It’s clear that Illinois does a good job of bulking up its guys during the summer, as we’ve seen with countless transformations, notably with guys like Ben Humrichous, Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley. Big Z continues to bulk up even further after his 27-pound transformation last offseason.
Head coach Brad Underwood spoke with the media for the first time this summer on Tuesday, praising strength coach Adam Fletcher for the work he puts in on the guys every year.
“The important thing is what we’ve done with Adam, with Fletch, this time of year,” Underwood said.
He pointed out one guy who’s putting in the work to become even better than he was last year.
“I think the one thing with Mirk is just, physically,” Underwood said. “Fletch does a great job of improving verticals, getting guys more athletic, getting guys leaned up, more comfortable and dialed in with what their body weight should be.”
David Mirkovic, who seemed like a poised, confident, hungry freshman in year one, could be twice as dangerous with additional confidence.
“It’s just the confidence that goes with that,” Underwood said. “It’s the old cliche I’ve used a million times, the best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores. You see the confidence in that.”
That work in the weight room could directly translate to relentlessness on defense, something Underwood preached about last season, and is hammering down on his guys again this offseason.
When asked what mentality tweaks there are heading into the season, Underwood pointed out one thing:
“Aggressiveness,” Underwood said. “It’s still kind of the same concepts we’ve had, but we’ve just got to do it with more assertion, with more tenacity, with more emphasis on my part in terms of trying to create a steal or two and blocking more shots. Z was one of the tops in the country, but it can’t just be him. It’s gotta be everybody.”
That muscle could make a big difference come next season.
