2021 Rutgers Making a Champion Guide

Numerous members of the coaching and training staff also spoke of the time gained by having technological resources at their fingertips. Steve Pikiell, the Men’s Basketball Coach, described the new ways they can incorporate technology into practice. Where the team used to have to pause practice to go watch tape several floors away in the film room, they can now run a drill and replay it in real time with courtside smart boards and TV, and then run the drill again. “This is a paradise for a serious basketball player,” says Coach Stringer. “We can say how many shots were taken and from where.” Along with improved access to practice areas, equipment, and advanced technology, the availability of sports medicine and recovery resources have also yielded tangible outcomes for Rutgers’ student-athletes. For instance, no longer having to share individual tubs, the use of dedicated hot and cold plunge pools has become a social activity, with the positive benefits of those resources shared broadly among the teams. These benefits extend, as well, to the food the student-athletes consume and how nutritionists engage with the teams. “The medical aspect of managing nutrition has been made easier,” says Katie Salmone, Director of Sports Nutrition. “It’s beneficial for me to be around the [student-]athletes and to have a space to do nutrition consults… [and] it’s easier to communicate with coaches, medical staff, and conditioning coaches.” Embedded technology allows for real-time feedback and advanced coaching. 16 RWJBarnabas Health Athletic Performance Center Perkins Eastman