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Kansas Basketball: Jayhawks hit the weight room hard in off-season

By Carmine Carcieri

Mar 26, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Kansas Jayhawks forward Carlton Bragg Jr. (15) reacts on the bench against the Villanova Wildcats during the first half of the south regional final of the NCAA Tournament at KFC YUM!. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 26, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Kansas Jayhawks forward Carlton Bragg Jr. (15) reacts on the bench against the Villanova Wildcats during the first half of the south regional final of the NCAA Tournament at KFC YUM!. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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Andrea Hudy has guided Kansas basketball players in the proper direction this off-season.

There is always talk about weight room commitments in the off-season. Most young athletes, need to add or drop some weight in order to get the most out of their athletic abilities at the college level.

Related Story: Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk brings more than just a great name to KU

While the off-season is about developing your game on the court, it’s also about building strength and conditioning to get ready for the grind of the college basketball season that starts in November.

Under the guidance of assistant athletic director for sports performance, Andrea Hudy, the Kansas Jayhawks are showing that their training practices are some of the best in the country. Three players in particular, Carlton Bragg Jr., Udoka Azubuike, and Josh Jackson, have transformed their bodies in a positive way, according to a report from the Kansas City Star.

"Needing to shed some baby fat, 16-year-old Kansas freshman Udoka Azubuike has dropped 27 pounds since arriving on campus for summer school in June.In need of some bulk, fellow frosh Josh Jackson has gained 17 pounds in the same time frame, while svelte sophomore Carlton Bragg has added 26 pounds since the end of the 2015-16 season.Those are some of the more dramatic results made by KU basketball players in the training room/weight room in a relatively short period of time."

Bragg has gained 26 pounds (!)…26! For a player that has struggled to establish his position in the low post, this is huge deal for Kansas. Obviously, Bragg (a sophomore) is going to have to battle for minutes in the front court, but he already has the ability to space the floor and make plays from the perimeter. Now, add a low post game, and Bragg could be a legitimate high quality NBA prospect.

Because the loss of Perry Ellis, and Bragg’s hard work in the off-season, expect his minutes (8.9 per game last year) to drastically increase. His scoring (3.8 points) and rebounding (2.5 boards) will also be much better in 2016-17.

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While Bragg’s development is the most impressive of the three, it’s important to note that Jackson is the most critical piece to Kansas’ puzzle.

The versatile small forward is a five-star recruit and the 2nd best player (according to ESPN) in the class of 2016. He has the competitive fire, defensive energy, scoring mentality, ball handling skills and effective passing ability to be the best freshman in the country. Other than the consistency of his jump shot, the one area that Jackson has needed to hone in on is his strength.

Instead of being listed as 185 pounds, Jackson is now just over 200. That 17 pounds will be critical in terms of guarding numerous positions. He can now overpower opposing shooting guards with his increased power, and lock down bigger threes on the other end with more ease.

Jackson has Andrew Wiggins-like expectations coming into the 2016-17 season, and he is already living up to them by packing on some bulk.

The final Jayhawk is Azubuike. At 6’11”, Azubuike already has the size and the power. The Jayhawks training staff did their best work this summer by helping the five-star freshman drop some weight to improve his conditioning, but doing it in a way that maintains his strength.

This will help the center run the floor, while still having the size to dominant opposing bigs on the block in the half court.

Next: Top sophomores in 2016-17

Kansas is searching for their 13th straight Big 12 regular season conference title. They are a top-10 team in 2016-17 and a National Title contender. This only bodes well for Bill Self.

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