Blog with Bryan Smithson

So I have been staying back in kennesaw now and the last week or so I have really been focused in the weight room.  Gaining strength and adding some lean muscle in order to be able to take on the grind of a season when the opportunity arises.  I haven't been able to find any good pick up games because almost all players are in season right now- from high school all the way up to the nba.  Not many teams are too excited about permitting me to practice with them because they are in the middle of the season and there are rules and liabilities involved, which I understand.  So, instead of going to the gym by myself and not getting the most out of my days I have traveled down here to Bradenton Florida to work out with my guy Dan Barto.  I have mentioned Dan's name on here before and how effective he is when it comes to skill development and just all-out knowledge of the game.  I got here late last night and I already had one workout this morning, which I don't think I was properly hydrated for!!  However, I am excited because I haven't been able to work out on the court more than once a day since I have been back.  When I have multiple workouts in a day it really creates a focus for recovery similar to what you would go through in a long season.  Especially if I go overseas where they are known for their long practices multiple times throughout a day. 

I am glad to be here so I can bury myself in basketball.  I have found it to be very effective to change things up, especially when you feel yourself getting comfortable in routine.  Not to leave out that it is almost 80 degrees here today.  Im not sure how long I will be here because I could get signed somewhere as early as tomorrow or in a couple weeks.  I've heard from a couple teams overseas but no decisions have been made yet.  I am just waiting on the phone call that will put me on an airplane (going somewhere!!) so I might as well be prepared to step in and play without much practice time with a particular team. 

Posted by bryan at 03:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Wow! It has been such a long time since I posted something on the website.  I will be posting regularly again so I hope everybody finds time to check the site for updates and use the message boards to talk amongst each other about anything that may come up.  With that said, many things have happened in the past couple months and I want to take the time to get everybody caught up.  During a pre draft workout I ran into some knee problems that I had to have taken care of immediately.  Obviously, the decision to do this dropped my stock a ton because I was not able to work out for any teams nor was I able to negotiate any deals because I wasn't 100%.  I spent the next couple months living in Pensacola florida where I was able to both rehabilitate as well as keep my body in prime shape.  To anybody who runs into injuries- major or minor- I recommend checking out the facilities in Gulf Breeze Florida.  It is called Athletes Performance and Baptist Rehabilitation.  They work together to make sure your body is being taken care of with attention to rehab, weights, speed, agility, power, conditioning, performance, nutrition, and anything else you may need or want when training.  I made the decision to work out 8 hour days (including breakfast, lunch, and dinner breaks) in order to get back to 100% as well as work on my strength and movement patterns.  When I left there in October my body was completely transformed as far as the way i moved and I gained 10 lbs while losing 2 % body fat.  It was a very difficult experience but very necessary in order to get to the next step in my career. 

As I said before I left Florida in October just on time to attend my sister's wedding.  Her and her new husband are from Arizona but decided to have their wedding in Georgia which was very nice.  I couldn't have been happier for the two of them and wish them the best of luck.  In order to prepare for the wedding and attend I took 3 days off and after that it was right back to training.  Although, I was done in florida I began my on the court training again to get my coordination and wind back.  So I have spent the last month and a half working out with Ken Potasnak in Atlanta who recently ended his stint as the South Carolina asst coach.  We had around 30 sessions of intense training and conditioning, while I lifted weights and worked on movement stuff in between.  He is very intelligent when it comes to skill development and shooting mechanics so I enjoyed working with him.   See November's issue of ESPN the magazine because he has an article in there.  I had my last session with him this past saturday.  I had to do some shooting drills and pass a conditioning test, which i did, in order to be free from those. 

It actually upsets me that I was able to sum up the last couple months above in two paragraphs because it seems like so much more has happened but I think it is just all the attention to detail i have had to deal with in all this.  I got cleared yesterday to start playing live 5 on 5 so I am extremely excited about that.  My next challenge is finding organized basketball for the next couple weeks to get my timing back.  The plan is to sign a deal in the next month but one thing i have learned in this whole time of recovery is you can't look to far forward.  In fact, I find it detramental to even take it day by day.  It has to be minute by minute and rep by rep or I will sell myself short at this point.  I know everyone reading this is like - O I know Bryan has been doing more than this-- and actually it may be sad to some, but with all honesty this is all i have done and I have just made myself even more hungry.  So, hopefully from here on out I can keep everybody updated on what is going on in my life and I know there is several people that hoped i dropped off the face of the Earth but Im sorry, I have only just began.   

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Posted by bryan at 03:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)