STAYING HEALTHY
July 06, 2011 01:32 PM | General
Sophomore Branko Busick is hopeful a productive summer in strength coach Mike Joseph’s development program can lead to more production on the football field this fall.
Busick, whose brief career at WVU has been slowed by injuries, is currently No. 2 on the depth chart behind senior Najee Goode at middle linebacker.
“This whole summer I’ve been working on trying to get my core strength high, heavy squats, just to try and get my stomach and legs right,” Busick said recently. “Upper body is really important, too, but I believe getting my legs in shape and getting healthy is the biggest thing for me. I’ve got to stay healthy.”
If Busick can remain healthy, his aggressiveness and toughness fits in well with Jeff Casteel’s defensive philosophy at WVU.
“The down-hill type of play definitely fits in (with his playing style),” Busick said.
However, Busick admits he still has plenty to improve upon, particularly in the passing game. The former Ohio Division IV player of the year from Steubenville spent his prep career playing against predominantly running teams.
“There is a lot of stuff I need to pick up in the passing game; I need to work on stuff, and some of the run fits I need to work on stuff,” he admitted.
What has helped Busick during his first two years in the Mountaineer program was playing behind veteran players such as J.T. Thomas, Anthony Leonard and Pat Lazear, outstanding guys who taught him not only how to play, but also how to prepare and come to work every day in practice.
“I can’t thank those guys enough,” Busick said. “Those guys did so much for me on and off the field. On the field they showed me the ropes, where to start and what I need to do to be the best. I’m taking what they have showed me and I am just going to keep working at it.”
Busick is also thankful to have first-class facilities to train in this summer. He says the guys before him are the ones who really made all of this possible.
“We’re blessed because we get to use these facilities when it’s really the guys in the past that helped make this,” he explained. “They are the ones who made this happen and we’ve got to remember that when we step onto the field. We need to carry it on.”
Busick, whose brief career at WVU has been slowed by injuries, is currently No. 2 on the depth chart behind senior Najee Goode at middle linebacker.
“This whole summer I’ve been working on trying to get my core strength high, heavy squats, just to try and get my stomach and legs right,” Busick said recently. “Upper body is really important, too, but I believe getting my legs in shape and getting healthy is the biggest thing for me. I’ve got to stay healthy.”
If Busick can remain healthy, his aggressiveness and toughness fits in well with Jeff Casteel’s defensive philosophy at WVU.
“The down-hill type of play definitely fits in (with his playing style),” Busick said.
However, Busick admits he still has plenty to improve upon, particularly in the passing game. The former Ohio Division IV player of the year from Steubenville spent his prep career playing against predominantly running teams.
“There is a lot of stuff I need to pick up in the passing game; I need to work on stuff, and some of the run fits I need to work on stuff,” he admitted.
What has helped Busick during his first two years in the Mountaineer program was playing behind veteran players such as J.T. Thomas, Anthony Leonard and Pat Lazear, outstanding guys who taught him not only how to play, but also how to prepare and come to work every day in practice.
“I can’t thank those guys enough,” Busick said. “Those guys did so much for me on and off the field. On the field they showed me the ropes, where to start and what I need to do to be the best. I’m taking what they have showed me and I am just going to keep working at it.”
Busick is also thankful to have first-class facilities to train in this summer. He says the guys before him are the ones who really made all of this possible.
“We’re blessed because we get to use these facilities when it’s really the guys in the past that helped make this,” he explained. “They are the ones who made this happen and we’ve got to remember that when we step onto the field. We need to carry it on.”
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