Complete Conditioning for Basketball

The National Basketball Conditioning Coaches Association (NBCCA) is a select group of strength and conditioning coaches from teams in the National Basketball Association. The NBCCA was founded in 1992 by Bill Foran of the Miami Heat, Robin Pound (formerly of the Phoenix Suns and the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury), and Bob King of the Dallas Mavericks. The association's mission is to develop and promote strength and conditioning throughout basketball, particularly at the professional level. The NBCCA provides an opportunity for strength and conditioning coaches in the league to network, keep updated on new information, work together on different projects, and promote strength and conditioning for basketball at all levels.

About the Project Coordinators

Bill Foran has been the strength and conditioning coach for the Miami Heat since 1989, and he was cofounder of the NBCCA in 1992. Before working for the Heat, Foran was the head strength and conditioning coach at Washington State University (1981-1985) and the University of Miami (1985-1989). He is a certified strength and conditioning specialist. Foran earned a bachelor's degree in health education and physical education from Central Michigan University and a master's degree in exercise physiology from Michigan State University. He enjoys working out and traveling in his spare time and resides in Davie, Florida, with his wife and two children.

Robin Pound served as associate coordinator for the book and is cofounder of the National Basketball Conditioning Coaches Association. Pound earned a bachelor's degree in physical education and a teaching degree from the University of Oregon, where he also earned a master's in exercise physiology and anatomy. Before becoming the head strength and conditioning coach for the Phoenix Suns and the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury, Pound was an assistant strength and conditioning coach for the University of Oregon and then head strength and conditioning coach at the University of California at Berkeley. Pound, who enjoys staying fit and being in the outdoors, resides in Scottsdale, Arizona.

About the Contributors

Al Biancani retired in 2005 as the NBA Sacramento Kings' and WNBA Sacramento Monarchs' strength and conditioning coach after 18 years to focus on his own training and rehabilitation business. Previously, Biancani served as the head track and field coach at California State University at Stanislaus (1976-1982), where his athletes garnered 86 All-America awards. Biancani earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in physical education from California State University at Sacramento, and he garnered a doctorate degree in physical education from Utah State University. In 2003, Biancani received the Outstanding Alumni Award for Health and Human Services from his alma mater, Sacramento State.

Mike Brungardt joined the San Antonio Spurs in 1994 to become the first strength and conditioning coach in Spurs history. For seven years prior, he was the cofounder and president of Strength Advantage, Inc., a Colorado-based strength and conditioning consulting firm. From 1977 to 1986, Brungardt was head wrestling coach and assistant football coach at Grand Island Northwest High School in Nebraska. Brungardt also performs fitness and coaching clinics and seminars, and in 1998 he spoke at the Final Four U.S. Men's Basketball Coaches Clinic.

Dwight Daub joined the Seattle Sonics in 1997 as the team's strength and conditioning coach and was promoted in 2000 to assistant coach of player development. A 1979 graduate of the University of Evansville in Indiana with a degree in physical education, Dwight also received his master's degree in exercise sports science from Eastern Illinois University in 1985. In 1987, Dwight received his Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) certificate from the National Strength and Conditioningg Association. In 2004, he received his Performance Enhancement Specialist (PES) certification for the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM). Through his career Daub has earned several awards, including the 1997 NSCA Collegiate/Professional Coach of the Year.

Bill Dean served as the strength and conditioning coach for the Indiana Pacers from 1998 to 2005. He worked at the National Institute for Fitness and Sport from 1992 to 1998, spending his final three years there as director of athletic development before joining the Pacers. Dean graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point in 1992 with a degree in health promotion and wellness.

Robert Hackett joined the Dallas Mavericks as the strength and conditioning coach in 2002 after spending seven seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies in the same capacity. Before working for the Grizzlies, Hackett designed and directed the strength and conditioning programs for the University of Wisconsin's men's and women's basketball, football, and track teams. Hackett graduated from Wisconsin with a bachelor's degree in science, where he also competed as a sprinter on the Badger track team. He was a three-time U.S. Olympic trial qualifier and NCAA champion in the 100 and 200 meters.

Steve Hess is the strength and conditioning coach for the Denver Nuggets, overseeing the team's weight training, conditioning, stretching, and nutritional programs. He previously served as the director of personal training at Greenwood Athletic Club in Colorado. Hess received his master's degree in physical education with an emphasis on sports medicine from Ithaca College in New York. He won the 2005 Mr. Rocky Mountain Middleweight class.

Pete Radulovic has served as the Atlanta Hawks' assistant coach of player performance since 1997. He also worked as the strength and conditioning coach for the National Hockey League's Los Angeles Kings and as a trainer with the United States Tennis Association. Radulovic is certified by the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) and National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). He earned his teaching certification at Loyola Marymount University, where he also served as a graduate assistant trainer with Loyola's sports teams during his final year there.

Mick Smith came to the Orlando Magic after spending the previous four years as strength and conditioning coach for the Portland Trail Blazers. Smith joined the Trail Blazers after serving as assistant strength coach at the University of Miami, where he worked with all varsity sports within the athletic program. He also assisted in that capacity with the NBA's Miami Heat. After serving as an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Creighton University in Omaha from 1982 to 1984, Smith was coordinator of fitness and Olympic weightlifting coach at the United States Sports Academy from 1985 to 1986. A 1980 graduate in physical education and health at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Smith received a master's degree in exercise science at the school in 1984 and his national certification as a strength and conditioning specialist in 1988.

Tim Wilson has been developing and implementing the strength and conditioning programs for the Milwaukee Bucks since 1998. A Certified Strength and Conditioning specialist (CSCS) through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, he came to the Bucks after six years as the head strength and conditioning coach at the University of Pittsburgh. He also worked for the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bulls, and his alma mater, the University of Nebraska.