Louisville players making the most of limited workouts

Samuell Williamson outlines the daily routine for Louisville players returning to campus

Louisville men’s basketball players are under a strict protocol and limited schedule following the return to campus, but workouts have become part of the routine.

Sophomore Samuell Williamson said players lift weights on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays for about 45 minutes in groups of three to four. After the lifting sessions, which are led by Strength and Conditioning Coach Andy Kettler, the players workout on the court for another 45 minutes.

“We got onto the court and get some shots up, work on ballhandling and stuff like that,” Williamson said.

Once the workouts are complete, the players have 15 minutes to shower and exit the facility.

Williamson said pickup games occur on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Last week, an additional hour of court availability was added in the afternoons for players to get more shots up.

The 6-foot-7 forward said players were anxious to get back to campus despite the restrictions and guidelines put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19.

“That’s all the access we have right now, I think we are all trying to make the most of the situation,” Williamson said.

Although players aren’t restricted to spend their time solely in Billy Minardi Hall, the team’s on-campus dorm, when they aren’t working out, players have been cautious.

“We have to be smart with our social lives, who we are around away from the dorms and away from the court,” Williamson said.

After three months away from each other after the University of Louisville closed its campus due to COVID-19 in March, players met on the first day they returned.

Williamson, who admitted to missing his teammates while away, said the team had a great discussion about current events in the world.

“Not just coronavirus, but social injustices, we just talked for two hours and let out all of our emotions,” Williamson said. “Whatever feelings we had, we shared them with each other. We talked about things we could do as a generation to progress everything. I think we had a great discussion about everything.”