STARKVILLE — This hasn’t been a typical summer of conditioning for Mississippi State men’s basketball.
Rigorous cleaning protocols have been installed that were nonexistent a year ago. The coaching staff must wear face coverings and masks while supervising workouts. When in the weight room, only a maximum of six players are allowed to work out together at a given time, although the full team is allowed to condition together when social distancing is possible. Some players arrived on campus in mid-June, while international student Quinten Post couldn’t get back in the country from the Netherlands to rejoin his teammates until August.
Nevertheless, workouts remain ongoing, with the goal remaining the same: to build a foundation for the 2020-2021 campaign and continue momentum generated from three straight seasons of at least 20 wins.
“Obviously there’s some new challenges with protocols we have to follow. But the physical preparation piece, we go back to the same principles that we’ve always used,” MSU strength and conditioning coach Collin Crane said. “A lot of those X’s and O’s of our training haven’t really changed; it’s just a lot of little things we have to do differently … At the end of the day, we still have our system that we train in and relentlessly pursue results in the weight room and the court.”
The Bulldogs are currently working out for eight hours a week, spending four hours on training and conditioning, while the other four go toward skill development.
“That really doesn’t sound like a lot of hours in the week, but right now we’re going at such a high intensity, I don’t know if we could go much more,” Crane said.
When MSU gets closer to the start of the season, it will increase its workload to 20 hours a week. An official season start could remain fluid, considering the Pac-12 recently declared all sports, including basketball, will not resume until Jan. 1 at the earliest. Yet, the Bulldogs are operating with the mindset that their season will begin in November per usual until told otherwise.
“That’s something we’ve definitely talked about as a staff. We’re preparing now as if we’re starting practice at the normal start date,” Crane said. “If we get new information where that changes, we know we can quickly pivot our preseason plan. What we don’t want to happen is for us to be in an idle mood then have to start practice. We’re avoiding that by preparing for a normal start date. If it gets delayed, we can tap the brakes a little bit per se and give them some recovery days leading up to the start of practice.”
Crane has lauded the progress of the current Bulldogs, who will be one of the youngest teams in college basketball this winter, as they are tasked with the challenge of replacing their top four scorers from a year ago.
“This is a good group of new players,” said Crane, who is entering his fourth season at Mississippi State. “I think they’re very unselfish, wired to work and realistic with their goal setting. This is really truly one of the hardest-working Mississippi State basketball teams that we’ve had.”
MSU has one senior expected to contribute meaningful minutes in 6-foot-11 forward Abdul Ado. Crane said Ado has made a huge impact on newcomers — graduate transfers and incoming freshmen alike.
“He’s been very influential,” Crane said. “In my eyes, he’s a game-changer. I tell him all the time I compare him to being the heartbeat of the program. When he comes in and he’s in the right mindset, he’s talking and showing leadership. You always know he’s going to work hard.”
Meanwhile, Crane said sophomore guard D.J. Stewart has added between 20 to 25 pounds of muscle since he first came to MSU, and Crane estimated the Grace native will be one of the better players in the Southeastern Conference.
Western Kentucky transfer Tolu Smith has earned rave reviews from the MSU coaching staff, especially after trimming his body fat from 22 percent to 10 percent in a redshirt year with the Bulldogs last season. Smith, a 6-foot-10 sophomore, is expected to play meaningful minutes in the post this year.
Bulldog fans saw flashes of brilliance from sophomore guard Iverson Molinar in his freshman campaign, but Crane believes Molinar could be “arguably the most improved player in the program right now.”
“I think every aspect of his game has improved from his ball handling to his basketball IQ, to his shooting,” Crane said. “The way he’s moving right now, I think people are really going to be impressed with him.”
Incoming freshman Deivon Smith, a four-star recruit, has “lived up to the hype” so far in workouts, Crane said.
“He is very explosive, very athletic,” Crane said. “He’s also very hardworking and showing some great leadership qualities and finding his niche in our program.”
Hodge is the former sports editor for The Dispatch.
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