From Doing Team’s Laundry to Director of Performance for the Philadelphia 76ers with Jesse Wright
Season 3, Episode 14 | Podcast #50
Today we are joined by Jesse K. Wright, a High-Performance Consultant, Amazon Best-Selling Author, Former NBA, NFL, NCAA, and private sector Sports Performance Professional. Jesse spent 14 years with the Philadelphia 76ers as the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach, then Director of Performance Science. Today we’re getting into Jesse’s path to Strength and Conditioning, Changes in Strength and Conditioning over the years, load/volume management in pros and youth athletics, and probably what I am most looking forward to discussing, Jesse’s Book, Titled The Intent Is to Grow.
Our guest Jesse Wright has Held Strength & Conditioning Coach positions with Temple University, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Barcelona Dragons (NFL-Europe), Hofstra University Football, and Saint Joseph’s University. He also served as Director of Summit Sports Training Center, a group of sports performance facilities located outside of Philadelphia, PA.
Jesse Wright received his Exercise Science degree from Temple University, his Master’s of High-Performance Sport degree from Australian Catholic University. He is also a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and Registered Strength & Conditioning Coach Emeritus (RSCC*E).
Jesse was named the NBA’s Strength & Conditioning Coach of the Year in 2013 and served as President of the National Basketball Strength & Conditioning Association from 2013-2015. For 6 years, Jesse served as chair of the committee that oversees and coordinates the anthropometric and performance testing for the NBA Pre-Draft Combine. He is also an Amazon best-selling author of two books including one we will be discussing today - The Intent is To Grow and is the Founder of Balance the Bar Initiative.
In this episode, we cover:
1:20 Jesse Wright’s background and accolades.
3:51 How Jesse Wright got into Strength and Conditioning.
9:00 Jesse’s first experiences in the strength and conditioning world in entry-level roles and how they led to future opportunities.
12:00 Jesse’s internship experience with the Philadelphia Eagles and their unique training philosophy.
20:00 Jesse’s first time being a head strength coach with the NFL Europe right out of college
22:20 What Jesse learned from transitioning into a head strength coach role.
29:00 Jesse’s transition from a team coach to the private sector with Summit
34:25 Jesse’s position with the 76ers and how he came upon the opportunity.
36:00 How Jesse’s training philosophy and approach changed throughout these years.
41:00 Throughout Jesse’s 14 years with the 76ers there were 5 head coaches, 8 general managers, and 2 ownership groups.
41:00 How Jesse was able to stay steady throughout so much turnover
42:00 The importance of maintaining good documentation
45:00 The difference between training at PCOM versus the new 76ers stadium in Camden.
47:00 How often Jesse would test the 76ers players’ strength and conditioning throughout the year.
49:00 How strength and conditioning training as a whole has evolved over the past 20 or so years.
51:00 How rotation and role influence the individualization of training programs.
52:00 Book Recommendation: The Quadrant System by Daniel Bove.
53:00 Jesse’s approach to communicating with and involving the medical team for the 76ers.
54:00 Communication systems and tailoring approaches to the group and the individual.
You can find Part 2 here!
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