Nov. 5, 2010
Columbia, Mo. -
By Cassandra Novy
Media Relations Assistant
For the Missouri men's basketball team, it is all about quickness. The patented "Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball" that has transpired under the leadership of Coach Mike Anderson didn't just happen overnight. It all has to start somewhere and for the Tigers, the foundation lays in the weight room. But Missouri's training method in the weight room is unique.
"Ours is totally different," Director of Strength and Conditioning David Deets said. "It's kind of like the style that we play, there's no sitting around, there's no rest."
As part of the strength and conditioning staff for the men's basketball team and the director of basketball athletic performance, it's Deets' job to help shape the team into fast, explosive players. His distinctive 30 to 45 minute-workout sessions start out with flexibility warm-ups that resemble physical therapy and help decrease the likelihood of injuries for the players. Once the drills start, the players hit the weights and do high repetitions of "explosive lifting" all dictated by Coach Deets' whistle.
"They go from one exercise to the next so there's no recovery time because what I'm trying to do is build up their work capacity just like we play on the floor," Deets said. "We want to be able to go and play three to five minutes and come to the side and be able to recover in a short amount of time to get back out there and give that maximum effort again."
This quick training in the weight room translates into the fast-paced pressure Mizzou is known for on the court.
"Every single thing we do from weight lifting to practicing our agility in the summertime, it's all based on quickness and how we play," senior forward Justin Safford said. "I think if we were quick in here (the basketball court) but kind of took our time in there (the weight room), that wouldn't really offset each other well. Everything we do is at a quick pace so that's something we have to get used to."
Adjusting to this type of quick-paced workouts and weight lifting can be brand new for players joining the Tigers basketball team.
"A lot of times they've never even worked out before so it's totally new for them," said Deets.
Freshman guard Phil Pressey lifted weights in high school, but not nearly at the extent he does now.
"Here, it's every day and it's a consecutive thing so your body really has to get used to it," said Pressey.
Pressey says the summer workouts help ease the transition of getting into the grind of college basketball.
One of the many benefits of this type of training comes with players gaining muscle weight, or in some cases shedding off the wrong kind of weight.
"You have guys that gain the mass and you have guys that lose the fat weight and gain muscle so you have a little bit of both depending on what each guy needs when they come in," said Deets. "It's amazing how much their bodies transform. Their strength gains from the time they come in as freshmen to the time they leave, it's astronomical. It's amazing."
"When I got here I weighed 200 pounds and now I'm 245 so that's quite a bit and it's more muscle than anything," said Safford.
Pressey has already gained five pounds of muscle since the summer as well. Although muscle weight gain is a goal, Deets emphasizes that the training the players endure is specific to making them into basketball players, not bodybuilders.
With only five weeks off during the year, fans can see the Tigers' commitment to being the best from the stands. All the hours, discipline, preparation and sweat the team puts in comes together for the finished product of earning the brand the "Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball."
"They put in the time and dedication," Deets said. "I tell them I'm writing the programs and setting the tone, but you have to bring the work ethic or it's never going to work and they do a great job of bringing the intensity needed. They work hard every day."
See the team's hard work displayed on the court when they play the annual Black and Gold Game Thursday, October 28, at Mizzou Arena.