ITHACA, N.Y. -- A large, but often overlooked, ingredient to winning championships in the Ivy League is building up the athletes in the program - building their bodies, building their confidence and building their skills. That aspect isn't overlooked at Cornell, and has been an essential part of claiming the last two Ivy League championships. And it all starts in the weight room.
Steve Donahue, the Robert E. Gallegher '44 Head Coach of Cornell Basketball, and assistant strength and conditioning coach Jay Andress have helped develop Cornell into not only one of the most talented, but also one of the strongest and fittest teams in the Ancient Eight. It's in large part due to the physical development of players from year to year that Donahue and his staff feel confident in putting together a schedule that includes Alabama, Massachusetts, Seton Hall, Syracuse, Saint Joseph's, Davidson and Kansas, among others.
Using creative and innovative techniques, as well as old-fashioned sweat equity, Cornell feels as though it is more than ready to chase a third consecutive Ivy League title when practice begins this Friday.
The gains over the years have been incredible. Former All-Ivy center Andrew Naeve gained 31 pounds during his four seasons while adding 3.5 inches to his vertical and adding 85 pounds to his bench press.
"Andrew was very thin and very awkward within his body when he came in. What the strength did for him was make him a much better basketball player each year, and by the time he was a senior he became a dominant player in our league because of his strength and size," Donahue said. I don't think he makes those gains without our strength and conditioning staff, and also of course his own work ethic."
"I go back to Ryan Wittman as a high school player, and one of the reasons I think people overlooked him is they didn't see a tremendous upside," Donahue said. What we saw was a guy who, if he worked hard in the weight room, as a really young high school senior, he would make great gains."
Donahue was right. In his four seasons, Wittman has added 21 pounds while dropping his percentage of body fat, added four inches to his vertical jump, 70 pounds to his bench press and 100 pounds to his squat.
But of course, the biggest change has arguably come from senior center Jeff Foote. In just three seasons, Foote has added 57 pounds to his frame after arriving at Cornell at 208 pounds. His bench press has nearly doubled from 135 pounds to 250 pounds in just two and a half years and has added an impressive five inches on his vertical leap.
"Jeff Foote has been phenomenal to work with," Andress said. "When he first came in here, I had some reservations about him. I mean, he's 7-0 tall, 208 pounds when he came in. He was very skinny. Now he's 265 pounds. So he's gained 57 pounds total, 43.3 pounds of which has been lean mass, so straight muscle. So he's put on 57 pounds, and he's jumping higher with the added weight than without it. To go along with that, his confidence has grown. The physical gains he's made have been phenomenal."
Other players have also made huge gains. Junior Adam Wire, for instance, has added 28 pounds, increased his bench press by 65 pounds and added 5.5 inches to his vertical jump.
"Our philosophy as a strength and conditioning staff is intensity and consistency that is second to none ... we've got to put in a lot of work in a little amount of time," Andress said. "Hard work is what this program is based on."
No comments:
Post a Comment