SerpApi.Org
NC State coach Justin Gainey knows the importance of having a good strength and conditioning coach.
Cody Dukquits worked at South Florida for the late Amir Abdur-Rahim and then Bryan Hodgson the last three years. He previously was at Stephen F. Austin and Georgia Southern.
South Florida went from 14-18 in the last year of coach Brian Gregory in 2022-23 before Abdur-Rahim engineered a dramatic turnaround. The Bulls finished 25-8 overall and 16-2 in the American Athletic Confernece, winning the regular season title.
Abdur-Rahim tragically passed away before the following season, and Ben Fletcher served as interim coach.
When Hodgson was hired, he elected to retain Dukquits, which usually doesn’t happen during a coaching transition. USF rebounded to go 25-9 last year and won the AAC again with a 15-3 mark, falling to Louisville 83-79 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Hodgson was hired as the new coach at Providence, and Dukquits was at a crossroads in his career. Gainey convinced him to come to NC State, and the move has paid off immediate dividends.
“Cody is amazing,” Gainey said. “He’s been a great addition to our staff. We’ve had multiple guys have big gains [since April].”
NC State senior power forward Eemeli Yalaho has changed his body around. He was listed at 6-8 and 235 pounds at Washington State, but has reshaped his body in Raleigh. Redshirt freshman power forward Zymicah Wilkins got into shape during his redshirt season, and has continued to slim down since April.
“Zymicah has lost about 25 pounds and EY is down close to 20 pounds,” Gainey said.
Gainey estimated that senior center Kyle Evans has gained 10 pounds, sophomore shooting guard Darius Adams has added 10 pounds and junior shooting guard Paul McNeil gained eight pounds
“Guys are making those gains, and Cody has been a big part of it,” Gainey said.
Gainey said there is a personal touch with how Dukquits motivates the players and gains their trust.
“The thing about him that I love is that a lot of strength coaches, they don’t take the time to develop that relationship,” Gainey said. “When I talked to him in the hiring process, he was all about relationships, right, because he saw it the way I did.
“In order to get the best out of guys to push them, you’ve got to have that relationship.”
Dukquits will use time away from the weight room to know how to push the players.
“He’s a guy that brings them over for dinner,” Gainey said. “He cooks dinner for them. One, to make sure they’re eating right, and eating what they need to eat. Also, just to have that relationship.
“Now on Saturdays they’re calling him, ‘Hey, I want to get in and get a lift.’”
Gainey said it is to be determined whether NC State has an eight-man rotation or an 11-man one. He knows his reserves will be ready to go due to their offseason training.
“That relationship that he’s been able to build with them, that bond, it’s been great,” Gainey said. “It goes far beyond what he does in the weight room. it’s getting these guys excited to want to get bigger, want to get stronger, want to get faster.”
