HOUSTON — Gonzaga strength and conditioning coach Travis Knight had to scale back the weights when he first began working out Kyle Wiltjer in the summer of 2013, but by that point he already knew this was going to be one of the most difficult projects he had taken on. Wiltjer had just transferred to Gonzaga after two years at Kentucky, looking for a new start.
He disappeared for a year while serving his redshirt season, a former McDonald’s All-American wading through a gauntlet that included yoga, underwater weight training, sand exercises and even dance movements, a regimen designed specifically for the 6-foot-10 Wiltjer to become more physical and mobile on the court.
“We needed to have access to his whole range,” Knight said.
It was a delicate balance, a process that came in painful stages. But two years after he made the bold decision to transfer from the country’s most powerful program and begin anew in Spokane, Washington, Wiltjer has passed each physical test, changing his game and leading Gonzaga into Sunday’s South Region final against Duke.
“A huge part of it was just opening up my hips,” Wiltjer said. “That really translated to my movement on the court. I feel like I just move a lot more.”
The junior, who is averaging 17.5 points, has only elevated his game in the NCAA tournament. He averaged 23.5 points and six rebounds going into the Sweet 16.
When Wiltjer decided to leave Kentucky, he arrived at Gonzaga as a player who had “created barriers within his own game,” as Knight put it.
He was having body pains and flexibility issues while in Lexington, Kentucky, and he struggled with stepping outside his comfort zone. He made his decision to transfer there after an official visit in the spring of 2013 quickly turned into a stern challenge from Mark Few and his staff: Was Wiltjer willing to do what it took to overcome his weaknesses? Was he willing to be in at 6 a.m. for agility workouts every morning, back at 1 p.m. for lifting and shooting, then practice more later in the afternoon? He was.
Wiltjer has gained about 15 pounds since arriving on campus (he’s listed at 240 pounds) — and although that added heft has given him more confidence to bang with other post players in the paint (he’s averaging 6.1 rebounds), the more notable strides have come in his mobility. He no longer looks as if he’s hurting as he runs down the floor.
“Especially defensively, he’s become hungry for the ball,” Gonzaga guard Kevin Pangos said. “Just getting his body in this best condition that he could. He’s worked hard to really try and improve it. I’ve seen all the hours he’s put in, and it’s paid off for sure.”
There was never any denying his talent; he was a rare Portland product who had found a place in the rotation his freshman season at Kentucky, winning minutes from Wildcats Coach John Calipari in large part because he was a three-point shooter who could stretch the floor.
He was the lowest-rated recruit in that heralded class, which also included Anthony Davis, Michael Gilchrist and Marquis Teague. But Wiltjer contributed in all 40 games on arguably one of the best teams in NCAA history. He was named the Southeastern Conference’s sixth man of the year in 2012-13 when Kentucky missed the NCAA tournament and was beaten in the first round of the NIT.
Calipari was reloading with another outrageous recruiting class that summer, which included six of the top-rated players in the country. The rotation was about to become even more crowded.
Wiltjer is playing with a “chip on his shoulder,” said Gonzaga freshman forward Silas Melson, who is Wiltjer’s roommate. Wiltjer never speaks about Kentucky when they’re off the floor and in their apartment, Melson added, but he shows he is motivated by his former school every time he steps on the floor.
“One part is probably just natural. The other part is there was a lot of people when he transferred from Kentucky … there was a lot of supporters and then there was a lot of people on the other side as well. He always has something to prove.”
On Thursday, as Wiltjer sipped on apple juice and read a magazine in between interviews at his locker at NRG Stadium, he wasn’t nostalgic about Kentucky. He nodded when asked about the prospect of playing the Wildcats in the national championship game, should both schools advance. The decision to transfer from Kentucky was difficult, he admitted, but one rooted in moving on to a place where he could have an opportunity to play a role like he is playing now, for a program that is at the threshold of a breakthrough.
“It’s really tough to leave a school even after two years. You have so many relationships,” he said. “Leaving there was a tough decision, but I think it paid off.”
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