Adam Stern
Sports Editor
This past April, VCU men’s basketball Strength and Conditioning Coach Daniel Roose was preparing his summer workout program for the team when he received a remarkable request from senior guard Brandon Rozzell.
Rozzell, one of eight returning players to the Rams roster this season, pleaded with Roose to switch the team’s workout schedule from four days a week— the norm in college basketball workout regiments— to five.
“I said ‘you’re saying you want to go all five days?’ and he said ‘yeah’ and I said ‘ok, you’re going to lead the way’, so I changed [the program] all up,” Roose said.
Nearly five months later and a week into the school year, Roose is already seeing an increase in performance level.
So why was the added day so important?
With the extra time, Roose was able to further condition the eight returners plus freshman Toby Veal — the only freshman deemed ready to workout with the returners — and prepare them for a style of play so hellacious it’s dubbed Havoc 2.0.
The extra time also helped in providing specialized individual workouts that aren’t easily available for during school or season; Take senior guard Joey Rodriguez, for example.
“Joey Rodriguez is not going to dunk a basketball this year. However, Joey’s body takes a beating on the court every night,” Roose said. “He’s on the floor 20 times a game, he’s getting hit by bigger guys so it was an issue for us to have him gain weight so, one, he can handle that and, two, he can take his conditioning to another level because of the minutes we ask him to play.”
Returners aren’t the only ones who have been receiving Roose’s attention, though.
VCU’s highly anticipated freshman class — save the aforementioned Veal — meet with Roose six days a week and get the sort of special attention only the youngest on a team get. For example, the five-man group including Auburn-decomitt Heath Houston, are being implored to gain weight to add muscle to their frames.
All three meals of the day are their days aren’t just required, they’re near chaperoned; a required breakfast at the weight room, required lunch at Shafer Dining Hall and occasionally, a semi-required cell phone picture of dinner since that is the one time of day Roose can’t be around the players.
“The biggest need [for the freshman] was to gain weight,” Roose said. “Their program is one without the conditioning elements because that’s going to diminish the gains we see in the weight room.”
Gains that already appear to be significant: The four freshmen, minus Veal and Houston, have already gained a combined 69 pounds since they came to VCU, an average of just over 17 pounds per player.
Such resounding results don’t come easily, and make no mistake about it; Roose has been putting in plenty of overtime to ensure the Rams are ready to rock when the season starts. But if you think Roose regrets adding even more hours to his work load, think again.
“I told the guys in our first meeting: Last year in summertime I came to work because this was my job,” Roose said. “That’s not the case anymore; I come in because I love these guys.”
Leave a Reply