By Josh Staph
STACK Magazine
Lake Wales, Florida is a trap. A place where guns, drugs and crime prevail over jobs, college degrees, and opportunity. A place where children watch family members try to obtain a life outside of the city's suffocating grip, only to fail. Considering all that can confine a man within this city's boundaries, the rare escape is even more impressive.
"God Blessed the Child That Can Hold His Own."
These powerful words-inked across Amare Stoudemire's chest-sum up the NBA star's experience in Lake Wales. When he was 12, he lost his father to a heart attack, and shortly thereafter saw his mother sent to jail. But as this child was forced to become a man, his strength grew inside and out. His blessings of physical power, mental courage, and overall fortitude helped him get through life's most painful situations.
Being virtually parentless in a small, dark town wasn't Stoudemire's only struggle. The local preacher, to whom his mother entrusted him, was arrested. Shady AAU coaches and other hangers-on constantly looked to benefit from his basketball potential. In search of the perfect fit and a stable household, Stoudemire transferred through six high schools, only to be deemed ineligible for his junior season by transfer rules.
After shaking the rust off from his inactive junior year, Stoudemire used his senior season at Cypress Creek High School to prove his worth to NBA scouts. And after eight general managers balked at the 6-10, 250-pound man-child with a troubled past, the Phoenix Suns took him as the ninth overall selection in the 2002 Draft, officially signaling his escape from The Trap.
Stoudemire's rookie season was nothing short of historic. He became the first ever straight-from-high school pick to win NBA Rookie of the Year Award. He used the next two seasons to polish his raw and powerful game. In 2004-05, the Florida product achieved All-Star status and tallied 26 points per game. He topped off his season averaging 37 points in the Western Conference Finals against Tim Duncan and the San Antonio Spurs. Things were looking good for Stoudemire, who was positioned as the favorite for 2005-06 Most Valuable Player award.
In the words of Shaquille O'Neal himself after he faced Stoudemire and the Suns, "I've seen the future of the NBA, and his name is Amare Stoudemire."
The future was put on hold though, as another setback presented itself. The knee soreness he experienced in the off-season severely increased during preseason. Doctors determined that Stoudemire needed microfracture surgery to repair damaged cartilage in his knee.
The process consists of drilling several small holes in the bone around the knee joint, causing bone marrow and blood to seep out, form a clot and release cartilage-building cells. The clot will eventually become firm repair tissue to replace the damaged cartilage. Recovering from microfracture surgery is an extensive four- to-six month process, which many professional athletes fail to conquer. Stoudemire's youth and determination, combined with the fact that his knee suffered no additional damage, have created a positive outlook for his return.
The child who held his own is back at it as a man trying to re-conquer a sport.
"When I got hurt, I knew I had to remain positive," Stoudemire said. "I became even more determined and went into attack mode. I know I'm going to come back stronger than ever, and, as a team, we will accomplish our ultimate goal. Just wait and see."
Program Goals
Helping Stoudemire ready his body for its return to dominance is Phoenix Suns Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Erik Phillips.
"Erik and his program have helped me in the past, and will have me ready to come back," Stoudemire said. "I got stronger and more explosive out on the court when I first started working with him."
Although he credits Phillips for his strength increases, he deserves some props himself. Phillips says that Stoudemire was in tremendous shape heading into this season because of the hard work he did in the off-season.
"After losing the Western Conference Finals, he was so hungry that he was willing to do anything to achieve his ultimate goal, and that's why this injury is such a shame," Phillips said. "You'll see how hard he has been working once he gets back."
The training Stoudemire used in high school is completely different from that which Phillips employs.
"I started working out my junior year with the typical high school mentality of trying to bench as much as possible," Stoudemire said. "Now I realize the important things I have to do to make me better on the court, like the flexibility and balance work I do with Erik."
Unfortunately, the mentality Stoudemire refers to is common among hoopers, according to Phillips.
"I see a lot of guys who like to sit down on the leg extension machine and just pump away. That is ineffective for improving performance, and it creates strength imbalances. Even guys who have done the important stuff correctly, like core work, might have strength, but don't know how to use it."
There lies the beauty of Phillips' program. It develops proper muscle balance, corrects kinetic chain imbalances (how muscles work in conjunction with one another) and establishes optimum, multidirectional body control through a combination of corrective exercises, flexibility work, stabilization and functional strength training. The result? A body that works better.
"When we first started, I was nervous about doing anything that would get in the way of his natural gifts," Phillips said. "He is a freak of nature. I've never seen a player this powerful before."
Phillips supplements Stoudemire's God-given ability with upper body and core strength work. This helps him handle the banging from opposing centers, who are often bigger, and maintain his reputation as a quick, explosive offensive threat.
Originally published in STACK Magazine and on STACKMAG.com, March, 2006.