Part three of this five-part series leading up to Virginia's first game Nov. 12 will offer a look at how a new addition to the strength and conditioning staff has impacted Virginia's entire offseason program.
Strength and conditioning coach Shaun Brown was one of head coach Dave Leitao's less-publicized hires since arriving in Charlottesville in 2005 -- less publicized, but certainly not less qualified.
Brown came to Charlottesville following eight years as a head strength coach in the NBA, six years with the Boston Celtics and two years with the Toronto Raptors. Prior to the NBA, Brown spent six years as head strength and conditioning coach at the University of Kentucky, with additional stints early in his career at Providence College and Rutgers.
At Virginia Media Day earlier this month, every player commented on the rigor of Brown's workouts and the intensity of the man himself.
"[Brown] throws so many things at you," junior guard Sean Singletary said. "We never do the same thing. He's always varying his workouts, but everything is always at a very high intensity level. It's a lot of work."
Throughout the offseason, Virginia players met with Brown four to five days a week, mixing a strength-based weight program in with a more conditioning-focused regimen.
Brown "pushes you like crazy," senior guard J.R. Reynolds said. "He pushes you hard in the weight room and with running. He'll push you to the top. He's always motivating us to get better."
Each player entered this offseason with different, specific, goals in mind. For many -- like junior Tunji Soroye -- the offseason allowed time to gain muscle weight. Soroye added 30 pounds since the end of last season, weight the team hopes will allow him to hold his position on the block more effectively this season. Singletary found himself focused on a similar goal as Soroye.
"I gained 12 pounds in order to dish out punishment, not take it," Singletary said. "I'm in better shape. We never had someone to work with like Sean Brown. It was an intense end of summer and fall session with lifting and conditioning. I hadn't done major work since I've been here. He definitely knows what he's doing."
Virginia's players certainly kept busy this offseason. Some, like Reynolds, traveled out of the country to compete on other teams. Those who stayed in Charlottesville, however, found the experience both valuable and enjoyable.
"A typical [summer] day would be class in the morning and then lifting," sophomore guard/forward Mamadi Diane said. "After lifting, [we would do] just a little work with the managers -- rebounding, ball handling, a lot of playing too. Just shooting and doing stuff on our own. The days were pretty full in the summer. But it was fun."
Virginia's offseason, however, was not all fun and games. Sophomore forward Laurynas Mikalauskas described some of the team's more taxing activities.
"We've been doing yoga for a couple months," Mikalauskas said. "I like it."
Clearly, this offseason has been one of significant change and -- hopefully for Cavalier fans -- progress.
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