University of North Carolina Athletics
Men's Basketball Hits Weights In Preparation For 2001-02 Season
October 2, 2001 | Men's Basketball
Oct. 2, 2001
With the start of practice for the 2001-02 men's basketball season less that two weeks away, the Tar Heels are hitting the weight room with new strength and conditioning coach Thomas McKinney to prepare for the grind of an ACC season.
McKinney begins his first season in Chapel Hill, having joined the Carolina staff from Columbia University in New York.
"The intensity and style of play Coach Doherty wants to employ require that our players be in the best physical condition possible," McKinney says. "That includes strength, conditioning and mental development. I'm upbeat and vocal and I'll push our guys to make themselves better."
An Olympic-style weightlifter, McKinney previously resided at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. He earned a gold medal in the 1995 U.S. National Weightlifting Championships, silver medals in the 1995 Olympic Festival and the 1992 National Collegiate Championships, and bronze medals in the 1994 Olympic Festival and the American Open Championships.
"The Carolina approach to strength and conditioning is a year-round one," says McKinney, who also worked for one year as an assistant strength coach at Virginia. "We want our players to be able to compete against the challenging ACC schedule, our tough non-conference schedule and the rigors of the postseason. That kind of preparation will give our players the best opportunity to play in the NBA after they leave Carolina."
