Andrea Hudy is KU's secret weapon - "Jeff Withey" - Wall Street Journal





  • Eh, Jeff, she ceases being a secret weapon, when you tell everyone.



  • maybe its just me…but i don’t really get what the hoopla is about Hudy? she’s a female??? is that it??? are our guys really that much stronger and athletic than the rest of the big 12? don’t need hudy to do that. but when compared the ncaa, not really. Oregon proved clearly otherwise.

    What exactly has she done that has given her this status? outside of her being a female in mens college bbal program?



  • @elpoyo You have completed my day with your usual drivel. NOT!



  • Must…not…feed…the…troll…



  • how is this a troll question? seriously…why is she any diff than any other athletic trainer? what sets her apart?

    too many sheeple here…god forbid someone goes against the grain



  • @jaybate-1.0 LMAO - - -scoreeeeeeeeeeeeee - -very nice lol. I like that lol - --ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY



  • @elpoyo I’ve thought the same thing before. But then you realize, she has put a ton of Pro’s in the league. And have had hardly any injury trouble in the time since she has been here. And at this point, her pedigree speaks for itself. It is a selling point on recruits that we have an amazing strength trainer.



  • @elpoyo Okay, you asked. Try to follow along.

    Obviously, we can’t know what sets her apart. But this is national recognition as an elite by her peers. And previously she won the highest award in her field.

    ASSuming that you are not in the field, and thus are not qualified to make any judgment or to question those who decided this award, your comment reveals it is based solely on your attitudes that you speculate that this is just because she is a woman. And THAT is why it is a trolling question.

    Let me know if a light bulb eventually comes on. We have had them since the 19th century, where your biases apparently still reside.



  • @elpoyo asked a very legitimate question and gets attacked like usual. What does make her so great? I don’t see our guys improving anymore physically than others.



  • @elpoyo: Hudy has about 40 NBA players (from UConn and KU) heaping praise on her non-stop when they aren’t coming back to Lawrence to train with her. She’s written a book, done some actual research, published several articles about her training philosophies and nutrition, and is a fantastic promoter for KU basketball (and herself) doing clinics and whatever else she can do to educate people. Are any MAN trainers doing that in BB? Honest question. Lots of legendary football/track coach/trainers. Does being female give her an advantage somehow? LOL. I doubt it, unless players don’t like getting their asses kicked by a woman.

    Anyone following another (or third) college team closely can easily see the difference in physical development from first year to junior/senior year physically compared to KU’s players.



  • @HighEliteMajor

    I could be reading it wrong but then apparently most posters have as well. While el poyo post was framed as a question, to me it was more of a statement than, other than being a female, Hudy was nothing special.

    Anyone that follows KU basketball knows that Hudy is considered by both, players and coaches, as one of the elite trainers in the business and a big plus in recruiting. To imply that Hudy is famous only because she is a female is not only sexist but plain incorrect, her accomplishments speak for themselves and deservedly place her at or near the top in her field…regardless of her sex.



  • I guess Hudy will finally be worth the hoopla when she makes Humans into Super-Humans.



  • DanR said:

    @elpoyo: Hudy has about 40 NBA players (from UConn and KU) heaping praise on her non-stop when they aren’t coming back to Lawrence to train with her. She’s written a book, done some actual research, published several articles about her training philosophies and nutrition, and is a fantastic promoter for KU basketball (and herself) doing clinics and whatever else she can do to educate people. Are any MAN trainers doing that in BB? Honest question. Lots of legendary football/track coach/trainers. Does being female give her an advantage somehow? LOL. I doubt it, unless players don’t like getting their asses kicked by a woman.

    Anyone following another (or third) college team closely can easily see the difference in physical development from first year to junior/senior year physically compared to KU’s players.

    hmm…so players who you trained praise you…very objective.

    Written books, published articles…all trainers do that especially at the top colleges. its how they progress in their field. i’m sure everyone on this board is closely following all the accolades of trainers @ UK and Duke…Give me a F’ing break.

    “and about the difference in physical development from first year to junior/senior year physically compared to KU’s players” - again, this holds true in the big 12, but even if we didn’t have hudy, this would hold true.

    The fact is each year, key players get injured, our guys are gassed towards the end of the year and we get bounced from the tourney because we run into more athletic teams…so tell me again howmuch of a diff is hudy making? she’s definitely good in her field which is why she’s at KU, but i’m just not seeing benefits more than any other trainer at any other program.



  • BeddieKU23 said:

    I guess Hudy will finally be worth the hoopla when she makes Humans into Super-Humans.

    you mean super-humans*

    • = super humans who can’t keep up in the tourney and keep getting bounced


  • @JayHawkFanToo The uniqueness of her being a woman seems to have been noted by Bill Self, as Bill Self admitted that he said to himself, “I don’t want to hire a woman to be a men’s strength coach. Who does that?’” So we can dispense with the whining about sexism related to the @elpoyo’s question.

    So it is a very legitimate point. I think there is certainly merit to the possibility that she gets notoriety by being a woman, and that can lead to folks recognizing her.

