Depth has helped A’ja Wilson, other players stay fresh for NCAA games

A’ja Wilson was talking after Thursday’s practice session in Columbia with teammate Jatarie White about the marathon length of the women’s college basketball season.

The two South Carolina freshmen have learned first-hand how the rigors of a long season that stretches deep into the postseason can be taxing on their bodies as well as their minds.

“We’ve been at this since June,” Wilson said as she sat next to White in the USC locker room at the Greensboro Coliseum. “We’ve been at basketball since June, every day, constantly. We might have a day off, but we always have something to do on that day off. . . . It’s tough.”

It is particularly challenging for first-year players who were accustomed to a much shorter high school season and very little off-court training such as conditioning and weight-lifting that is required at the college level.

Even so, USC has taken steps on and off the court to better ensure that players are fresh physically and sharp mentally as they continue to play in the NCAA tournament.

“The biggest thing I learned is that everybody is physically tired at this point in the season,” USC senior Aleighsa Welch said. “It’s about the mental preparation coming into the game and giving yourself the upper hand that way.”

Nothing has helped USC retain spring in its collective legs more than the way Coach Dawn Staley has utilized her team’s depth this season. A season ago, seven players averaged 15 or more minutes played per game. This season, Staley has increased that to nine players.

In an advance to the Sweet 16 a season ago, USC had four players average 26 or more minutes played per game, including Welch and Tiffany Mitchell whose minutes-played averages topped 30. This season, no player is averaging 30 minutes played per game.

Mitchell leads the team with an average of 29 minutes played each outing, followed by Welch’s 26 minutes. That means even the two leaders are getting one-quarter of each game to rest on the bench. For a freshman such as Wilson, averaging a half-game of playing time is certain to have long-term benefits.

“That’s probably one of the biggest differences; our depth has created fresh legs for us,” Staley said. “Our strength and conditioning coach and our trainer . . . they have been on top of our players all year long, and I don’t really see our players get winded.

“So, going into a tournament like this, where you need your best players playing at a high level, (we) are 14 deep. If the game is more than 40 minutes, I feel confident our players will be strong at the end of the game.”

Jon Vaden is in his eighth season as the team’s strength and conditioning coach. He said the physical and mental preparation for a long season begins in the offseason. By the time official practices begin in October, players already are in top physical shape.

Then the staff puts the team through rigorous preseason conditioning that is gradually tapered down throughout the regular season. By tournament time, Staley said practices include more skill-development sessions and fewer trips up and down the floor, either through scrimmages or wind sprints.

Vaden said it helps having a head coach who played the game at a high level.

“She’s just got a really good feel for it,” Vaden said of Staley. “I’ve talked to some other programs, and they have to talk to their coach all the time (about) you have to back off, you have to back off. I never have to do that. . . . She’s just got a great feel for that.”

Players said Staley constantly reminds them during the season to get proper rest. Staley also relies heavily on veteran players to monitor the younger players off the court.

“When you get to the dorm, drop your legs and lay down whenever you can,” senior Elem Ibiam said she advises younger players. “You’re not always out, doing everything. . . . Freshmen want to go out and do everything they see on campus, which is fine. But you have to make time to rest and keep your energy up.”

That is not always easy, according to Wilson. She said the constant scheduling of activities, from class to practices to weight-training to study hall allows little time for rest during the season. Add the fact that Wilson would prefer taking a walk on campus instead of sitting idly in her dorm room, and relaxation is difficult to come by.

Wilson said she figured out during the season that a nap between weight-training and study hall would have long-term benefits. That Staley also has limited her playing time throughout the season has aided the cause.

Now Wilson, as well as her teammates, believe their legs are strong and they are mentally prepared for the final four rounds of the NCAA tournament, no matter how long this season has seemed.

This story was originally published March 26, 2015 at 11:06 PM with the headline "Depth has helped A’ja Wilson, other players stay fresh for NCAA games."