The Utah Jazz continue to revamp their training and sports science staff, tapping Barnett Frank to oversee the performance program.
When the Utah Jazz announced their full training camp roster on Sunday, it was a bit of a ho-hum affair. The team’s full, 20-man roster for camp had essentially been locked-in for the last several weeks, after all. However, they did manage to drop one piece of significant news over the weekend.
Per an announcement from the team, Barnett Frank — a PhD who recently wrapped up a stint as a postdoctoral research fellow in North Carolina’s department of exercise and sports science — has been tapped as the Jazz’s new director of performance and sports science.
Mark McKown stepped down as director of sports science earlier this year, ending a 21-year run with the Jazz organization.
Frank’s pre-Jazz résumé is impressive. During his graduate studies, he worked as a resident sports medicine consultant with the Tar Heels’ men’s soccer team, as well as the school’s track and field programs. He also did time with the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers.
His doctoral studies at UNC were focused in the area of human movement science with a specialization in musculoskeletal injury prevention.
This is just the latest in a series of moves by the Jazz to revamp their training and performance staff. Last summer, the team brought in Mike Elliot (VP of performance healthcare) and Eric Waters and Nixon Dorvilien (head and assistant trainer, respectively) to tip-off the overhaul.
With most teams, additions to the training staff don’t really move the needle for fans. In the case of the Jazz, though, it feels like there’s a bit more at stake.
For several years now, the Jazz have been one of the most banged-up squads in the Association. Injuries arguably cost the team a playoff berth in 2016 and, according to Man Games Lost, Utah lost a whopping 12.9 wins to injury last season; the most in the NBA.
Despite the team’s continued upward trajectory, there’s no doubting that injuries have gummed up the works. If Rudy Gobert, Dante Exum, Raul Neto and Thabo Sefolosha (to name a few) don’t miss significant portions of the 2017-18 season, who knows how many games the Jazz would’ve won.
50? 55? More?
In any event, Jazz brass is fully aware of this and clearly doing what they can to stamp out the problem.