Victor Wembanyama is just hours away from being selected by the San Antonio Spurs as the number one pick in the NBA draft.
The 19-year-old French center, who is already in the United States for the ceremony, is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. A 2.19-metre-tall man with a 2.34 wingspan who moves with the fluidity of a shooting guard. In addition to this, he also shoots three-pointers after taking tremendous strides backwards and penetrates defenses with skill to finish with dunks.
For a man his size he has extraordinary footwork and can block shots like he is playing against children. For all these reasons, he is set to dominate world basketball in the coming years.
Wembanyama is an NBA star without having made his NBA debut yet. But behind every great talent there is someone in the shadows. People who without their hard work and knowledge a star could not shine.
Behind the lanky figure of the Gallic tower is usually Guillaume Alquier, the physical trainer who looks after him and has turned him into the most anticipated rookie since LeBron James.
Alquier is 30 years old and was with Pau Orthez, a historic French club in decline. He also worked with players who share an agent with Wembanyama, including Real Madrid’s Petr Cornelie.
Last summer, the prodigy’s agent approached him to take charge of his training. He didn’t hesitate. There are few more interesting bodies to work with than a player whose game, fundamentals and physique are set to change the established order in the NBA.
The trainer joined Metropolitans 92, the team that Wembanyama joined after leaving ASVEL Villeurbanne in a surprising way. The club owned by Tony Parker plays in the Euroleague, with an increasingly demanding schedule.
In his new team he would play one game a week, rest the next day and then have five more to take care of himself and work on his own development.
Victor Wembanyama, en un calentamiento con Guillaume Alquier.
MVP in France… but without a league title
The plan has worked out perfectly. He has not missed a single game and has performed at a phenomenal level to become the MVP of the regular season in the NBL with averages of 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and an efficiency rating of 26.
He led his team to the final, but lost to AS Monaco. He has not been able to become king of France before being number 1 in the draft.
If Wembanyama is astonishing during the games, he is also amazing during warm-ups. His routine starts 90 minutes before tip-off. He performs the classic warm-up moves seen in many players and many more devised by Alquier.
Most are barefoot, with his huge size 55 trainers out of the way. He is often seen doing the plank and getting up on his palms, taking small steps, trying to strengthen his fingers by working with rubber bands….
“When you land, the first thing you land on is your foot. If it’s strong, everything is usually strong,” the fitness trainer recently told ESPN.
Juggling for coordination
Alquier also puts a lot of emphasis on coordination. To do so, he takes advantage of the breaks between the most demanding exercises. He often juggles three tennis balls or even three basketballs.
When he goes to the bench and is expected to stay for a considerable period of time, he doesn’t stand still either: squats, jumps…. Anything that resembles what he does on the court to keep him active.
The big question mark over Wembanyama lies in his thinness and seemingly frail physique. He eats five meals a day and weighs about 105 kilos.
He should gain a little more weight to withstand the onslaught of NBA behemoths, but that could cause him to lose mobility, one of his strengths.
Striking a balance between the two is key. There is no shortage of weight training sessions for him to gain strength.
“He’s putting on some weight, but not four or five kilos every month. That could be difficult for his knees, his joints…. The most important thing is to have strength in his legs, to produce strength to play basketball,” explains Alquier.
Another leg of his preparation comes in his mental preparation. There are workouts where another coach asks him questions while he is preparing to shoot free throws.
This is an exercise to help concentration. The final one is injury prevention. Rest plays a big part in this, so the coach keeps an eye on the player’s sleep. Nothing is left to chance.
Last year, the prodigy suffered a back problem, a shoulder problem and a broken finger.
Fate is unpredictable once you get on the court, but trying to stay healthy in a competition with 82 games and a lot of time spent on planes is another complex mission for Alquier.
“Victor’s body is not finished yet. The main part of my job is to adapt to that. I try to build it as best I can. He has in his hands a precious and delicate piece of material.”
