Offseason crucial for success during regular season

The typical cycle of a college student includes class five days a week for roughly eight to nine months with the summer off to relax and take a break. Jobs get thrown into the mix, among other things, but the main idea is taking a break from the cycle of going to class every day.

Student-athletes are students as well, and when it comes to their respective sports, they’re continually putting in work during the offseason. Many coaches on campus, including new men’s basketball coach Craig Smith, said the offseason is actually the most important part of the calendar year for an athlete.

The Coyotes’ football season ended Nov. 23, followed by the next 10 weeks off as part of their “offseason.” Head coach Joe Glenn said nobody really considers it an offseason though.

“It’s good for them to take a little time to get football off their mind for a little bit, but not for too long,” he said. “Football is a game about preparation, and our guys know you have to use the offseason to prepare for the regular season.”

Having a good diet, lifting weights regularly, staying conditioned and keeping up with the playbook are just some of the aspects of the game the players are expected to partake in when they’re away from the field.

Programs not as highly funded by the university, such as tennis, are at a disadvantage for trying to improve in their off-seasons. Junior tennis player Nina Barudzic said not having an indoor tennis facility isn’t the best situation for trying to get better as a tennis player, so it’s important to focus on the things she can control.

“Being in a cold-weather state is tough for tennis players,” Barudzic said. “We are still expected to take our off-seasons seriously. A big thing for me is to make sure I’m running a lot to be in good shape for the season.”

Trey Norris, who started at point guard as a sophomore on the men’s basketball team said he knows this will be a big offseason adjusting to a new head coach. He also said being a Division-I athlete isn’t always easy, and there is no true offseason — but he knew that’s part of what he was getting himself into.

“We have a new coach this year and he seems very enthused with his job, but that also means we’ll have to learn quite a few new things,” Norris said. “His work has really already begun. We’ve been having 6 a.m. lifts and making sure we’re better than ever. It’s just part of the grind and you have to stay tough.”

Smith, who was just hired as the men’s basketball coach less than three weeks ago said his philosophy as a coach is player progression. A lot of that has to do with him working with each individual, but a good chunk has to do with the player himself, he said.

During the offseason, the NCAA allows coaches to work with basketball players up to two hours a week in terms of player development, but that number jumps up to eight hours a week when it’s combined with meeting with strength and conditioning coaches. This means the majority of the time a player’s offseason is spent working on their bodies.

Smith said skill development happens during the season, but the majority of it is team-oriented, as players are working on their offensive and defensive schemes. He said the best time to develop skills individually is during the offseason.

“They’ll get to go home for a month over the summer, but our guys better figure out that the best players are using that month to their advantage,” Smith said. “We’re going to be a very deep and talented team, so if you’re not putting the time in and making things over that month, you’re going to be left behind.”

Starting wide receiver Riley Donovan, coming off a team-leading 533-yard season, said the same can be said for football. If a player isn’t using the offseason to better his game, others will replace him.

“These past couple of months were crucial to me because I wanted to improve in so many areas of my game,” Donovan said. “I wanted to improve my route-running, my hands, my speed, just everything. I didn’t think of it as an offseason.”

Senior thrower Cody Snyder, who holds the school record for the shot put and discus said every athlete should have the same mind set during the offseason.

“The offseason is really the time to make yourself a better athlete, whereas during the season you want to refine that work to you specifically,” Snyder said.

Snyder redshirted during the indoor season of his freshman year, leaving him with another season to compete next year. He said his determination over the offseason this year won’t be hard to find. He wants to accomplish a goal of his, which is to make the U.S. Championships next year.

“I’m just a couple feet off right now so that’s what needs to be done this offseason,” Snyder said.

Photo: Sophomore middle blocker Kelsey Biltoft comes back down to the ground after spiking the ball during USD’s home scrimmage April 5. (Malachi Petersen/The Volante)