(Ep096) Dr. Jeremy Bettle: Kevin Garnett’s Work Ethic and How to Do NBA Load Management Better
NBA, NHL, MLS, division I college sports, pro rugby. There are few sports that Jeremy Bettle hasn’t worked in at the highest level. At each stop, he has combined the firm foundation of understanding the latest sports science with communication, teamwork, leadership and other soft skills that have allowed him to apply it.
Working with Deron Williams and developing a relationship with GM Billy King led to Jeremy switching from director of sports performance at UC Santa Barbara to becoming head S+C coach at the then New Jersey Nets. He instilled a multidisciplinary approach that included sleep, nutrition, strength training and much more. Partway through his tenure, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce came over in a trade with the Boston Celtics.
In this interview, Jeremy shares:
Why if you’re terrified then you’re probably in the right job
How mentoring from Dr. Maury Hayashida helped him get athletes from injury to return to play
How KG would’ve viewed the kind of “load management” that’s popular in today’s NBA
Why teams should prepare players for load, not shield them from it
How to use sleep monitoring and RPE more effectively
Why player testing should be connected to ongoing monitoring
How loading connective tissues and keeping chronic workloads high can increase athlete durability and reduce injury risk
Why remembering that players have spouses, kids, and similar everyday lives to everyone else can help coaches better serve them
Connect with Jeremy on LinkedIn or on Instagram at @jeremybettlecoaching . Also check out the multidisciplinary Test, Treat, Train model of human performance at Variant in Santa Barbara or online athttps://www.varianttraininglab.com/.
