North Carolina State University Athletics
State Strength: Wolfpack Continues To Thrive In Performance Training
4/21/2015 12:00:00 AM
-- blog courtesy of Brett Brungardt, BAM Testing
If an NCAA Basketball Training Combine Championship existed, the favorite to win the tournament this year would be NC State. The question that automatically follows is: Would they have better BAM (Basic Athletic Measurement) test numbers than Kentucky? When it comes to the tests for speed, agility, reaction time, and power, the Wolfpack would likely even edge out the Wildcats.
Brett Brungardt, founder of BAM, has the numbers. BAM is the official testing provider of the NBA. BAM tests the college draft class every year at the Chicago combine and the best seniors at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (PIT). Over the last five years, BAM has also collected numbers at NCAA schools. BAM has a simple goal: administer standardized, reliable and valid tests using the latest technology.
"As the gold standard of athletic testing," Brungardt said, "a key piece of the process is our extensive database."
Over the last seven years, BAM has compiled a large and diverse database from around the globe, ranging from elite to youth athletes.
NC State Assistant AD for strength and conditioning Bob Alejo is also a numbers guy. He was the strength coach for the Oakland A's during their Moneyball days. The last three years, he has hired BAM to test the NC State men's basketball team. Testing is directly linked to athletic development. You must verify that your methods are achieving the results you want. Alejo's goal is to help every player achieve his athletic potential. By compiling both NC State's numbers and the NBA's numbers over the last five draft classes, BAM provides a unique data set to compare how NC State stacks up against the best of the best.
"When you look at the numbers, you can see that NC State tests (an objective measurement of athleticism) better then an NBA draft class," Brungardt said. "This is remarkable. This is a credit to Alejo, Mark Gottfried and the NC State coaching staff."
Here's how the numbers break down:
Vertical Jump
NBA draft class: 28.35 inches
NC State: 28.66 inches
Approach Vertical
NBA draft class: 34.17 inches
NC State: 34.94 inches
3/4 Court Spring
NBA draft class: 3.35
NC State: 3.30
Reaction Shuttle
NBA draft class: 3.13
NC State: 3.01
4-Way Agility Drill
NBA Draft Class: 11.26
NC State: 11.34
BAM Testing - At 2015 Portsmouth Invitational
| Player | 3/4 Court Sprint | Lane Agility | Modified Lane Agility | Reaction Shuttle | Vertical Jump |
| Ralston Turner | 3.3317 | 11.096 | 5.526 | 3.055 | 29.5" |
| Portsmouth Average | 3.358 | 12.038 | 5.948 | 3.140 | 28.6" |
| NBA Average | 3.35 | 11.26 | N / A | 3.130 | 28.35" |
