How has USC women’s basketball worked out during a pandemic? ‘Think outside the box’
No, Molly Binetti says, you won’t see any social media posts of South Carolina women’s basketball players pushing cars and trucks for a workout like some other athletes.
But in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the Gamecocks’ strength and conditioning coach said she’s still had to get creative in helping players stay in shape.
It’s been three months since the NCAA canceled March Madness, abruptly ending what had been a dream season for USC and coach Dawn Staley. Since then, players have had some time to rest, recover and turn the page to 2020-21 — when the Gamecocks are still expected to be Final Four and national title contenders.
While the SEC approved the return of student-athletes to campus starting June 8, the USC women’s basketball team has yet to return as of now.
And in the meantime, most of the players haven’t had access to gyms or weight rooms, Binetti told The State.
“It’s been a combination of being able to do things at home, it’s been a combination of doing things outside,” Binetti said of the workout programs she’s helped players build. “There have been times where athletes have had access to inside a gym but for ... the most part it’s really been a combination of at home, outside, parks, wherever they can get access to.”
In lieu of weights and equipment, players have had to use whatever they can get their hands on — laundry detergent jugs for weights, furniture for resistance, even holding younger siblings can up the difficulty while doing squats.
If nothing else, Binetti said, they’ll do body weight exercises, with towels or other household items used to create extra resistance.
“There are other ways that you can kind of manipulate workouts to get the same desired effect,” Binetti said. “But you have to be creative with it, you got to be willing to think outside the box a little bit and do things in a non-traditional way.”
In some ways, Binetti said, all these constraints actually fit well with her overall approach to her job — she likes to customize programs to what each individual likes best and will follow through on.
“That kind of plays to our advantage during times like these where, especially as we’ve navigated into times where I can’t make anything mandatory of them ... they take a little bit more proactive approach to being able to take initiative and ask me for workout programs,” Binetti said. “They have an understanding of things to do, what they like, what makes them feel good, what they know helps them.”
Thus far, players have responded well to the challenge, Binetti said. But they’re not the only ones who have had to try new things. Binetti admitted that she’s had to “expand (her) toolbox” in order to stay ahead.
“You never think you’re going to be in a situation like this, but I think when you really sound out what you want to accomplish, you’re gonna find a way to get it done,” Binetti said. “So it’s a combination of experience, a combination of learning from other people and just kind of thinking on the fly and adapting.”
The NCAA Division I Council has approved a plan for basketball programs to start required athletic activities July 20 — if South Carolina players return before then, they can participate in voluntary workouts. When they do, Staley has said, they’ll likely do so in smaller groups of four or so players each. That won’t change much in the weight room where smaller groups are already typical, Binetti said. But there will still be some adjustments given the long layoff.
“I think the biggest change is just going to be literally scaling back what we do and taking a slow cooking approach to our development, whatever it is that we get them back,” Binetti said.
