Syracuse University Strength and Conditioning Coach Will Hicks
On how a facility like this helps in the recruiting process:
“We get a fairly positive reaction now when we recruit athletes on campus in all sports – football, basketball, lacrosse, soccer – and the positive reaction is because of the staff we have and how we assign a coach to each team. We also get a reaction when they look at the size of the room, and they say “how many weight rooms do you have on campus” and we say “one.” They say “everyone uses this one” and we say “yes,” and then we make it into a positive. Originally, it is how does everyone use it at the same time, and we explain how creatively we assign hours and spots. As Jake mentioned, if you can get the wow effect in recruiting, either by glitz or by size, it will help.”
On how excited he is about the new facility:
“I am like a kid in a candy store. When you are a strength and conditioning coach and you get a chance to build what we are going to consider the best in the country at the time, you have to be excited. Two weeks ago, I had a meeting with Jake and the commitment we are making is that we want to be in Sports Illustrated in an article as the best strength and condition facility in the country – Syracuse University. Right now it’s Arizona State, two years ago it was Nebraska and before that it was Texas. The crazy thing about this business is that you only get that for about a year and then someone is going to one-up you. Our goal when it is said and done is that you all will be back again because it is the best in the country.”
On if he studied what was done at other schools:
“This will be the third facility in my 21 years as a strength coach that I have been part of building. I know the strength coach at Arizona State and have talked with him, consulted vendors across the country who have outfitted the other rooms and consulted a couple of firms that have been in contact with the other rooms to not necessarily find out what they have that is good, but what they would have changed after the fact. Always when you build something, after the fact you think, ‘Oh I should have done this or that.’ I have tried to do background homework about what they thought they should have been done, so we do it ahead of time. What we don’t want to happen after we put the resources and effort into this is for anything to be an afterthought. When we turn this over, it’s going to be mind-boggling.”
On recruiting:
“Every student-athlete who comes on our campus, officially or unofficially, whether its field hockey or football, the athlete wants to see the weight room and the coaches of that sport, want them to meet the strength and conditioning coach who works with them during their career. Student-athletes coming out of high school get caught up in what development is going to occur during their college career – I came in at this speed and I am going to leave at this speed, how am I going to develop to become better at my chosen sport. It’s a major role in the recruiting process.”
