Texas Tech Basketball Players’ Amazing Physical Transformations

Thanks to the work of strength and conditioning coach John Reilly, many Texas Tech basketball players made tremendous increases in their overall strength and conditioning, a key factor in last year’s Elite 8 run.

One of the most overlooked aspects of any athletic program is the work done by the athletes and trainers in the weight room.  It is in the hundreds of hours spent lifting weights and training their bodies that games can be won or lost months before they are ever contested.

Recently, Texas Tech basketball head strength and conditioning coach John Reilly has shared via Twitter some of his most amazing successes from this year allowing Red Raider fans to see how much of an impact the work of the training staff had on the 2017-18 team.

Reilly said that the biggest challenge of his career has been forward Malik Ondigo.  When he signed with Texas Tech, Ondigo was listed at 6-foot-11, 209-pounds making him far too thin too hold is own in the paint against powerful players like KU’s Udoka Azubuike (270 pounds), Texas’ Mo Bamba (225 pounds) or  West Virginia’s Sag Konate (260 pounds).

But Reilly posted photos of Ondigo’s transformation after adding 22 pounds to his lanky frame after a year of consuming as many as 7,000 calories per day.

The extra bulk will be critical for Ondigo next season.  The loss of seniors Tommy Hamilton and Zach Smith means that Ondigo will have to play a critical role next year in the post.  Despite the fact that Texas Tech has landed grad transfer center Tariq Owens to reinforce its interior defense, Ondigo will be expected to be more of a factor next season and if he can continue to get stronger under Reilly’s guidance, he could develop into a force for Texas Tech.

Speaking of Tommy Hamilton, the senior had a similarly impressive transformation under John Reilly, though he had do to the opposite of Ondigo.  When Hamilton arrived in Lubbock after his junior season at DePaul, he was over 265 pounds.  He eventually tipped the scales at 300 pounds while he sat out a year due to NCAA transfer rules.

However, that changed in the past year as Hamilton dropped 50 pounds.  The results were evident on the floor as Hamilton became an effective defender and rebounder for Texas Tech helping to take up the slack for the loss of Zach Smith.

Speaking of big man transformations, Reilly worked wonders with 6-foot-9 forward Norense Odiase who was coming off a foot injury that cost him the 2016-17 season.  After playing at 255 pounds in 2015-16, Odiase put on weight as the injury forced him into the role of spectator during his junior season.

When Reilly arrived two seasons ago, Odiase was also near 300 pounds but he was able to work himself back into shape.  The new Odiase proved to be a better and more active defender in the post.  His quickness was noticeably improved as he was often diving after loose balls and even joining the team on the fast break from time to time.

In February, Reilly Tweeted out video of Odiase doing squats in the weight room.  Included in the tweet, Reilly said that many told him that Odiase would never be able to do a full squat due to mobility issues.  However, Odiase’s hard work and Reilly’s program paid dividends making the big man a true success story.

Had Odiase not transformed his physique, he likely would not have been able to operate in Chris Beard’s motion offense which does not allow players to simply park themselves in the low block while waiting for the ball.  Now, he must refine his game so that his shooting, ball-handling and passing abilities are more in line with what the offense calls for.

Finally, Reilly shared proof of the hand he had in the biggest individual success story in Texas Tech basketball history, Zhaire Smith.  By now, every Red Raider fan knows about his remarkable rise from three-star prospect to sure-fire NBA first-round pick in just a year.

Obviously, a significant aspect of Zhaire Smith’s development into an NBA draftee came in the weight room.  According to Reilly, Smith added 17 pounds of muscle which doubtlessly contributed to his now famous highlight dunks.

No one knew how important it would be for Zhaire Smith to become stronger as a player until he was called upon to help replace Zach Smith in the post.  After Zach Smith went out of the lineup, Zhaire Smith became Texas Tech’s best post defender often being called upon to guard players several inches taller and as many as 50 pounds heavier than he was.

Now, that work in the weight room will help Zhaire Smith as he heads to the NBA Combine later this month.  One of Zhaire Smith’s top assets is his versatility, especially on defense and the strength he added in his one year under John Reilly could end up making him millions of dollars.

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Far too often, the strength and conditioning staff fail to receive credit for the work they do with student athletes.  But in bringing aboard John Reilly, it is obvious that Chris Beard found the perfect man to help Texas Tech prepare for the physical rigors of Big 12 basketball.