All during the 2018-19 season, Nojel Eastern shot free throws with his left hand. And, he did pretty well. But this season, he is shooting from the charity stripe with his right hand.
Why?
“I am right handed,” said Eastern. “Obviously, everyone goes through something. I just felt it was something I needed to do at that time.
“I was born naturally right-handed. I throw with my right hand. I write with my right hand. I’m actually a right-handed person.”
All four of Eastern’s free throws this season came against Chicago State. And, he missed them all. Last year while shooting with his left hand, Eastern made marked improvement on his free throws. He hit at a 65-percent clip from the charity stripe as a sophomore after he shot just 41 percent as a freshman.
Shooting never has been a strong point for the 6-7, 225-pound Eastern, who is averaging 5.2 points and 3.0 rebounds this season as the Boilermakers head to Destin, Fla., to play in the Emerald Coast Classic, which actually began for Purdue with its 81-49 win vs. Jacksonville State on Saturday. Purdue tips at 9:30 p.m. ET on Friday vs. VCU. The Boilermakers then will face either Tennessee or Florida State on Saturday in Destin.
This event is another opportunity for Purdue to score wins vs. high-major teams. The Boilermakers squandered chances to knock off Texas and Marquette earlier this season. It needs some marquee victories as it looks to augment its NCAA Tournament profile. Hey, it's never too early to be thinking of March Madness.
“This is a resume builder,” said Eastern. “We need to try to continue to build.”
The season has gotten off to a bit of bumpy start for Eastern from a health standpoint. As the campaign began, Eastern dealt with a foot injury that kept him out of the exhibition game vs. Southern Indiana. He then left the Green Bay game with a wrist injury. But he’s feeling good now. Next up: honing his jumper.
No doubt, Purdue’s cause would be enhance by better shooting by Eastern. He knows it. He worked to improve his shot in the offseason. Eastern connected on 48 percent of his shots as a freshman and 49 as a sophomore. His 3-point shooting has been off the mark, too. In fact, Eastern hasn’t hit a 3-pointer since his freshman season, when he connected on 3-of-9. This season, Eastern is hitting 42 percent of his shots (13-of-31). And he is 0-of-1 from 3-point range.
“It’s just a confidence thing,” said Eastern. “I work on it in practice. I still just have to be a lot more aggressive. I’ve been working on it. Coach has been continuing to give me tips on consistency and stuff like that. It’s just a confidence thing.”
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