Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009 | 2:05 a.m.
UNLV assistant basketball coach Steve Henson.
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A week into team workouts, UNLV basketball players have been downright exhausted after sessions on the track and football field.
That’s been the desired effect, according to Rebels assistant coach Steve Henson. The other day, Henson said as much to several players.
You have to want to walk out of here dead tired after 40 minutes, Henson told them. It’s the only way to get ready for the season if you’re going to play that way.
“They seem to want it,” Henson said. “It’s not easy. It’s not comfortable. But I think they want to play that way. We’re just trying to develop some habits, in pace of play and how hard we have to run.
“Guys are huffin’ and puffin’. They have to want that feeling.”
To some degree, Henson admitted, that pace has been ratcheted up compared to a year ago.
“Yeah, a little bit,” he said. “I think the guys’ convictions, at this point, are to take it up a notch. Guys are committed to doing that. We’ve set it up to push them harder, probably, than last year.”
After a few weeks of individual workouts, NCAA rules have allowed UNLV to practice as a team, for a maximum of two hours a week, since last week.
Sixth-year Rebels coach Lon Kruger has divvied that up, as usual, into three 40-minute sessions, and they are mostly used for conditioning purposes.
Tuesday, the players ran 400-meter sprints in groups of three – bigs, wings and guards – on the UNLV track. Each finished in its allotted time.
“We try not to make the times real intense,” Henson said. “It’s not too difficult. Some of them blew their times away in an effort to get a good workout. It’s just a base deal.”
Last week, in a change of pace and turf, those groups ran 150-yard sprints on the UNLV practice football field. They’d walk back, 50 yards, to the start and do it again.
“They stride it out and have a recovery time that’s not long,” Henson said. “They barely catch their breath. It’s a good cardio workout.”
Some Rebels might surprise fans at the team’s FirstLook event on Oct. 16 at the Thomas & Mack Center. That will be the debut of Kruger’s next team to the public and media, since individual and team workouts, per NCAA rules, have been private.
The Rebels play host to an exhibition, against Washburn, on Nov. 10, and their season opener is against Pittsburgh State on Nov. 14.
UNLV guard Derrick Jasper shoots free throws as his teammates wind down a practice at the Cox Pavilion with a stretch session. Jasper, who transferred from Kentucky and will have two years of eligibility remaining after this season, works out individually as he gets his left knee and leg back to full strength following microfracture surgery almost two years ago.
The Sun has documented how sophomore center Brice Massamba and junior guard Derrick Jasper have trimmed their physiques, and sophomore guard Oscar Bellfield is among others who have become noticeably stronger in the offseason.
It is no surprise, Henson said, that the biggest surprise has been Massamba.
A year of strength and conditioning work, and honing his diet, under UNLV guru Jason Kabo has turned Brice Massamba into a leaner, meaner basketball player.
“His appearance is the most notable thing you’ll see,” Henson said to fans who will attend the Oct. 16 function. “He really committed himself to losing a lot of weight. He looks great and it shows.
“He’s able to do things, conditioning-wise, he wasn’t able to do in the past. He’s moving well on the court, and he’s been the biggest surprise per se.”
Kruger and his staff, and UNLV’s strength and conditioning trainers, always seek ways to establish a preseason conditioning base that most benefits the basketball players.
Different drills keep those sessions from becoming routine and redundant, and the varied surfaces reduce the pounding sustained by backs, knees and hamstrings.
“We don’t want anything to get stale,” Henson said. “Stuff on the court tends to be intense. There’s certainly a physical component to that, but it’s also mental, getting tougher and challenging guys.
“They have to respond if someone misses a line or doesn’t make a time. Conditioning has to be tough, mentally and physically.”
A disappointing season – losing seven of your final 11 games, with an NIT defeat at Kentucky, like UNLV did in 2008-09 – can also inspire in the summer and September.
“Absolutely,” Henson said. “Guys knew we didn’t finish the way we wanted to. Guys want to prove we’re better than that. Guys want to move on and put that behind us, and get off to a great start this season.
“I think guys are committed to that. Guys want to redeem themselves, if you will.”
Transfers, like Jasper (from Kentucky) and Chace Stanback (from UCLA), have another edge.
“They want to prove they are good players who are going to win ball games,” Henson said, “and show what they’re made of.”
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