Five Texas Tech basketball tidbits from strength coach John Reilly
Even though Texas Tech's 2017-18 basketball season ended less than two months ago, the hard work continues within the program. John Reilly, the Red Raiders' head strength and conditioning coach, was a guest Tuesday afternoon on Double T 97.3 and shared these five tidbits on the offseason, Zhaire Smith's incredible showing at the NBA Combine and more.
1. Huge offseason ahead for Jarrett Culver
Rising sophomore Jarrett Culver has added seven pounds since the season ended. Reilly said that Culver has added 17 pounds total since he first arrived on campus, and the goal is to add another seven pounds before the 2018-19 season starts. Culver was still recovering from shoulder surgery this time last year, so this will be his first full offseason with Reilly.
2. Plan in place for grad transfers
Texas Tech has added a pair of grad transfers, St. Johns' Tariq Owens and South Dakota's Matt Mooney, to the program in recent weeks and Reilly has a plan in place for both to maximize their short time on the South Plains. The focus with Mooney will be to lean him out a bit and add speed, while Owens will work toward adding 15 pounds during the offseason.
3. Davide Moretti also benefiting from offseason
Davide Moretti, like Culver, is starting his first full offseason with the Red Raiders. The Italian national inked with Texas Tech last June and didn't arrive on campus until late in the offseason. He started out at 157 pounds last year and has since added 20 pounds, with five of those coming since the season ended. Moretti's summer will include time back in Europe with the Italian national program, but the rising sophomore will still be following Reilly's program while overseas.
4. Zhaire Smith was different from the start
Reilly said that he knew Zhaire Smith was a special athlete from one of Smith's first days on campus, when the freshman-to-be logged a 42-inch vertical at 185 pounds during testing.
5. The Red Raiders' before-and-after photos are used in recruiting
The before-and-after photos that Reilly has been tweeting out over the last few weeks are used in recruiting. Reilly said that they can point to results with every single player on the roster as proof that their system and process works.