Bouncing balls, squeaking shoes on the hardwood and the swish of nets make beautiful music for a coach in the offseason.
Those familiar echoes usually mean that a player is putting in extra work. It's a trait ULM's Keith Richard treasures, and he never forgets the guys that he's seen and heard honing their game on their own.
Famously, former Warhawk Majok Deng showed up three times a day and would be lathered up launching shots at 6:30 a.m., when Richard arrived at Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
"Players like Majok Deng, Nick Coppola, Tyler Ongwae and Justin Roberson lived in the gym," Richard said admiringly of his former ULM stars.