Breakfast Buffet: West Virginia lands point guard of future

1. Dayton transfer Juwan Staten had been planning to attend Penn State next season before the abrupt resignation of guard-oriented coach Ed DeChellis caused him to quickly reconsider. Now the former top 75 recruit has decided to transfer to West Virginia, where he and LaSalle transfer Aaric Murray will sit out a year before becoming eligible for the 2012-13 season.

2. Spurned by high school prospects Angelo Chol and Norvel Pelle and junior college star God's Gift Achiuwa, Washington has finally found a big man to provide the depth it lacked for next season. German forward Martin Breunig, who backed out of his letter of intent to Maryland after Gary Williams' resignation, chose Washington over South Florida on Sunday.

3. From Taylor King, to Gary Franklin, to the Wear twins, numerous former Santa Ana Mater Dei stars have transferred once they've gotten to college. The Los Angeles Times examines the trend, which in part appears to be a product of Mater Dei prospects being overexposed and overhyped in high school and then dissatisfied with their playing time or production in college.

4. The Big Ten basketball tournament will rotate between two of the Midwest's premier basketball venues. The United Center in Chicago will host the men's and women's basketball tournaments in 2013 and 2015, while Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis will be the host in 2012, 2014 and 2016.

5. Much of the reason Boston University's Pat Chambers has been lauded as a good hire for Penn State stems from his recruiting ties to Philadelphia. ESPN.com's Dana O'Neil argues eloquently that it's just as important that the 39-year-old Chambers will bring youth, energy and pizazz to a program that has lacked those qualities in recent years.

UNC-Asheville's John Williams proves Blake Griffin isn't the only basketball player who can leap over a car and throw down a dunk. Credit the 6-4 Williams for leaping the roof of the car rather than the hood the way Griffin did, though it would have been a better video if he dunked all in one motion.

"He will be drafted within the first 25 minutes of the draft. I've made one comment to all the teams, whatever you think his upside is within three or four years, he will become that because of his work ethic.." -- Kentucky coach John Calipari on the draft prospects of point guard Brandon Knight. (CoachCal.com)

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No More Fat Guy: A Story of Hard Work

John Daly of CrossFit BTB in Atlanta, Ga., has come a long way to compete in the Reebok CrossFit Games Open.

Two-and-a-half years ago he was 260 lb. He’s now 60 lb. lighter, and Daly says CrossFit has “really done a lot to improve my life.”

But it didn’t happen overnight. Daly says he was at first very intimidated by CrossFit.

“The first day I walked into the gym, everyone was doing the CrossFit Total,” he says. “The first thing that went into my mind after I walked in the door was I was going to turn around.”

After his first taste of two rounds of Cindy, Daly was sold. The weight gradually came off through lifestyle and diet changes that CrossFit spurred. For his diet, he made incremental adjustments.

“It was a progressive move. I didn’t give up everything all at once, so I think that’s why I was a little bit more successful,” he says.

According to Daly, a combination of Paleo-Zone works best for him, and he attributes his overall success to CrossFit.

“It basically changed my life in so many different ways,” he says.

10min 36sec

Additional reading: By the Numbers by Amy Santamaria and Tim Retzik, published Sept. 29, 2010.

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Sherwood Chronicles: Community Member Jon Barba

Today, Pat Sherwood is in Golden, Colo., to meet members of the CrossFit community. Sherwood turns the mic over to Nicole Christensen from CrossFit Roots, who is interviewing Jon Barba at a Level 1 Trainer Course hosted by the Colorado State Patrol Academy.

In Part 1, Barba discusses the academy’s long history of hosting Level 1s.

“When people leave here, they truly have an understanding of what CrossFit is and are really at least given the opportunity to be much better at those nine basic movements that seem to be the cornerstone of all of these great things that you see on the main site,” he says.

CrossFit is so important to the academy because it is its principle strength-and-conditioning program for cadets. Barba shares how he found CrossFit and how he brought it to the academy. The benefits were obvious.

“Not only were (the cadets) able to fight longer and harder, but they recovered faster,” he says.

In Part 2, Barba shares how CrossFit has made him better at other sports like mixed martial arts and football. He stresses how important nutrition is to his fitness and wishes he had cleaned up his diet earlier.

“It’s been all the difference for me,” he says.

Now recovering from an ACL injury, Barba says CrossFit “saved my life.” CrossFit provided the tools to help him face surgery and recovery and provided him with goals to work his weaknesses.

Part 1:
15min 03sec

Part 2:
6min 44sec

Additional reading: Working Wounded by Greg Glassman, published May 1, 2005.

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sat, jan 29, 2011

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Pryor apologizes to Ohio State, Tressel, but doesn’t explain why

Terrelle Pryor spoke to the media for the first time since, well, quite possibly spring football, but what he had to say -- all 97 seconds of it -- didn't quite live up to what folks were hoping to hear.

In a prepared statement, Pryor, flanked by his agent Drew Rosenhaus, apologized.

And apologized.

And apologized.

But he never really explained what he was apologizing for, just a general apology that vaguely acknowledged wrongdoing.

"In terms of Ohio State, I'd like to say sorry to the coaching staff, say sorry to my teammates, say sorry to all of Buckeye nation and all Buckeye fans across the country," he said during the press conference Tuesday. "I never meant to hurt anybody directly or indirectly with my conduct off the field and I am truly sorry."

The "conduct off the field" is something that has come under great scrutiny the past few weeks and was ultimately what prompted Pryor to leave Ohio State last week. Pryor has been linked to selling his memorabilia in exchange for tattoos, driving suspicious vehicles that may or may not have been loaners and signing memorabilia for a man named Dennis Talbott for upwards of $40,000 a year.

