Premium ContentMouse over Home then click on Premium Content for information.LINCOLN — Tim Wilson left Nebraska 30 years ago and wasn’t sure he would ever get back.
His work as a strength and conditioning coach took the Falls City, Neb., native and former Boyd Epley student assistant to UNLV (all sports), Chicago White Sox (baseball), UNLV (basketball), Pitt (football), Milwaukee Bucks (basketball) and Oregon (basketball).
Then Wilson’s brother-in-law in Firth, Neb., saw a recent story in The World-Herald that opened a door to return to his alma mater.
Nebraska’s Doc Sadler had been granted permission to hire a strength coach dedicated to men’s basketball, which was news to Wilson.
“So I started digging into it,’’ he said.
The dig didn’t last long. Through a mutual friend in Milwaukee, Wilson and Sadler made plans to meet, and within a week Wilson was out of Oregon green and proudly wearing a red and white Husker basketball shirt.
Wilson said he wasn’t running from Oregon coach Dana Altman, formerly at Creighton.
“I liked working for Dana a lot,’’ Wilson said. “He’s a good guy. We’re about the same age and from the same area, with him being from Wilber and me from Falls City.’’
It’s just that being closer to family won out.
“My parents are getting older,’’ Wilson said. “I’ve got a sister and brother-in-law here, and aunts and uncles and nieces and nephews around.
“It’s about home. It’s Nebraska. It has come full circle.’’
Don’t think that Wilson has come back to Nebraska to take it easy. The Huskers can attest to that after four-times-a-week lifting sessions.
Has Wilson met 6-foot-11, 300-and-some-pound Andre Almeida yet?
“Oh, yeah,’’ Wilson said, smiling. “Every morning at 8 o’clock he’s here for extra conditioning. He’s lost eight pounds already in two weeks. He’s making progress and he’s dialed in.
“We’re working around some knee issues with him, so we have him in the pool some. But we can work up a sweat.’’
Among the conditioning elements Wilson wants to bring to Nebraska is his concept of workouts mirroring games.
For years during games, Wilson has timed how long players on the floor are actually at work and at rest. Those work and rest times are then incorporated into a treadmill program.
“Instead of standard interval training, I’m making it very specific to basketball,’’ he said. “What I like is that every half of action I track translates into a new workout.’’
Strength and conditioning work runs in the Wilson family. Tim’s brother, Tom, used to work at Iowa State and now is a personal trainer in California.
Tim Wilson is married and has a 6-year-old son. His wife, Teri, who is from Wisconsin, is active in theater work and has sung the national anthem at NBA games.
After three decades in athletic work, Wilson said basketball has become his niche.
“Football is interesting, but it’s a grind,’’ he said. “Baseball has its characters. But basketball seems to fit my personality better.’’
Contact the writer:
402-444-1024, lee.barfknecht@owh.com
Copyright ©2012 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.
RSS Feeds