    But the point is what has she done to outshine her competition? We aren’t “in the know” so we don’t really know. I’m interested.



  • FIRE HUDY. she’s clearly causing injuries and is responsible for the shortfalls of this team.



  • @HighEliteMajor

    The uniqueness of her being a woman seems to have been noted by Bill Self, as Bill Self admitted that he said to himself, “I don’t want to hire a woman to be a men’s strength coach. Who does that?’”

    Coach Self was hesitant to hire a woman to be the men’s basketball team strength coach because there was little or no precedent for this (other than UConn) and as you know, all coaches work closely with the athletes including interaction in the locker room and you can see where this can create issues…and yet he hired her, right?

    So, his hesitation to hiring her was not sexist and not at all based on her capabilities but based instead on the reality of the interaction between athletes and coaches. See? This is not sexist.

    @elpoyo never stopped to study her qualification and simply stated his premise that she was famous just because she was a woman. See? This is sexist.

    So we can dispense with the whining about sexism related to the @elpoyo’s question.

    So there is no whining about sexism and you are comparing aples to oranges, one is not sexist and the other is.

    But the point is what has she done to outshine her competition? We aren’t “in the know” so we don’t really know. I’m interested.

    As far as her capabilities as a coach, there are numerous articles describing her accomplishments and she is widely respected in the businesses, not only as a coach but also as a leader, as attested by the awards and accolades she has received. All you have to do is Google “Andrea Hudy” and you can get the information by yourself.

    I will get you started here…



  • HighEliteMajor said:

    But the point is what has she done to outshine her competition? We aren’t “in the know” so we don’t really know. I’m interested.

    @HighEliteMajor , you are known for valuing national championships above all else.

    From the kuathletics site: “Hudy was part of eight national championship teams while at Connecticut - two men’s basketball, five women’s basketball and one men’s soccer.”

    Add 2008 and Hudy has trained 9 national championship teams in two different schools. She has almost as many national championship rings as Self has Big 12 championship rings.

    Next.



  • Using Hudy as an example of token gender hiring is a bad example. Now, if you want to discuss the bull dyke ESPN color announcers on men’s bb games, then you have a point. Hudy is better than her peers, gender be damned, and is a great recruiting angle. Just take a look at Frank over the years- last year he looked like a mini Hercules.



  • I think it is funny that the troll being fed and fed again wasn’t the chicken guy!



  • BeddieKU23 said:

    FIRE HUDY. she’s clearly causing injuries and is responsible for the shortfalls of this team.

    And now her gender is causing dissension on this Board! See what happens when you let 'em out of the kitchen?



  • The very valid point, that can of course be refuted with facts and info (as some have suggested above – albeit a bit snippy in some cases), is whether perhaps her gender (and being unique in being a female trainer of men) was a cause of her getting whatever recognition. It really is a harmless question and it is a legitimate question. Again, best refuted with facts and info as opposed to indignation. If someone thinks it’s sexist, so what?

    @KUSTEVE Ok, the bull dyke thing is going to cause the PC crowd to implode. But I don’t know if anyone said she’s a token. I’m not sure anyone even implied it.



  • HighEliteMajor said:

    The very valid point, that can of course be refuted with facts and info … is whether perhaps her gender (and being unique in being a female trainer of men) was a cause of her getting whatever recognition.

    Several things:

    • It seems like the original question was not so much about recognition, but more about the results of her training while at KU, and whether she has brought a real competitive advantage.
    • Do you know for a fact that she is the only female trainer of men?
    • What proof would you accept? It would be extremely difficult to demonstrate that gender had absolutely no bearing on any recognition she has received.

    Hudy has been very successful and nationally recognized. At this point, the burden of proof is more on those who would question the validity of her reputation.

    Any facts or info to that effect?



  • @HighEliteMajor The question is anything but harmless, and I am surprised you think asking a question that so devalues someone is a legitimate inquiry. Implying that someone has obtained recognition solely because of gender is no different than questioning if a promotion was simply because of race, or religion. It is insulting, and marginalizes all efforts to let everyone compete equally.

    Turn it around–do you think you have gotten to your position in life solely due to factors other than your work? Wouldn’t you resent it if any time you achieved something your race and the advantages it brings with it were cited as the reason? Some people on the opposite end of the spectrum from you discount all comments from whites as being made from “privilege”–doesn’t that seem dumb? Why is this skepticism that Hudy’s recognition must be gender-related any different?

    A woman should be able to be honored and lauded without being required to prove that she really deserves it. That is an anchor that won’t be cut loose until people lose that mindset that there is something fraudulent about a woman achieving in male-dominated professions.



  • Here’s how much Kentucky BB thinks of their strength and conditioning coach: (didn’t bother getting photos uploaded, I guess):

    Louisville strength and conditioning coach:



  • @mayjay He did say “a cause”, not “the cause”.

    It wouldn’t bother me if gender were a minor consideration in choosing Hudy for some award or other, as long as she was objectively deserving as well.

