Former KU strength coach looking forward to Monday’s Kansas Jayhawks game vs. Texas
Marcus Garrett may briefly step out of the layup line if he sees a familiar face during warmups before Monday night’s Kansas-Texas basketball game in Allen Fieldhouse.
“I’ll talk to her and give her a hug,” Garrett, KU’s junior combo guard from Dallas, Texas, said Saturday, referring to extending a warm welcome to Andrea Hudy, KU’s former basketball strength coach and assistant athletic director for sports performance for 15 years, including Garrett’s first two seasons as a Jayhawk.
Hudy last August accepted a position as the Longhorns’ “head coach, basketball strength and conditioning for men’s and women’s basketball.”
“It’ll be nice,” Hudy said Saturday in a phone conversation. She was referring to returning to Allen Fieldhouse for an 8 p.m. tipoff between the No. 3-ranked Jayhawks (18-3, 7-1 Big 12) and unranked Longhorns (14-7, 4-4). “I have great memories of Kansas and Lawrence. I’m excited.”
She has fond memories of the many hours spent working with several of the current Jayhawks players in the weight room.
“I think that will probably be to be determined,” Hudy said, asked about perhaps greeting a player or two quickly before the game. “Obviously it is a competitive environment. First and foremost is to respect the competitive arena. I think that’ll probably be a game-time decision on what happens,” Hudy added, laughing.
Hudy — she earned a national title ring at KU in 2008 — left a batch of friends behind when she left Lawrence.
“I appreciate and miss all those people,” Hudy said. “I miss a lot of the familiar faces I’d see even outside of the university.”
Of course she misses game days and practices in tradition-rich Allen Fieldhouse.
“Absolutely. That was my home for 15 years,” said Hudy, who worked with KU men’s basketball for 15 of coach Bill Self’s first 16 seasons at KU.
Texas in December broke ground on Moody Center, a $338 million project that will replace 42-year-old Frank Erwin Center, the building in which KU claimed a 66-57 victory over UT on Jan. 18 in the first of two meetings between the teams in 2019-20.
“I’m excited to be part of designing some of the areas in the Moody Center for sure,” Hudy said.
Hudy — she also won eight national title rings at UConn (two men’s basketball, five women’s basketball and one men’s soccer) during her 9 1/2-year stint with the Huskies — said her first few months at Texas have been “great.”
“Everybody’s been welcoming here and supportive of what we are trying to do out of the weight room. I think it’s been a smooth transition,” she said.
Hudy trained 11 NBA Lottery picks and 24 NBA Draft picks in her 15 seasons at KU. Included are Cole Aldrich, Mario Chalmers, Sherron Collins, Brandon Rush and Wayne Simien, who now have their jerseys hung in the south fieldhouse rafters.
“It’s unbelievable and an awesome thing when it happens,” Hudy said of a player getting his jersey hung forever. “I know the work these people put into doing that. There’s nothing but respect and humility. I’m proud for sure.”
Of winning national titles, she said: “I think first there needs to be growth, right? Being part of that process is more special for me than actually (winning it all). I didn’t shoot a basket. I didn’t get a rebound. I always say we don’t get wins and losses. We get growth and results. That’s what makes me proud as a teacher.”
Former KU forward Perry Ellis, who is working as an assistant video coordinator at KU this season while rehabbing an injury, had this to say about Hudy back in August: “She helped me a lot from a personal standpoint. She cared about each and every person she worked with. She was always there for you. Once you meet her you learn to respect her. We wish her well in her new chapter.”
Noted former KU forward Aldrich: “She taught me to get my butt in the weight room my first day at KU. I was like, ‘OK.’ She taught a lot of guys how to work. In my years in the NBA I saw guys who still had no idea how to lift properly. Lifting has become huge in injury prevention. I would say she was way ahead of the curve.”
Former Sacramento Kings trainer Ramsey Nijem has taken over for Hudy at KU.
KU on Monday will attempt to defeat Texas for the second time in two weeks. Devon Dotson scored 21 points, Udoka Azubuike 17 points (with nine rebounds) and Marcus Garrett 13 points (with seven assists and seven boards) in the Jayhawks’ 66-57 win on Jan. 18.
UT was led by forward Jericho Sims, who had 20 points and six boards. Point guard Matt Coleman contributed 10 points.
“To me they’ve got the best athlete in the league,” Self said of Sims, a 6-9 junior forward from Minneapolis, Minnesota. “Playing around him are guys who can shoot. They won today (Saturday). They beat Iowa State at home (72-68). They’re on a bit of an uptick. That’s two in a row for them (also beating TCU last week, 62-61 on road). They are 4-4 in the league. We have to be ready to go,” Self added.
