King of Pain
September 24, 2009 04:33 PM | General
September 24, 2009
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – He’s Mountaineer basketball’s King of Pain. Andy Kettler doesn’t come right out and say it, but you can tell by watching the way he works the players that he subscribes to the if-it-don’t-kill-you-then-it-will-help-you philosophy of doing things.
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| Basketball strength and conditioning coach Andy Kettler says he is seeing results.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks photo |
The other evening it was boxing. On this day, he had groups of four spanning the court with two-inch thick elastic bands attached to both legs. If you are into watching big dudes hunched over in pain slowly working their way down a basketball court, then the WVU Coliseum in the afternoon is the right place for you.
“Yeah, I beat these kids up a little more than I probably should,” Kettler said. “Yeah, I get in their face maybe a little more than I should sometimes, but ultimately, when I turn them over on the 16th of October for Midnight Madness to the coaches the players have got to understand that it’s time to go.”
That’s the thing about Kettler – it’s always go time. If you’re doing nothing, don’t make the mistake of doing it around him. “Huggs tells these kids all of the time, ‘If you work hard everyday there is only one thing that is going to happen: you’re going to get better.’ I think that’s true,” Kettler said.
Speaking of going, Kettler has been on the go the last four years, first spending two years as the strength and conditioning coordinator for the Kansas City Royals at age 25 – “It wasn’t conducive to being married,” he says of his two seasons in pro baseball - and then spending two years building up Winthrop’s strength and conditioning program before getting the call from Bob Huggins.
“I have a very good relationship with Scott Greenwalt, who used to be Huggs’ strength coach,” said Kettler. “Things didn’t quite work out for Scott to come here and I always tell people that I wasn’t the first choice (for the basketball strength job).
“Scotty and I do things very similar, and I like to think our work ethics are the same,” Kettler said. “He does a great job and it kind of went through there.”
One of Kettler’s goals was to work for an elite program in either football or basketball. He found one with Huggins at West Virginia University.
“I love it here and it’s been an honor and a privilege to work here,” he said. “It’s also been a tough task with a Hall of Fame coach in Huggs. I appreciate the fact that he allows me to do my job, but I understand that his expectations are very high so I’ve got to make sure I get things done.”
That’s not been a problem.
Kettler has been at WVU for roughly 14 months and his presence has been felt from one end of the roster to the other. Kettler recalled watching a game last year when the Mountaineers had trouble handling the opposing team’s 245-pound center.
“I’m sitting there thinking in my head, ‘Just give me a year or two.’ Now, fast forward a year and we have a 6-9 ½, 266, we have a 6-8, 258-pound freshman who bench presses 350 pounds already. We’ve got a sophomore who is 250 now. Wellington Smith weighs 247 solid pounds right now. I kind of laugh because I’ve got four kids like that right now.”
If you hang around the basketball office you will probably see some of the coaches - maybe not straight-out laughing - but at least snickering. That’s because they’ve finally got a roster full of players equipped to bang with the biggest and baddest teams in college basketball.
If not for the Gold and Blue jerseys, this team could easily be mistaken for Georgetown, Syracuse, Connecticut, Pitt or some of the other bruisers that come into the Coliseum on a yearly basis.
“Cam Thoroughman weighs 240 pounds right now,” said Kettler. “We have a lot of good bodies. Devin Ebanks is doing great. He was 189 pounds when he got here and now he weighs 216. Da’Sean Butler looks outstanding. Joe Mazzulla looks great after going through all of his shoulder trouble. Truck Bryant, from the day he walked on campus, looks totally different.
“I feel really confident going into this season with two point guards in outstanding shape.”
Kettler continued.
“Look at Danny Jennings. He walks into my door at 6-8, 256,” Kettler said. “He’s a strong kid but he’s never lifted. OK, my job just got a little easier. I’ve still got a lot of work to do, but you’ve given me a big, strong kid that can run and jump. He’s pretty good already, so now let’s make him bigger and better.
“Somebody that might be real big and strong might have small issues with flexibility or lateral movement,” he added. “Somebody that is tall and skinny might just have a weight issue. Everybody is different. ‘OK, you’re 6-8, you’ve got flat feet, you’ve got long femurs with a 7-1 wingspan and you weigh 205. ‘Oh shoot, we’re going to play in the Big East this year and you’re supposed to guard the big kid from Syracuse. What are we going to do?’”
On the other hand, tt’s not just about getting players bigger and stronger, Kettler cautions.
“The kids are moving better, they’re running well and I think their confidence level is high,” he said. “There is a psychological component to this. They have to understand who they are playing for. I always tell our kids, ‘Did you research this before you came here?’ You are playing for a demanding coach who if you answer the bell and do what he asks you to do then you’re going to have a lot of success.”
Kettler says there are no secrets or shortcuts in his business. The only true formula for success is hard work.
“It’s kind of an art,” he said. “Everybody puts their different spin on it. Some coaches are loud. Some coaches are quiet. Some coaches are lazy and some coaches work their tail off. It’s just like any profession.”
And just like in any profession the very best ones in their trade try and stay one step ahead of the competition.
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| Kettler says senior forward Wellington Smith is now up to 247 pounds.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks photo |
“I don’t know what they are doing at Kansas State or Kentucky or Louisville so I’ve got to make sure we go the extra mile,” Kettler said. “I don’t think there is any secret to this. I just think some people care more than others. Kids see through that.
“We have the same worries that Michigan State and Kentucky do. We’ve got to make sure our kids are healthy,” he said. “We’ve got to make sure they have good grades – everybody has the same issues.”
What Kettler has done in the short time he has been at West Virginia hasn’t gone unnoticed. He recently turned down an opportunity to return to the Cincinnati area where both he and his wife Kimbraly grew up.
“One came up this past summer to go home,” Kettler said. “My wife looked at me and she said, ‘Do you want to go home?’ I said, ‘Well, I do but …” She cut me off. She said, ‘You’ve told me before you die you want to be on the bench at the Final Four so we’re not going anywhere!’
“My wife was an undergrad and a master’s student at the University of Cincinnati years ago and she sees how Coach does things,” Kettler said. “She knows like I do.
“I put every ounce of trust I have in Huggs,” Kettler explained. “We are going to do things right so there is no reason for me to leave. The kids are starting to do things right. They are learning how to work. I respect and enjoy our coaches and the people in the athletic department have been great.”
Having been around the players now for a full training cycle, Kettler is anxious to see what this group can do on the floor together in 2010.
“I’m excited for the kids they brought in and I’m excited for the work we’ve done,” he said. “We’ve got to keep them healthy, and we’ve just got to keep it rolling.”