But he didn't mention any of that. In fact, Rosenhaus made sure none of the specifics were broached.

Rosenhaus said Pryor had expressed "tremendous remorse" and is "responsible for the mistakes he has made. He has owned up to them. … But the past is now the past."

The past may be the past for Pryor, who acknowledged he was going to enter the NFL's supplemental draft in July, but it will ultimately be the future for Ohio State. The school and its current and future players will have to pay for Pryor's conduct.

However, Pryor seemed genuinely remorseful, especially when it came to former coach Jim Tressel, who resigned on May 30 in part because of the actions of Pryor and four other teammates who traded memorabilia for tattoos and in part because of trying to cover up the scandal.

"To coach Jim Tressel, a special shout-out, I'm sorry for all I've done," Pyor said. "I apologize with all my heart. I love you just like a father. You taught me a lot. I apologize for being in a situation that [has taken] you out of a job and a place that you loved to be. I regret the fact that you're not there anymore, and I regret that fact I'm not there anymore."

Rosenhaus said he spoke to Tressel about Pryor before bringing him on as a client and that Tressel supported his former top recruit.

"I was very moved with what Jim Tressel had to say to me," Rosenhaus said. "I don't know that I've ever heard a coach speak more fondly of a player than Jim Tressel spoke about Terrelle. He talked about him in the same way you would talk about a son. They talk every day four or five times a day. There's no way that I would be representing him, working with Terrelle, without Jim Tressel's involvement."

Pryor said he also planned to return to Ohio State to get his degree -- he's nine credits short of graduating -- and, he also said, "One of my goals is to be the best person I can possibly be off the field, be the best role model I can possibly be off the field."

It's hard to determine whether Pryor is serious about change or is pandering to the NFL. Earlier in the day, Chad Ochocinco, another Rosenhaus client, tweeted about Pryor's ability to be an NFL quarterback after a workout Tuesday morning.

"the media said @tpeezy2 isn't NFL type QB, after running routes n seeing great timing n arm strength I beg to differ."

The whole exchange seemed more like a way to increase Pryor's value as an NFL quarterback than an honest assessment of Pryor's skills.

So, when Pryor tried to give his heartfelt speech, but declined to take questions or cite specifics, the whole press conference seemed a little thin as well. Especially after Rosenhaus abruptly ended the event.

"I think I've said it all," Rosenhaus said after about six minutes. "So I'd like to thank everybody for coming. Guys, we're going to shut it down right now and I appreciate your time. Thank you."

Rosenhaus said he hoped Ohio State could come to embrace Terrelle Pryor again, but I think it's going to take awhile for the wounds to heal. While not everything that went down was Pryor's fault, he was complicit in a lot of it and, as noted earlier, it could ruin Ohio State football for some time.

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The Mental Fight

“The only reason that I won that fight was because of CrossFit New England,” says Eric Cusson, a mixed-martial-arts champion and CrossFitter out of CrossFit New England. He says CrossFit gave him the endurance and mental fortitude to win an important tournament.

According to Cusson, CrossFit provides more than a physical benefit. It provides a mental edge. He says he became a fighter and a skydiver to conquer his fears, and he believes CrossFit provides him with the same stimulus. While most of his workouts are standard CrossFit fare, he also asks CrossFit New England owner Ben Bergeron to program fight WODs for him in preparation for the cage.

Cusson says that a CrossFit gym differs from any other gym.

“You come into here and there’s no need for, like, attitudes because at the end of the class everyone’s pretty much going to be on the floor sweating and gasping for air, so you respect everybody,” he says.

In fact, Cusson used to train at a gym five minutes from his house but now embraces a longer commute.

“Now I’m driving like 40 minutes, 45 minutes, to come to CrossFit,” Cusson says. “It’s so worth it.”

The UFC Fan Expo in Toronto, Ont., will be home to a CrossFit competition April 29-30. Register for the competition here, buy tickets to watch here and e-mail questions to games@crossfit.com.

Video by Again Faster.

9min 43sec

Additional reading: Fight Gone CrossFit by Jack Goodson, published April 8, 2011.

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CrossFit Football?Shuttle Runs: Parts 1-2

“What we’re looking for is speed endurance,” says CrossFit Football coach Raphael Ruiz coach as he discusses the NFL Combine’s shuttle run. “They’re looking for your motor.”

In this two-part series, the cameras provide a peek into a CrossFit Football seminar, where you can learn how to add shuttle runs into your coaching and training toolbox.

In Part 1, Ruiz begins with the pro long shuttle. This 60-yard shuttle utilizes “hard cuts” or changes in direction.

“You’re running in one direction, you’ve created inertia, and then we want to stop it and create inertia in the opposite direction,” he says.

According to Ruiz, the three-cone L drill, also known as the “pro agility drill,” is much more complex to coach and perform. After a five-yard hard cut, athletes break to the right in a speed cut in which they “change directions and accelerate at the same time,” according to Ruiz. Foot placement is key, and Ruiz teaches the techniques needed to navigate the drill.

In Part 2, Ruiz teaches the short shuttle, also known as the “5-10-5.” With the assistance of CrossFit Football’s John Welbourn, he coaches athletes through the drill. According to Ruiz, you can be creative in training with shuttle runs.

“You can go resisted or assisted—whatever one you want to do—and you can be as creative as you possibly want to be,” Ruiz says. “You’re going to test the same way, but use this as a standard agility developer, so you can do anything from shuffle to sprint, backpedal to sprint, sprint to sprint—any combination that will allow you to do it.”

Part 1
8min 38sec

Part 2
8min 58sec

Additional reading: CrossFit Athletes Vs. the Combine 360 by Dave Castro, published Sept. 14, 2010.

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