Tyson Kanseyo with Desmond L. Wilford
Bobcats Find Unconventional Training Methods at Onset of Off-Season Training
4/18/2016 5:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MSU cagers work with boxing trainer
It was on a long flight home punctuating a productive but sometimes frustrating 2015-16 basketball season when Brian Fish's mind clicked into overdrive.
"I just started thinking about ways to get better, ways to get the guys going in the direction we need to go," said Fish, now in his third off-season as Montana State's head basketball coach. "It just started coming."
The concept was to buttress traditional basketball fundamentals by emphasizing physicality and athleticism. Fish thought about different athletic disciplines, which led him to the sweet science of boxing. "Boxing is the backbone of training," Fish said. "You have to keep your knees bent, you have to have a strong base, hands up. It all started making sense."
From his days in Omaha as a Creighton assistant coach under Dana Altman, Fish knew of local boxer Terence Crawford, who had gained international acclaim as a junior welterweight. Fish's assistant coach, Kenya Crandell, a native Omahan, had connections to Crawford's trainer, Desmond L. Wilford. And from there, things happened fast.
Wilford says he is often questioned as to how boxing and basketball go together, and that he always responds the same way. "How does it not go together?" His passion and energy levels both obvious and infectious, Wilford draws connection from boxing to all athletic activities. "Footwork, core strength, hand-eye coordination, balance of the athlete, muscle endurance, all of these apply to both (boxing and hoops)."
Wilford's entry into basketball came through friends Tyron Lue and Chauncey Billups, both one-time NBA stars, and his journey has included mentoring by Tim S. Grover of Attack Athletics, Michael Jordan's personal trainer at one time, and Tracy McGrady. He said he enjoyed his first day with the Cats, the first Division I squad with which he's worked.
"I saw a lot of hunger, a group of guys wanting to get better," he said. "The effort was there, they understood the movements, they asked the right questions. I thought they had good energy."
That is the one attribute of Wilford's that impressed Fish the most. "Energy," Fish said. "Great energy. (Wilford) stood right in there and did everything the guys did. His energy was phenomenal, and who he's worked with in his career gives him instant credibility with the guys."
Fish said the correlation between Wilford's training and basic boxing techniques is natural. "You need your knees bent, your hands up, you need to move your feet," he said. "If you don't do those things in boxing you're going to get knocked out."
The timing of Wilford's visit in relation to the evolution of the Bobcat program was perfect, MSU's head coach said. "If I'd have brought him in a year ago, this wouldn't have worked," he said. "The guys wouldn't have understood it. But we have a veteran team now, they've been hearing this from me, and now it makes sense."
"I just started thinking about ways to get better, ways to get the guys going in the direction we need to go," said Fish, now in his third off-season as Montana State's head basketball coach. "It just started coming."
The concept was to buttress traditional basketball fundamentals by emphasizing physicality and athleticism. Fish thought about different athletic disciplines, which led him to the sweet science of boxing. "Boxing is the backbone of training," Fish said. "You have to keep your knees bent, you have to have a strong base, hands up. It all started making sense."
From his days in Omaha as a Creighton assistant coach under Dana Altman, Fish knew of local boxer Terence Crawford, who had gained international acclaim as a junior welterweight. Fish's assistant coach, Kenya Crandell, a native Omahan, had connections to Crawford's trainer, Desmond L. Wilford. And from there, things happened fast.
Wilford says he is often questioned as to how boxing and basketball go together, and that he always responds the same way. "How does it not go together?" His passion and energy levels both obvious and infectious, Wilford draws connection from boxing to all athletic activities. "Footwork, core strength, hand-eye coordination, balance of the athlete, muscle endurance, all of these apply to both (boxing and hoops)."
Wilford's entry into basketball came through friends Tyron Lue and Chauncey Billups, both one-time NBA stars, and his journey has included mentoring by Tim S. Grover of Attack Athletics, Michael Jordan's personal trainer at one time, and Tracy McGrady. He said he enjoyed his first day with the Cats, the first Division I squad with which he's worked.
"I saw a lot of hunger, a group of guys wanting to get better," he said. "The effort was there, they understood the movements, they asked the right questions. I thought they had good energy."
That is the one attribute of Wilford's that impressed Fish the most. "Energy," Fish said. "Great energy. (Wilford) stood right in there and did everything the guys did. His energy was phenomenal, and who he's worked with in his career gives him instant credibility with the guys."
Fish said the correlation between Wilford's training and basic boxing techniques is natural. "You need your knees bent, your hands up, you need to move your feet," he said. "If you don't do those things in boxing you're going to get knocked out."
The timing of Wilford's visit in relation to the evolution of the Bobcat program was perfect, MSU's head coach said. "If I'd have brought him in a year ago, this wouldn't have worked," he said. "The guys wouldn't have understood it. But we have a veteran team now, they've been hearing this from me, and now it makes sense."
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