Elite 24

For the second consecutive year, the athletes competing in the Elite 24 event got to see, feel and experience just what it takes to make it to the next level when they went through a performance training workout and combine drills with Under Armour TNP Performance Training Council member Steve Hess. Hess, the Strength and Conditioning coach for the Denver Nuggets, spoke to the players before the workout and told them that if they wanted to make it to the top, they would perform like this everyday. This is the type of conditioning work that he puts Carmelo Anthony and the rest of the Western Conference finalist Nuggets through daily. Steve told the athletes that there are 350 jobs in the NBA, and billions of people in the world, telling them that its easier to become a neurosurgeon, odds-wise, than an NBA player. With that, Hess put the boys to work.

The workout started with Hess and his team of trainers leading the athletes through a dynamic warm-up. Designed to stretch and warm the muscles throughout the entire body, many of the athletes saw that they were in for something they had never experienced just by the intensity of the warm-up. The enthusiasm never wavered from start to finish and while there were two teams on the court, all 24 players banded together to pump up and rally each other. Once everyone was loose, it was time to hit the circuit.

Hess set up 24 stations, and each player went all-out for a minute on each one. Stations varied from agility work to power drills, with speed, endurance and will all necessary to get through each station. Whether it was resistance cords hung from the rims, plyo box jumps at mid-court, agility hops down the sideline or whipping a massive rope anchored to the floor, Hess turned the hardwood into the hottest Performance Training spot in the city for 45 minutes.  In between stations, the athletes ran sprints, making this a true test of endurance. Through all the sweat and heavy breathing, each athlete knew they couldn't give up, as this was what they'd need to do to continue to get better daily and make it to the NBA, where this would be the norm.

Once the grueling circuit was complete, Hess and his team demonstrated NBA Combine drills to the team and then put them through those as well. Drills here included the Standing Vertical Jump, Max Reach Vertical (3 steps before jump), Lane Agility Drill, ≤ Court Sprint and Bench Press. The athletes were eager to learn and try the drills, as many of them will soon go through them as they move up the ranks in their hoops careers.

Following the 90 minute session, many of the athletes thanked Hess and his team for the opportunity to learn from him as well as teaching them new ways to train. As Hess said afterward, even in this short of a time, he felt that he was able to give each athlete something that will help make them better, which is the mission of Hess, Under Armour and TNP Performance Training.