The RoundHouse | 9/11/2024 5:16:00 PM
By Paul Suellentrop
Five days to focus on four minutes, the time when many basketball games are decided.
The Shockers ran a mile, sprinted, lifted, pushed a sled and sweated together over the past week with the goal of finishing strong.
On Wednesday, the Wichita State men's basketball team finished its 10th Round training session with around 40 minutes of sprints on Koch Arena's newly refinished court. The 10th Round is coach
Paul Mills' signal that summer is over and it is time to prepare to win with a strong finishing kick.
"It's about showing everybody your character in times of adversity," guard
Xavier Bell said. "Getting a feel for where everybody is at mentally and seeing how they can compete."
The 10th Round is targeted at the game's final four minutes by improving conditioning and mental strength through camaraderie. The Shockers, Mills said, went 4-8 in American Athletic Conference games with a score within five points in the final five minutes.
The goal, Mills said, is to make the Shockers better, not break them.
"We need to do a better job of finishing, and that comes with going through a lot of these types of things," Mills said. "When you're in these kinds of battles, conditioning really matters. They have to know they've been through difficult situations; we've gotten through this together."
On Wednesday, for each of the 25 regular-season opponents, the Shockers ran a court-and-half, up-and-back sprints in 19 seconds. For the conference tournament, they ran 10 up-and-backs in 1:05. For the NCAA Tournament, they ran cross court 17 times in 1:05 to add more turns to the degree of difficulty.
When the tournament runs started, "One Shining Moment" played on the boom box. Mills yelled "You made it through the regular season. The post-season isn't for everybody. You've got to pay the price for winning in March."
Managers stay busy wiping up sweat with towels at the starting line.
Ashtin Meerpohl, director of sports performance, watches the baseline at one end of the court to make sure no one cuts the run short. Coaches and managers clap and yell encouragement. DJ Purnell, director of mental health and performance, stands with coaches and athletes to yell support and slap hands.
"In order to get to where you're trying to go, as a person and a player, you have to embrace uncomfortable situations," Mills said. "We're dealing with the uncomfortable and finding ways to encourage others."
Mills shows the team a three-minute video of boxer Muhammad Ali talking about how conditioning contributed to his success. An athlete who is confident in his conditioning and one that knows teammates grinded alongside is better equipped to do the right things in the final minutes. The 10th Round features competition between teams with extra exercise to losing team. If someone doesn't complete a run in the time limit, the team runs.
"It's the mental toughness," forward
Corey Washington said. "Anybody can just play and hoop. Can you make it for your teammates, make the time that is the standard?"
The 10th Round included station work on defensive slides and other skills. The Shockers had to run a 6-minute mile at Cessna Stadium (Washington's time of 5:40 led the group). They competed by pushing sleds, on a vertical cardio climber and in sprints.
"These guys did a great job of continuing to push through," Meerpohl said. "It's a step forward from where we were last year at this point. This group showed a lot of fight."
Five days of demanding exercise, sweat and fatigue builds a bond.
"It's about leaning on each other, your brother right next to you," Bell said. "Making sure you bring others along to where we're trying to go."
The Shockers plan on that bond paying off in the final minutes of close games this season.
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
