McNicholas High School has had several successful teams throughout their history. Today, many of them put more than 10 hours a week into their sport, – but this raises the question of how do McNick’s winter sport athletes train outside of their regular practice or even outside of their season to stay in competitive condition.
The Men’s Varsity Basketball Team practices six times a week prior to their game schedule. They practice for two hours per day, which starts with free throws and warmups, and they add competition to this “with a plus/minus system as well as track free throws,” Coach Tim Monahan said. “Each week whoever scores the highest points is our weekly ‘Gold Jersey’ winner and whoever hits the most free throws will be our ‘FT Belt’ winner for the week,” Monahan added. “We like doing competitive drills to get the team to really compete.” They then work on offense, defense and transitional style. Once games begin, the team moves to shorter, four day a week practices, with two games per week. Some players like to work on their days off. Senior Charlie Clark said he usually works on his off day on Saturday. “I like to either get shots up, stretch, or take an ice bath to keep myself ready and prepared for the following week,” Clark said.
The team is currently 8-10. Clark said, “We play one of the hardest schedules in Cincinnati/GCL which prepares us to beat every team in the tournament. Most people are like, ‘Oh their record is horrible’ and then (we) shock everyone in the tournament.” Clark added that he thinks there are two qualities that set McNick apart from other teams. “Honestly, our defense and grit. No matter who we are playing, we are going to come out being overly physical and in your face. We want to annoy the heck out of every team that we play and make them fall into their own mistakes. That sets us apart from a regular team,” Clark said.
In the off-season, many basketball players take part in other school sports or play AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) basketball which offers them a chance to play basketball outside of the high school season. “We also run off season workouts and open gyms throughout the spring/summer and fall. We get a set amount of days we can use for coaching the team so we use those in June and will scrimmage other teams as well as attend events at different colleges in June,” Monahan said.
The Women’s Varsity Basketball Team usually practices four to five times a week, depending on how many games they have each week. Practice begins with 20 minutes of ball handling and shooting, and then they run 5 v 5s to work on transitions. They use the bulk of practice to go over offensive and defensive sets, and inbound plays. Prior to games, they will go over their opponents’ plays and get in some free throws. “All of our girls also watch opponent videos and videos of our team on hudl to further their IQ of the basketball game. There’s only so many things you can do at practice physically but there is also a mental side of the game,” Coach RJ Strange said. He also added that outside of practice “all of our girls go to Coach Pete Collopy for lifting and sports performance training to keep their bodies fit and well maintained to be able to endure the long basketball season. This helps the girls stay mobile, flexible, and also helps to prevent injury.”
They are currently 12-8 and are 4th in the GCL. Sophomore Ali Strange said that their team “has improved a lot over the years and throughout this season. We have had some great wins and success so far and our team is very excited for the tournament.” She said she believes that what sets them apart from other teams is the “bond that we create with each other over time and the support we receive from each other. We have a great group of people who work hard and work together to make a strong team and that’s what makes us different from others.”
During the offseason some of their players play spring basketball or other school sports. “We also offer skill training in the spring and summer to our players to keep them working on skills they want to improve on for the next season,” Coach RJ Strange said.
The McNick Wrestling Team practices every weekday from 3-5 p.m. This is split into four 30-minute segments. The first half hour is warmups, followed by technique and skill drills. Then there is instruction time, where wrestlers learn new techniques. The final half hour is live wrestling. They also lift with Sports Performance Director Pete Collopy three days a week. During the offseason, “Wrestlers will continue to train and wrestle. Freestyle wrestling begins in the spring and ends in June. Off season training occurs at various high schools in the tri-state area,” Coach Thomas Moore said. He also added that he believes that the wrestling team is the most highly trained and conditioned team at McNick. “I am extremely proud of the boys and girls that dedicate the time and effort to the sport,” Moore said.
The McNicholas Milestone 