Q&A with hoops performance coach Jimmy Edel

LARAMIE -- The Cowboy cagers are eager to get back to work with voluntary workouts in the coming weeks. The group will be led by new sports performance coach for men's basketball Jimmy Edel, who spent the last four season with head coach Jeff Linder at Northern Colorado.

"Jimmy played an integral part in our success at Northern Colorado," Linder said. "He was with me from day one and getting him to follow me here was one of my biggest priorities. Our familiarity with one another and his understanding of what I want from a strength and conditioning aspect will make the transition much easier. The players will love working with him and they will find out quickly that he will make them better players."

Edel got his start in strength and conditioning as an intern at Winona State University. He then spent three season as head strength coach for men's and women's basketball at Appalachian State prior to his time at UNC. He earned Master's degree in Exercise Science with a concentration in Strength and Conditioning while at Appalachian State.

GoWyo.com caught up with Edel to ask him some questions, as the Cowboys prep for voluntary workouts with a portion of the student-athletes.

You have been with Coach Linder for four seasons. Was it an easy decision to follow him to Wyoming?
Edel: The number one thing all strength coaches want is to have a head coach understand and respect what they do. Coach Linder does that and makes it very easy. He knows what I'm going to give him day in and day out. We have such a great relationship so it makes my job very easy.

Do you base your workouts on Coach Linder's coaching style?
Edel: I understand from a practice standpoint how we are going to condition our guys to compete at the highest level. His pace of practice really gets our guys into shape, but we just build our strength around the day of the game. Basketball strength is similar in ever style of play. We will really look at how we can prevent injuries during the summer.

What are your goals for the players this summer?
Edel: We are going to get more time with our players without a break during the summer. It is a good situation, I look forward to learning our guys and work with them slowly. We want to work on mitigating injuries and keeping our guys health. The biggest thing I want to do is develop great habits and really get to know these players on a personal level.

What is your philosophy on bringing energy to the players both the weight room and on the court?
Edel: You talk to coach Wicks and he preaches bringing your own juice. I follow that very closely. I can't fake being energetic, I have to bring great energy to our guys. I will be very detailed with how I work with the guys. We will have a structure in place that will encourage great habits for our players to bring great energy every day. I truly believe we have all the facilities and resources for our players to get better.

Have you been in contact with the players?
Edel: We have been texting a lot to get to know them on a personal level. I'm giving these players a good break both physically and mentally. We are all excited and are ready to get going.

Do you have a sense that the group of players are ready to hit the ground running?
Edel: The guys that we have on this team are ready to go and get to work. Our guys are going to get coached hard by me first in this voluntary workouts. Then coach Linder and the staff is going to coach them up on the floor. I feel the group of guys we have on this team are anxious and ready to go. The leadership of this group will pull the group along and I think we will have a great dynamic.

University of Wyoming press release