Every time Julian Reese shot a basketball the summer after his freshman year, he missed short and couldn’t get the ball over the rim.

The adjustments Reese made to try to fix that issue threw everything off, creating a hitch in his shot. Whenever he brought the ball up to shoot a free throw, he’d hesitate and shift the ball to the side before continuing his upward motion.

Reese, who said his struggles were 70 percent mental, often rolled his eyes and let out deep sighs after misses. He would try to change something mid-game after missing, but no matter what he did, the hitch was still there.

But the senior big man has gotten out of his head after tweaking his form this offseason. He made 55.4 percent of his free throws throughout his sophomore and junior seasons — that mark is up to 75 percent this year.

The Baltimore native turned one of his biggest weaknesses into a potential strength.

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Reese said fixing his form was one of his biggest priorities ahead of the season. His hitch is gone now and so are his mid-game adjustments, as he found a stroke he’s comfortable with.

“My freshman year I had more of a push shot, now it’s kind of a set shot … just more compact as I gained a little bit of muscle,” Reese said. “I just learned how to adjust to it.”

Reese made 10 of his 12 free throws in Maryland’s 96-58 win over Alcorn State on Sunday, marking season-highs in free throws made and attempted.

Teams may not have been intentionally fouling Reese the last two years, but he knows they weren’t upset to send him to the line either. The senior thinks that won’t be the case if he can continue improving his current percentage, potentially changing how teams have to guard him.

“He’s done a good job of understanding that was a big weakness for him,” coach Kevin Willard said. “He worked hard this summer, and he’s got a lot of confidence in the shot right now.”

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Reese’s current percentage would’ve made him average about one more point per game last year. For a team that lost six games by three or less points, Reese’s improvements from the line could’ve changed that. He shot 16-for-33 from the line in those contests.

Reese knew he was leaving points on the table, so morning shootarounds with Willard became routine to change that. Reese said his coach encouraged him to stay consistent and confident when he was often deterred last year. The approach has changed some now — Willard will playfully talk trash to throw him off mentally and prepare him for game situations.

“He will try and make me miss a little bit this year, just trying to make me focus and keep the same shot,” Reese said. “I’ll hit like three in a row, four in a row, and he’ll be like, ‘He’s definitely not going five in a row.’”

Reese made more than five in a row on Sunday, though. He also went a perfect five-for-five against Florida A&M on Nov. 11.

“It feels good seeing all the work showing up and not leaving points out there,” Reese said.