Strength & Conditioning program

In other thread, Dave noted a few times his concern for the team's strength and conditioning program.

No doubt, we don't have the largest training facility with ten copies of the same model for each machine. On flip side, there is more than enough there to get any player a lot stronger. On conditioning side, I'm sure Anderson runs them hard. Running steps in the hotbox of CA is about as hardcore, old school as it can get.

I dont buy that we're skimping on S&C staff.  Maybe not some guy from a big name football school, but
 It's not like we got the HS kid working at Planet Fitness after school for $8/hr either.

Now, if its nutrition, I'm not sure who on St  John's staff oversees their intakes.

Outside of court, kids have to commit to put in the hard work. Recent years, under Mullin Clark, Simon, Ahmed, even Yakwe, Alibegovic etc. put in work and gained significant mass..., Ponds on flip side didn't. Heron leaned out last year. Heck, even Caraher lost a ton with less than stellar genetics.

Motivation, genetics and coaching on top of them help too.

We have had an embarrassing strength and conditioning program for years. This was the backbone of Calhoun’s success at UConn. He routinely got 180-200 lb stringbeans that left 230-250 lbs and jacked.

We have had an embarrassing strength and conditioning program for years. This was the backbone of Calhoun’s success at UConn. He routinely got 180-200 lb stringbeans that left 230-250 lbs and jacked.

Maybe on the football team but doubt even one player put on 50 lbs. as you suggest.

Still think it's the least of our problems. I dont know anything about the current s&c coach other than his bio, but seems adequate enough.

Bring in kids like Posh and Wusu who have strong work ethic and favorable genetics to gain or carry muscular weight, and then quality of trainer and facilities become secondary. Kids like Tariq, Isaiah Moore, will make slow but less notable gains no matter how hard they train and eat.

Can't make chicken salad out of chicken shit.  And in order to make good chicken salad you have to want to be in the kitchen to begin with.

Getting them to show up at their scheduled sessions and keeping players injury free is primary job. The ones who want it bad enough will put in the work and get stronger. 

 

In other thread, Dave noted a few times his concern for the team's strength and conditioning program.

No doubt, we don't have the largest training facility with ten copies of the same model for each machine. On flip side, there is more than enough there to get any player a lot stronger. On conditioning side, I'm sure Anderson runs them hard. Running steps in the hotbox of CA is about as hardcore, old school as it can get.

I dont buy that we're skimping on S&C staff.  Maybe not some guy from a big name football school, but
 It's not like we got the HS kid working at Planet Fitness after school for $8/hr either.

Now, if its nutrition, I'm not sure who on St  John's staff oversees their intakes.

Outside of court, kids have to commit to put in the hard work. Recent years, under Mullin Clark, Simon, Ahmed, even Yakwe, Alibegovic etc. put in work and gained significant mass..., Ponds on flip side didn't. Heron leaned out last year. Heck, even Caraher lost a ton with less than stellar genetics.

Motivation, genetics and coaching on top of them help too.

Have to look outside the program and compare how players develop and look at other schools. I'm watching Illinois vs Baylor right now and we look JV by comparison

Still think it's the least of our problems. I dont know anything about the current s&c coach other than his bio, but seems adequate enough.

Bring in kids like Posh and Wusu who have strong work ethic and favorable genetics to gain or carry muscular weight, and then quality of trainer and facilities become secondary. Kids like Tariq, Isaiah Moore, will make slow but less notable gains no matter how hard they train and eat.

Can't make chicken salad out of chicken shit.  And in order to make good chicken salad you have to want to be in the kitchen to begin with.

Getting them to show up at their scheduled sessions and keeping players injury free is primary job. The ones who want it bad enough will put in the work and get stronger. 

 

So are you saying it doesn't need to improve?

Our director of strength and conditioning was working as a strength coach for 10 years at the University before he got his degree in Exercise Physiology. He was an accounting major in undergrad. He was a running joke when I was in undergrad. These type of people are in prominent roles throughout athletics.

A poor staff compounded by sub par facilities is not setting us up for success

I agree it can and should improve like most things, but its not going to be the difference of 1-2 extra wins a year.

I looked at bio of Director. I didnt recall him from when I was baseball team mgr in mid late 90's.

The s&c guy, assigned to team, Kirkaldy, looks to have decent credentials and i see him at games and he seems like a guy who hasn't missed too many workouts. Pretty confident if he's got a good demeanor to relate with the players personally and also motivate when in weight room, its sufficient.

