Testing For Basketball - There Is More Than One Way To Skin A Cat

Episode 123: Today’s episode is a sneak peak into our new book, There Is More Than One Way To Skin A Cat, where I interview nine basketball strength coaches and ask, “What’s your approach to testing and what’s the most common test you use?  And then you get to hear exactly how the Chicago Bulls, Denver Nuggets, Kansas Jayhawks and Louisville Cardinals do it here in the states.  And you’ll also get to hear how professional teams in Istanbul, Brescia, Jerusalem, Slovan and Maccabi do it in the European Leagues. 

My goal for this episode is to prove that there really is more than one way to train & condition a basketball player.  Here's an overview of the nine basketball performance coaches I interviewed:

Luka Svilar has a PhD in Sport Science with a master’s degree in Kinesiology.  He brings a wealth of experience from working with esteemed teams such as Bayern, Baskonia, Turk Telekom, Unics and Croatia’s NTs. 

Ramsey Nijem is the Director of Performance for the University of Kansas Men’s Basketball Program.  He holds a Doctorate of Science in Human and Sport Performance and a Master of Science in Kinesiology.  Before joining the Jayhawks, he spent 5 seasons with the NBA’s Sacramento Kings. 

Jure Drakslar is the Head S&C Coach and Rehabilitation Specialist at BC Zenit Saint Petersburg and has over two decades of experience in professional basketball.  He hold’s a masters degree in sports science and has got to train my son’s favorite NBA player, Luka Doncic, for 3 off-seasons. 

Matt Comer is currently working on his PhD in Health & Human Performance while holding a master’s degree in biomechanics and a bachelors in athletic training.  He began his basketball  strength & conditioning career working in the G-League before getting promoted to the NBA. 

Roberto Iezzi holds a master’s degree in sport science and has almost 20 years of experience in basketball.  He’s currently the head of performance at Brescia Basketball, responsible for the players performance and rehabilitation.

Kostas Chatzichristos is the Head of Performance at Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul.  He holds a masters degree from the University of Texas at Austin and is a current PhD candidate at Democritus University of Thrace.  Kostas also serves as the director of the Euroleague Strength & conditioning Coaches association.   

Adam Petway is the Director of Strength & Conditioning at Louisville basketball and leverages extensive NBA experience with the 76ers and wizards.  He holds an MBA in sport management and earned bachelors and PhD degrees in Sport Science.  He’s also author to the latest book I’m reading right now titled, Basketball Mechanics. 

Reggie Fanan is a graduate of the Zinman School of Coaches at Wingate and has served as Maccabi’s Head Strength & Conditioning coach for over a decade.  Reggie is a former Euroleague player, which gives him a unique perspective as a basketball performance coach. 

Claus Souza holds a master’s degree in applied sciences, a bachelors degree in physical education, and  is an NBA championship with the Denver Nuggets.   He has over 15 years of strength & conditioning experience, working with the NCAA, WNBA and private sector. 

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