North Carolina State University Athletics
Wolfpack is 'Shaping Up'
10/19/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The NC State basketball team may lose some games this season because other teams are simply better on a given day or because the ball just won't go in the basket, but it's highly unlikely the Pack will be undone by fatigue.
To say that an off-season conditioning program implemented by NC State coach Herb Sendek was grueling would be an understatement. Just call it boot camp in addidas'.
"We had a conditioning program that involved working four days a week," said Pack guard Justin Gainey. "A lot of pressure was put on us and it was taken to a whole new level. The thing I like about it is that no one was whining about it. The coaches made it tough and they made it so you couldn't always get what they wanted you to get. The guys stayed positive and we kept reminding ourselves of why we are working this hard. That was really impressive to me."
Sendek's relationship with Boston Celtics coach Rick Pitino has produced a number of productive brainstorming sessions over the years. X's and O's are always a hot topic of conversation, but earlier this summer, Sendek hunkered down with Celtics strength and conditioning coach Sean Brown. Those meetings harvested some conditioning drills, some of which were eventually introduced to NC State's players this fall.
"At first, it was a little bit of a shock," explained freshman forward Damien Wilkins. "I guess it comes with the territory. We play in such a competitive conference that you need to be in the best shape possible. They definitely pushed us to the limit this fall and I think we're going to be ready."
As a result, the team can now focus more of its energy on basketball and less time on conditioning during pre-season practices.
Some players are leaner and meaner, while others, like junior forward Kenny Inge, are carrying a lot more weight than they did last season.
"Kenny has literally transformed his body," said Sendek. "He went from 205 to 225. We sat down at the end of the season and said, '205 is simply too light in the pants for the level of competition we're facing night in and night out.' To Kenny's credit, he just went to work. He looks like a different person."
Sophomore Guard Archie Miller, who was redshirted last year after undergoing back surgery, has also made enormous strides thanks to hours of work in the weight room.
"I'm a lot stronger than I was before the surgery," Miller said. "During the off-season, I never stopped lifting weights. That was a big plus for me to get in there with coach (Charles) Stephenson and really get a lot stronger for this upcoming season. Charlie Rozanski (Director of Sports Medicine) did a great job of keeping me motivated about doing my exercises."
The 1999-2000 Wolfpack should be the fastest, strongest and deepest team Herb Sendek has coached at NC State. The hope is that all the hard work that was put in over the last few months will really payoff in March.
