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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WCIA) — Behind the X’s and O’s of Illinois basketball is the guy who lays the brick and mortar. Strength and conditioning coach Adam Fletcher is in his 11th year with the program.
His job is getting the players’ bodies into tip-top shape through a rigorous regimen of diet and exercise. Brad Underwood has said glowing things about Coach Fletch in the past, giving him a ton of credit for the accolades his teams have achieved.
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“The biggest thing I don’t ever want to do is let [Underwood] down. But whenever a guy gives you that much trust, you have to respect it,” Fletcher said. “He’s an unbelievable leader, he’s an unbelievable leader of our staff. He asks great questions to make you think about, you know, how can I become better? But he never pushes it on you. I’m so happy for him, he deserves this more than anyone in the country.”
Fletcher has seen this team make big gains this season, including Keaton Wagner adding 24 pounds to his frame, while David Mirkovic is 26 pounds lighter.
“It’s every day, it’s the attention to detail nutritionally that we put into it with our guys,” Fletcher said. “I run all of our nutrition stuff, day to day. They just have embraced the physicality, the toughness that it takes. And honestly, they’ve just been a joy to coach.”
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“It’s been really fun, I enjoyed every second of working with Fletch, you know, and especially during the summer when we work way more than now, I’ve really enjoyed watching myself improve and get better every day,” Illini center Zvonimir Ivisic said.
Illinois prides itself on having an “Every Day Guys” mentality that’ll be tested against a UConn team with a championship pedigree.
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