Trae Golden
Trae Golden stepped to the free-throw line with 7.2 seconds left in the game and Tennessee up by two points.
The opposing coach, an intimidating figure, was glaring.
Golden calmly swished both and the Vols were off to the finals of last season's preseason NIT in Madison Square Garden.
The opposing coach, Cuonzo Martin, would say after Missouri State's 60-56 loss on Nov. 17, 2010 at Thompson-Boling Arena, that "it was one of those games that was a mental toughness type of game.''
A little over a year later, Martin has shown Golden another level of mental toughness, and the sophomore point guard has responded, finishing the season as the SEC's leading free-throw shooter at 85.6 percent (104 of 121).
Golden has made 31 of his past 32 free throws, and 17 in a row heading into the SEC tournament in New Orleans, where the Vols (18-13, 10-6 SEC) play on Friday (TV: WVLT, 7:30 p.m.) against the winner of Thursday's game between Ole Miss (18-12, 8-8) and Auburn (15-15, 5-11).
Golden's approach at the free-throw line remains the same now as his freshman campaign, when he finished 33 of 40 from the line (82.5 percent) despite the Missouri State game being his only start.
There's no pressure when the sophomore point guard goes to the line; only memories.
"I think back to shooting free throws with my dad growing up,'' Golden said. "Every night he'd get home at 5, and we'd be out in the driveway shooting until it got dark and my mom called us in.''
Robert Golden, a retired school administrator and principal, had just one rule for his son, who began shooting sessions with his father when he was 4 years old.
"He'd make me make 10 free throws in a row before we could leave,'' Golden disclosed in an interview after his clutch free throws sank Martin and Missouri State. "I was only 4 or 5
(years old), and I remember I used to cry when I couldn't make them.''
Golden's father laughed recalling the years he spent in the driveway and on the AAU travel circuit grooming his son to be a college basketball player.
"Yes, at that age he had to make 10 in a row before we would go inside,'' Robert Golden said. "We stepped it up to 20 and then 25, as Trae got older. I offered a few tips and strategies, but instinctively, Trae had grabbed the basics of how to shoot, how to get the ball to rotate, how to set his feet and the follow through.''
The instincts might have come from his mother, Carolyn, who before her teaching days played on a Division II national championship team at what's now the University of West Georgia.
Or maybe it was Golden's determination after losing pickup games to his big sister, Ryan, who was 8 years older. She turned down basketball scholarship offers en route to getting a degree from Georgia Tech.
Robert Golden remembers thinking his son might have a free-throw knack when Trae hit 22 of 26 as a seventh grader playing AAU for the Georgia Blue in downtown Atlanta.
Robert Golden was still helping coach his son then; the next season Trae was recruited to the elite Atlanta Celtics AAU club, which produced NBA stars Dwight Howard and Josh Smith.
Golden soared in the recruiting rankings, starring with the Celtics while earning first-team all-state honors at McEachern High School in the Atlanta suburb of Powder Springs.
The No. 55-ranked recruit in the nation by Rivals.com, Golden's first verbal commitment was to Ohio State.
But shortly before current Buckeyes point guard Aaron Craft de-committed from the Vols, Golden decided not to attend his father's alma mater.
"Coach (Thad) Matta still had a scholarship there for Trae,'' Robert Golden said.
"But Trae wanted to reconsider. He had offers from Northwestern, Virginia, Virginia Tech, Georgia and Florida and Louisville had talked to him.''
After Craft bailed on the Vols, the previous UT staff jumped on Golden. Former Vols coach Bruce Pearl offered him a scholarship over current Alabama point guard Trevor Releford, who had a visit scheduled the week after Golden picked UT.
There were times earlier this season when Golden's fan support wavered, but Martin wisely stuck with him and it has led to the Vols finishing second in the SEC.
Golden's current string of free-throw makes includes a 5-for-5 performance in last Wednesday's overtime win at LSU, and a clutch 4-for-4 effort at the line in the final 30 seconds to seal Saturday's win over Vanderbilt.
"It's tough to get beat,'' Martin said, "when you can make free throws down the stretch like we did.''
Mike Griffith covers Tennessee men's basketball. Follow him at http://twitter.com/MikeGriffith32
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Comments » 14
GreeneVol writes:
In addition to having the great free throw proficiency, Trae really is starting to blossom into that 'special' player that Coach Martin believes he can be. Although he still can get reckless with the ball and force things especially on the break, he is getting smarter as the season goes on and turning it over less. Glad things worked out the way they did and he's a Vol!
