LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Never in his life had John Gillon struggled more from the free-throw line than the moment he arrived at the Carrier Dome.

The 15 feet between the free-throw line and the backboard can seem a lot farther in the cavernous spaces of a 49,250-person venue whose ceiling is 165 feet above the court. When Syracuse began play on Jan. 28 against Florida State, the 6-foot point guard had made 74.5 percent of his free throws in 21 games. That’s a respectable rate for most players, yet missing one-in-four foul shots boggled Gillon.

He needed an opportunity to reintroduce himself as the player who put up historical free-throw numbers at Colorado State. Against FSU, he delivered. Gillon made his first five free throws before missing, then proceeded to make his last eight to seal SU’s first upset win of the season. He hasn’t missed since.

“Ever since then,” Gillon said, “the comfort I felt from those free throws just stuck with me.”

There haven’t been many constants in the Orange’s season. Aside from unpredictable wins and losses, player performance has fluctuated throughout the year. Even Andrew White’s shot, seemingly the most reliable of any on Syracuse, has almost disappeared over the last couple of games. It’s now Gillon who wields the most consistent shot for SU, strictly from the free-throw line. He’s made a program-record 47 consecutive free throws since he last missed against FSU.

Gillon’s streak is the fourth longest in Atlantic Coast Conference history, and he’s made an ACC-best 93 percent of his free throws since conference play began. Each shot counts for only one point, but over the nine games that span Gillon’s streak, only one of Syracuse’s (17-13, 9-8 Atlantic Coast) five wins would still stand after erasing Gillon’s free throws. His run of perfection is equal parts bizarre and impressive, but Gillon isn’t thinking about that. He’s not thinking about anything.

“He’s confident, man,” SU assistant coach Adrian Autry said. “When he steps up there he knows he’s making them. He has the same technique and he shoots them and he makes them. It’s not even a thought for him.”

Success at the foul line is nothing new for the Colorado State transfer. In two seasons with the Rams, Gillon made a team-leading 84 percent of his free throws. During the 2015-16 season Gillon, he finished with an 87.9 free-throw percentage, 10th-best in program history. Only seven other Colorado State players had ever made more than the 152 free throws that Gillon made in 2015-16. He even won a game with a last-second free throw against UNLV.

Gillon thinks he pulled off a similar free-throw streak with the Rams, but isn’t sure how long it lasted. In terms of his current streak, at least one of his teammates wasn’t even aware of what’s been unfolding. Freshman guard Tyus Battle was taken aback, widening his eyes when told about Gillon’s 47 consecutive free throws. As a fellow first-year SU player, one who hasn’t had a perfect free-throw game in a month, Battle was mightily impressed that Gillon could pull off his feat while shooting in the Carrier Dome.

“That is crazy,” Battle said. “Forty-seven straight, man. We know John can knock down his free throws. He likes to get to the basket, so he’s going to get fouled and he’s going to go to the line.

“… (But) I didn’t know that was a number. That’s great.”

Players say there’s an adjustment period when shooting free throws in the Carrier Dome. The depth perception is different from almost any other basketball venue, especially when the stands behind the basket are relatively empty. Battle said he finds it easier to shoot against the backdrop of packed bleachers than empty ones.

Autry doesn’t buy into any perception theories. He just wants players to look at the rim. Forward Taurean Thompson doesn’t know what to think. He “never missed” his foul shots in high school, but has made only 65.2 percent of them in his freshman season. Gillon will hear about the theories, but none of them concern him anymore. He knows he’s going to make it every time.

“He doesn’t think about how many he’s made in a row,” Autry said. “It’s just an opportunity for him to go up there and make two free throws. That’s how he looks at it. I’m sure of that.”

Published on March 1, 2017 at 12:47 am

Contact Connor: cgrossma@syr.edu | @connorgrossman