Inside Friartown - Volume III - Providence College Athletics

Oct. 13, 2003

The toughest week of our pre-season training program is probably the last week, when everyone is looking forward to practice starting and most of the guys are getting sick of playing pick-up ball and doing sprints and agilities in the afternoon. We do our best to mix-up our individual workouts with the guys to keep them fresh, but they realize that practice starts this Saturday and the intensity will go up a level.

Our new strength and conditioning coach, Kenny White, has put together an outstanding program for our guys that they really seem to enjoy. Usually I'm a believer that if they are enjoying strength training and sprints it means the program isn't tough enough, but this year that is certainly not the case. Kenny is a former all-league point guard at the University of Vermont and he is in their athletic hall of fame. He had a great high school career in Staten Island, NY and he has a great understanding of what our guys need to become better basketball players. He relates most of what we are doing to the game of basketball so that guys can see a direct benefit - when he does a short sprint he makes guys use a "backdoor cut" - and they realize that what they are doing will help them on the basketball floor.

It also helps that he can talk seriously with our guys about what is needed for the team, what it takes to get through practice and how to prepare to win. Last week he was training Ryan Gomes and he challenged Ryan to beat him in 30 seconds with a weighted jump rope. As good of a player as Kenny is, he still doesn't look like a guy you'd want to pick up for a game in the park. Ryan took the challenge and couldn't keep up with Kenny, as Kenny did twice as many reps in the same amount of time. He has been a great addition for our entire athletic department, and he is another example of the college doing what is necessary to help our programs. Somebody as good as Kenny is hard to get, and Bob Driscoll and the school did what was necessary to get him.

The real test will come this Saturday, however, when our guys finally line-up in black and white and we start bringing our team together. Having a lot of veterans is good because they know what to be prepared for. Our practices are very intense, very fast-paced and very focused. There is not a lot of standing around nor is there time to relax. We want to establish who we are as a team on the practice floor every day, and that starts this Saturday. We do not give our guys a lot of long breaks because they need to be conditioned to perform during periods of stress and fatigue. It is not uncommon for some of our new guys to have trouble getting through practice for the first week. In fact, we've had some great, great players over the years not make it through our first couple of practices because they weren't prepared, either mentally or physically.

Practice is the best time for a coach. It is really where you get to teach the kids and see them develop. It is where we will spend most of our time together, from this Saturday until April. Most of the time we spend together will be on the practice floor. We are very lucky because Coach allows all of us as assistants to take ownership of the team in practice and he gives us plenty of freedom for input.

So how good will this team be? Well, it comes to us in stages. The first step is the day after Labor Day, when we finally get this year's entire team together for the first time. We see guys in individual workouts and in conditioning sessions, so you have a feel for what they can do but it is still hard to tell.

The second step is this Saturday, when you actually see them all play with and against each other for the first time as a group. It tells you a lot about the basic ability and talent of each guy, as well as who has really worked to improve.

A third step is when the lights go on, the first time we step on the floor together in uniform in front of a crowd. You always find some guys who can produce more in real competition than you think, and there are other guys who look great in practice but don't seem as comfortable in a game.

Finally, you get to the Big East, and playing with that intensity and against that kind of competition reveals your team a little more.

We've passed step one, and we get to step two on Saturday. We are very happy with the progress of our pre-season conditioning, but is there a coach out there right now who isn't?

We think we have a chance to be pretty good. We'll learn a lot more about that this Saturday.

Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball versus Nebraska on November 7, 2026 at TBA

Providence College Athletics

Inside Friartown - Volume III

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