Conditioning an early wake-up call for Iowa basketball

NORTH LIBERTY -- A new style of basketball brings major changes in strength and conditioning for the Iowa men's basketball team.

Instead of favoring bulk and brute strength in Todd Lickliter's half-court offense, new coach Fran McCaffery wants sleek, quicker players that can move up and down the court. That includes more running and more weight control for his players.

Incoming sophomore Eric May, who bench-pressed more than 300 pounds last year, now must cut weight under McCaffery. May's target weight is 215, down by five pounds. Depending on the day, he's already hit the weight goal.

Junior guard Matt Gatens was instructed to lose 15 pounds from  his 225-pound frame. He's at about 213 right now and looks quicker on the court because of it.

"He wants players that can get up and down and when you're lighter, you can do that quicker," Gatens said. "Somebody told me if you go into the weight room and you pick up 10 pounds, and you think about taking that off your body, hopefully I'll see a difference out there on the court and you feel better at the same time."

The weight lifting regimen is about more repetitions with lower weights rather than maxing out with heavier weights. There's more plyometrics and agility drills involved now. May, an avid weight lifter, has taken to McCaffery's approach. He's maintained his build and increased his endurance without sacrificing much strength.

"We're doing a lot less heavy stuff which is fine," May said. "He wants us to be more athletic, which is what you need in basketball. I agree with him totally. If we want to go up and down, you can't be heavy guys running around."

But the offseason hasn't been easy for the players, especially in the summer. The players begin workouts at 6 a.m. with weightlifting and running. It's something to which the athletes have not become accustomed, but they are embracing.

"It's definitely different," sophomore point guard Cully Payne said. "We still lift four days a week at 6 a.m., which is a blast. That's definitely fun. We do a lot more running. We're leaning out a little bit, a lot more explosive stuff because as we all know Coach Fran likes to get up and down. This stuff will definitely benefit us in the future."

"It's not bad to get out of the way but you can never get used to a 6 a.m. workout," May said. "We've figured that out; there's no way to get used to it. We haven't gotten to sleep in for about a year and a half now. I guess we'll eventually get used to it, I hope."