Razzle writes:
Proud of you Trae. Proud of all the Vols. You've made this a special season. And it ain't over yet.
Dalton writes:
When your primary ballhandler is a closer at the free throw line, it's such an advantage and one that the Vols haven't had in the past few years....CCM'S faith in Golden from the start of the season is part...a big part...of the recent success. Not many fans can say that they had faith in this point guard...I didn't...but good coaches make these kind of decisions. I had a blind faith that Coach Martin was going to show the leadership and control of the program that preeminent coaches display...after those losses to smaller programs it was hard to keep faith but I think Mike Hamilton did it right on his way out and Golden and Maymon should have him on their Christmas card list.
carbonzip writes:
It was a real load to get the ball up the court under pressure and get it moving to teammates who have all stepped up. Great defense by Trae, too. Kudos to Martin's staff for bringing these guy along.
tnvol4ever writes:
Is it just me or does he shoot the ball from over his head? Seems a little unorthodox but very effective. Keep up the good work son. Go Vols!!!
johnlg00 writes:
Well said. Trae was fortunate to have a father who taught him the right way to play and behave. He was also fortunate to have a driveway goal where he could practice enough by himself to groove that stroke. I really think that is the reason why so many kids these days DON'T have such a reliable stroke. If you grow up in apartment complexes with just a court or two for dozens and scores of guys wanting to play at all hours of the day and night, you just don't have the opportunity to work by yourself for the countless hours EVERYBODY needs to hone that skill. As for the comment on his "unorthodox" style, when you find something that works, you stick with it. Besides, the only thing different from every other great free-throw shooter I have seen is that he maybe takes the ball a fraction farther back over his head, but it is still right over his shooting eye, his elbow is still pointed right down the proper line, and he releases the ball at the same point in his stroke. As long as those things are consistent, anything else is just details.
VolunteerLifer writes:
What's impressive is how he has grown as a player and as a point guard. much has been written on these threads at his lack of being a natural at the position. But now that he has his sophomore season under him, he has firmly established himself as the best pg on this team, by far, and the one who will lead us in the future. He has improved tremendously in his defense and his ball handling/distribution/passing skills to go along with his already capable shooting skills. When you consider that he is just a rising junior and we have two more years of him getting better and better, the future looks bright for the Tennessee Volunteers.
wigmeister writes:
Good post!
mocsandvolsfan writes:
Trae has worked harder I think than anyone on this team. That's a little hard to judge 'cause I'm sure Martin makes all work hard. His improvement at point has made us all believers. I'll go so far as to say that if he keeps it up he'll be a pro somewhere at the point position.
He needs to create more but I can see it. even though I'm not a prophet. NOW coach let's get McRae on that future pro list. I think Maymon will at least play overseas? Not for at least a couple years on these guys. Slow measured two year improvements.hehe...well 3 in Stokes case. He would not make the draft now or till the end of his senior year. No way.
orangecountyvols writes:
Vols, and VolunteerLifer,
Very well said. The future certainly looks very bright, doesn't it? The team was written off early on, and they have hung in there and surprised a lot of people with their dedication to what CCM has asked them to do.
Throw in an 18 year old who played high school ball a year ago, Tatum closing out his collegiate career with great effort, McBee actually becoming
someone to be reckoned with on defense, as well as the rest of the team supporting each other...
well, that has resulted in a very successful season regardless of how it plays out from now on.
The future really does look very promising, IMHO.
atributetoLombardiwasbanned writes:
"it is still right over his shooting eye, his elbow is still pointed right down the proper line, and he releases the ball at the same point in his stroke. As long as those things are consistent, anything else is just details."
I love your posts and always look forward to reading your insights.
But in this case, you may be "over thinkin' it"
Look at the picture.
Trae's OBVIOUSLY just "holdin' his mouth right". :)
mocsandvolsfan writes:
Don't make fun of John now. I come on this silly site to read his posts and a few others....ok I read them all. but John can tell you in detail what's happening and people like us can still understand what he said. It's like a modern Bible version or something.
He's a coach who should have been a writer or visa versa?
Seriously John you DO over think things... why I like reading these freethrow type posts I suppose.
atributetoLombardiwasbanned writes:
I agree 100%.
While it's true I was just jokin', I really intended to be making fun of me for my lack of knowledge.
Not at J because he is one of the few posters on here I respect.
mocsandvolsfan writes:
I know. And I was pokin' at John a little bit for my being jealous of his writing ability.
But I just want Friday to be a great day.
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