For every well conditioned strong player like you noted on Baylor, look at some of these other teams.

Look at Duke- a freak like Zion, then kn other end you have a kid like Matthew Hurt who looks like he never played a sport or lifted a weight in his life.  Did the Duke S&C coach screw up with Hurt ? No.  Just shows that sport/skill talent is what wins games and strength helps them stay injury free and conditioned for a long season.

Maybe on the football team but doubt even one player put on 50 lbs. as you suggest.

I'll add two quick links for you to the 2002-2003 roster and the 2005-2006 roster for Uconn that I picked randomly.

2002-2003:  https://uconnhuskies.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/2002-03

2005-2006:  https://uconnhuskies.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/2005-06

Hilton Armstrong was listed at 210 as a freshman and 235 as a senior.
Josh Boone was 205 before Uconn. https://247sports.com/player/josh-boone-68160/ Left after 3 years at 240.

Rashad Anderson was 6'5 190 as a freshman 215 as a senior.
Denham Brown was 6'6 205 as a freshman and 220 a senior. And they were SGs.

Emeka Okafor was recruited around 200 lbs and went to the NBA at 257.
These listings don't really even do the full work justice since most of the work is done June-October before the players even get their first roster weight and the final weight is recorded at the start of their last season with another 6 months of meals and workouts left.

I agree it can and should improve like most things, but its not going to be the difference of 1-2 extra wins a year.

I looked at bio of Director. I didnt recall him from when I was baseball team mgr in mid late 90's.

The s&c guy, assigned to team, Kirkaldy, looks to have decent credentials and i see him at games and he seems like a guy who hasn't missed too many workouts. Pretty confident if he's got a good demeanor to relate with the players personally and also motivate when in weight room, its sufficient.

For every well conditioned strong player like you noted on Baylor, look at some of these other teams.

Look at Duke- a freak like Zion, then kn other end you have a kid like Matthew Hurt who looks like he never played a sport or lifted a weight in his life.  Did the Duke S&C coach screw up with Hurt ? No.  Just shows that sport/skill talent is what wins games and strength helps them stay injury free and conditioned for a long season.

When you improve parts you improve the whole. The difference between winning and losing, good and great isn't a large margin.

As for Hurt on Duke he is 6'9 and all bigs take a bit longer to develop.

HS Senior- https://images.app.goo.gl/KHitZVczDKr3z8bA6

He was 214lbs as a freshman and is 235lbs as a sophomore.

Agree little things add up.

Flip side, I think our S&C coach could add the same 21 lbs to Hurt with our facilities and his program, assuming Hurt put in same effort in gym, eating and natural maturing. 

Agree little things add up.

Flip side, I think our S&C coach could add the same 21 lbs to Hurt with our facilities and his program, assuming Hurt put in same effort in gym, eating and natural maturing. 

Maybe but nothing over the years has indicated that. When we had Pat Dixon under Lavin dudes were DUDES.

I don't get the need to defend our strength and conditioning staff. They simply aren't very good and need to improve.

There are things like this across the board the university needs to address as a whole. The current coaching staff could be more demanding however this really falls on administration.

Have to look outside the program and compare how players develop and look at other schools. I'm watching Illinois vs Baylor right now and we look JV by comparison

Kofi was turned off by how soft we were under Mullin, but he wasn’t developed into a specimen at Illinois. He arrived that way. Our guys have to want it.

Kofi was turned off by how soft we were under Mullin, but he wasn’t developed into a specimen at Illinois. He arrived that way. Our guys have to want it.

Culture isn't built by players. It's aided by them. Jay Wright isn't twiddling his thumbs while his players want it so bad and become great because of desire.

Josh Roberts was 210lbs as freshman, 205lbs as sophomore, 220lbs as a junior

Greg Williams was 205 as freshman and is 200lbs as a junior

Strength is the one major area you have control over as a coach. You can't make your guys taller and you can only make them slightly more athletic.  But you can completely transform them physically. A 6'8 205 3* PF can leave a 6'8 245 pound beast with a great diet and workout program.

Strength is the one major area you have control over as a coach. You can't make your guys taller and you can only make them slightly more athletic.  But you can completely transform them physically. A 6'8 205 3* PF can leave a 6'8 245 pound beast with a great diet and workout program.

Jay Bilas was a good example of this came back senior year jacked and was a beast on the boards.

This only demonstrates that we use less juice than the other teams.