall and averaged 19.9 ppg and 19.5 rpg. The 6 ft. 11 center went from shooting 48% on free throws as a sophomore to 66% as a junior and 75% as a senior.
In that senior year, Dukes shot 425 free throws in 33 games. He made 317 (74.6%), the fourth-most makes in a single season.
3. Johnny O'Brien, Seattle, 1952-53 (430)
Based on Dukes and O'Brien, it's clear that 1952-53 was a fine time to get fouled. O'Brien was just 5 ft. 9 and was the shortest All-American for decades until Kentucky's Tyler Ulis matched him in 2016. O'Brien scored 1,967 points in two seasons.
In O'Brien's senior season, he took 430 free throws. He made 348, the second most makes in a season, connecting on 80.9% of his shots. O'Brien never played in the NBA, instead playing six seasons of Major League Baseball with the Pirates, Cardinals, and Braves.
2. Pete Maravich, LSU, 1969-70 (436)
Maravich was discussed above. He made 337 of 436 free throws (77.3%) as a senior while scoring 44.5 ppg.
1. Frank Selvy, Furman, 1953-54 (444)
Selvy was an absolute gun at Furman, scoring 41.7 ppg as a senior. He did spend a massive amount of time at the foul line, making 355 of 444 shots (80.0%). That was a record for makes and attempts in a season and Selvy scored 1,209 points in 29 games.
Selvy's record has lasted for 70 years, but Zach Edey could break it in the NCAA championship game next Monday night.