Men's basketball's summer offseason is officially underway, and the Bears wasted no time getting back into the weight room as the focus shifts to building a strong foundation for 2018-19. Each week, CalBears.com is checking in with Strength and Conditioning coach Jordan Jackson to find out what the Bears are working on, and who has been making the biggest gains in the weight room. The series kicks off this week with a recap of the Bears' first full week of work, which started on June 25.
 
In week No. 1, newcomers and returners alike began the week with a 5:30 a.m. session at the Simpson High Performance Center, where each player measured their muscle mass and body fat. After the summer period ends, the players will measure their progress and transformation with another body composition test. The Bears ended the week with agility training as they prepare for an upcoming Basic Athletic Measurement (BAM) test – the same testing conducted on players at events such as the NBA Combine and Portsmouth Invitational. More on the week from Jackson:
 

Offseason Goals

 
We need them to get as strong as possible, and that's the main thing. Last year, everything was new -- it was my first summer here, the staff's first year together, the players getting to know me, me getting to know our facilities. With a year under our belts, the goal for this summer is to get everyone as strong as possible. One thing I didn't do enough of last year that we're really focusing on this year is their explosiveness, both this summer and even more so in the fall."
 

"We're trying to get up and down and be a running team. We want these dudes to be running and jumping."

 

First Week Focus

For the freshmen, this first week is about teaching them how to be in the weight room. I'm really taking my time with the freshmen as far as showing them every movement, focusing on how they're moving. We're not focusing on the amount of weight they're moving, just focusing on them doing the movements properly.
 
For the returners, we've been focusing on hypertrophy – muscle size.
 

 

Player Spotlight

Darius showed a lot of promise as a freshman, and he wasn't here at this time last year. He didn't get a summer of strength and conditioning. He put a little weight on last year – 10 lbs. in season, which is hard to do in season. This year, since he got back to Berkeley on June 2, he went straight to work. He made a jump in size already, and you can tell he's getting stronger. He just really came back and got to work, put on 6 lbs. his first week, so I think he's primed for a really good sophomore year. Darius is already jumping higher than he was, dunking everything in practice.
 

The Ones to Watch

 Juhwan Harris-Dyson:
He got sick at the beginning of our season last year and lost 20 lbs., and that's hard to get back during the season. He did a lot of running and shooting while he was home. Even in the first two weeks back in Berkeley, you can tell he's starting to put a little size back on.
 
Connor Vanover:
Connor came in at 211 and weighed in at 217 after his first week. Putting on size is a big goal for him.
 
 
Andre Kelly:
He needs to drop his baby fat. He's already down about 5 pounds. We need to focus on him dropping fat, because once he gets the baby fat off his body, he'll be a beast.
 
Matt Bradley:
Matt's like a linebacker. He's stacked and strong, but with an introduction to a full strength and conditioning program and some nutrition encompassed, he'll lean out and become super shredded.
 
Grant Anticevich:
I like how Grant is looking right now. He's a guy that came in at 217, and he's 235 now. He looks really good and strong, and he's only going to lean out more with running and conditioning in practice.