legelegel
08-10-2008, 11:57 AM
Lose Weight or Else for the OSU Uptempo Game and Deja Vu Eaton
When Bryon Eaton comes to College Station this season, you will see less of him or you will probably will not see him at all.
Travis Ford has spent some of the summer teaching guard Byron Eaton that if he loses weight, he can better keep up with his new coach's uptempo style of play. Ford knows what he is talking about.
By JIMMIE TRAMEL, Tulsa World
8/9/2008
Point guard has lost 28 pounds over the summer.
JENKS — Heard the story about the floor general at Oklahoma State who got an ultimatum to shed pounds?
Byron Eaton? Sure.
But it's also the Travis Ford story.
Ford, OSU's new head basketball coach, is a former point guard at Missouri and Kentucky. When Ford transferred to Kentucky, coach Rick Pitino advised Ford to lose weight, or else.
"I came in at 160 and he wanted me at 150," Ford said during a Friday interview at his basketball camp in Jenks.
"I didn't think I could play at 150. I didn't think it was possible. I was like, man, this is the SEC and I'm not big to begin with. But once I got down to 150, I realized what a difference it made for me. It allowed me to play longer. I didn't get as tired as quick, so there was a difference and that's what I'm trying to convince guys like Byron of."
Eaton and his teammates will have to be lean because Ford, who uses an up-tempo style, is picking up the pace of play in Stillwater.
"That doesn't mean you don't need to be in shape to play other systems," Ford said. "But I know in this one you cannot survive unless you are in the best shape of your life."
Ford said his players, Eaton included, have done a great job of getting in shape this summer.
Eaton, who has struggled to stay svelte (http://www.yourdictionary.com/svelte) in three seasons as a starter, weighed 243 pounds in early June.
"Which is absurd," Ford said. "Whether you are playing basketball or not, that's too much for a 19- or 20-year-old kid to be weighing in at 5-9, 243. And here he is trying to make the NBA."
Eaton sweated out two months of two-a-day workouts with strength coach Jake Manzelmann and dropped 28 pounds.
"My question to Byron was, 'How much better do you feel?' " Ford said. "'When you are playing pickup with the guys, do you feel yourself playing longer? Do you feel yourself playing better and quicker?' And he said absolutely. If you see the benefits of it, this should not be difficult now to hopefully keep it off of you."
After summer school, many OSU players left campus to spend time with their families. Ford hopes home cooking doesn't sabotage the slim-down mission. He wants Eaton to get to an acceptable weight and stay there.
"I think it is going to boil down to this," Ford said. "If he stays at 215, he will be in the NBA this time next year. I think it's that simple with him. I really do. But, again, most people would say that's an easy thing to do if you are telling a kid that is something he can control. But he has proven he can't do it. He has proven in the past that he has had trouble doing it, so we will see."
Ford isn't shy about broaching the subject with Eaton.
"I'll do it every day until he hopefully gets tired of me saying that," Ford said. "Hopefully he gets sick of seeing me and tired of hearing me say that. I hope he does."
When Bryon Eaton comes to College Station this season, you will see less of him or you will probably will not see him at all.
Travis Ford has spent some of the summer teaching guard Byron Eaton that if he loses weight, he can better keep up with his new coach's uptempo style of play. Ford knows what he is talking about.
By JIMMIE TRAMEL, Tulsa World
8/9/2008
Point guard has lost 28 pounds over the summer.
JENKS — Heard the story about the floor general at Oklahoma State who got an ultimatum to shed pounds?
Byron Eaton? Sure.
But it's also the Travis Ford story.
Ford, OSU's new head basketball coach, is a former point guard at Missouri and Kentucky. When Ford transferred to Kentucky, coach Rick Pitino advised Ford to lose weight, or else.
"I came in at 160 and he wanted me at 150," Ford said during a Friday interview at his basketball camp in Jenks.
"I didn't think I could play at 150. I didn't think it was possible. I was like, man, this is the SEC and I'm not big to begin with. But once I got down to 150, I realized what a difference it made for me. It allowed me to play longer. I didn't get as tired as quick, so there was a difference and that's what I'm trying to convince guys like Byron of."
Eaton and his teammates will have to be lean because Ford, who uses an up-tempo style, is picking up the pace of play in Stillwater.
"That doesn't mean you don't need to be in shape to play other systems," Ford said. "But I know in this one you cannot survive unless you are in the best shape of your life."
Ford said his players, Eaton included, have done a great job of getting in shape this summer.
Eaton, who has struggled to stay svelte (http://www.yourdictionary.com/svelte) in three seasons as a starter, weighed 243 pounds in early June.
"Which is absurd," Ford said. "Whether you are playing basketball or not, that's too much for a 19- or 20-year-old kid to be weighing in at 5-9, 243. And here he is trying to make the NBA."
Eaton sweated out two months of two-a-day workouts with strength coach Jake Manzelmann and dropped 28 pounds.
"My question to Byron was, 'How much better do you feel?' " Ford said. "'When you are playing pickup with the guys, do you feel yourself playing longer? Do you feel yourself playing better and quicker?' And he said absolutely. If you see the benefits of it, this should not be difficult now to hopefully keep it off of you."
After summer school, many OSU players left campus to spend time with their families. Ford hopes home cooking doesn't sabotage the slim-down mission. He wants Eaton to get to an acceptable weight and stay there.
"I think it is going to boil down to this," Ford said. "If he stays at 215, he will be in the NBA this time next year. I think it's that simple with him. I really do. But, again, most people would say that's an easy thing to do if you are telling a kid that is something he can control. But he has proven he can't do it. He has proven in the past that he has had trouble doing it, so we will see."
Ford isn't shy about broaching the subject with Eaton.
"I'll do it every day until he hopefully gets tired of me saying that," Ford said. "Hopefully he gets sick of seeing me and tired of hearing me say that. I hope he does."