    I have been “anti-PC” since 1970, but I try to be tolerant of harmless or minor PC tendencies. If we are all mutually intolerant all the time, we’ll never get along.



  • @ParisHawk Not quite true. Here is what I am referring to, the immediate jump to gender speculation in his first post:

    "i don’t really get what the hoopla is about Hudy? she’s a female??? is that it??? are our guys really that much stronger and athletic than the rest of the big 12? don’t need hudy to do that. but when compared the ncaa, not really. Oregon proved clearly otherwise.

    “What exactly has she done that has given her this status? outside of her being a female in mens college bbal program?”

    While he provides some discussion of reasons for not thinking she has done a good job, he only posits her being a woman as a reason for her “hoopla”.



  • @ParisHawk I accept the info that she’s excellent. My main point is that the attacks on @elpoyo, as in the past, continue to be over the top. He’s a counter point. He says things others may not. But intolerance of his statements … and the denigrating “troll” stuff is simply seeking to silence his contributions.

    @mayjay You and others are highly/overly sensitive. You refuse to discuss issue because the offend. You refuse to consider that gender, race, other issues that offend are part of decision making. There are always factors in one’s ascending to higher places that go beyond pure merit. Merit, by and large, is the greatest factor for success in this country. By a long way. That’s what can’t be ignored.

    Hudy deserves everything she’s gotten.

    However, in this day of anti-white man sentiment (the source of all evil on the planet), I think it is very relevant inquiring or asking of perhaps her gender contributed to her recognition.

    Liberals do that. Liberals want to level what they perceive to be an un-level playing field, and thus they think like that. Merit isn’t the dictionary definition. Merit, to liberals, also entails what one has had to overcome, their supposed place in the society, as perceived by the liberal.

    It’s affirmative action, right? That’s all. So when non-liberals like myself consider what has been done by others, I keep in mind that there might be some political motivation. Why? Because I’ve seen it in action. Many, many times.

    It’s funny when liberals, who profess one argument, use that argument as an “untruth” to try to attack another argument. Nice try, counsel. So you think I might fight against the idea of “white privilege”, so you use an argument you believe in to try to counter mine. All the while ignoring the fact that your belief in “white privilege” happens to disintegrate your response. Right?

    There are always factors in one’s ascending to higher places that go beyond pure merit. Always. And sometimes that sex, race, whatever. That’s a much different issue than opportunity. Opportunity is what this country grants. For example, I’m not hiring someone with neck tattoos. I’m not hiring someone with pants hanging half way down. I’m not hiring someone that can’t enunciate the English language.

    Tough darts. Does that make in harder on Hispanics who perhaps can’t speak English as well. Of course it does.

    And Hudy’s ascension was clearly harder given Bill Self’s admitted thoughts.

    Likewise, liberals in this country attach more merit to the achievements of the non-white man, all other things being equal.

    @elpoyo’s question was well placed. But as noted, it can be answered to show Hudy deserves every accolade.



  • @HighEliteMajor

    But elpoyo IS a blatant troll. He doesn’t even actually make arguments or discuss, he simply posts a comment made to incite and leaves. Of course when anyone responds to him he gets what he wants, so I’ve just been ignoring him.

    You could give him a meaningful and thought out answer, but he’s not going to read it so what’s the point?



  • @HighEliteMajor liberals in this country attach more merit to the achievements of the non-white man, all other things being equal.

    When have all other things ever been equal?



  • Ugh, let’s not get this political.



  • Andrea Hudy‏ @A_Hudy · 20m20 minutes ago
    [link text](link url) 2017-2018! Let’s go 💪🏽 0_1496782521851_AAA.jpg



  • @wrwlumpy Perhaps you can tell me where there is not equal opportunity in America?



  • @mayjay You are quoting elpoyo, I was referring to highelitemajor



  • @ParisHawk Ah, I see. Everything I have written about the “question” was about the initial comment and his own follow-up. Not that it prevented HEM from unleashing on me for daring to question his logical fallacy.



  • Oh dear, we’ve offended someone’s sensitivities again – that happens with some when they lose an argument.





  • @dylans that was cool!



  • @elpoyo Oregon proved exactly this:

    1. Lucas was a pedestrian, non-athlete, manning our post. Nothing Hudy could do.

    2. Big guards can shoot over little guards.

    3. Lady luck needed to advance in the Madness. We didnt get it with our 3%, nor with Ducks’ timeclock beating 3s.

    4. Frank Mason and Josh Jackson needed help, which they didnt get. (in that game)

    5. No matter who your team is, pivotal ref calls can indeed affect a game. Either for or against.

    Hudy affects conditioning and physique, molding a player with specifics for his position in Self’s system. Guards get different workouts than bigs. But what can Hudy do about mindset and nature of a player? Very little.

    Basically you are right OR wrong, depending on what aspect of KU basketball you are referring, based on if Hudy can impact that aspect or not.

    But this is silly exercise, since a whole national organization decided she gets this award, not you or me or Bill Self. Hmm, why did they reach that consensus? Just because she’s a girl? Doubt it.



  • All right. I promise not to start a thread about the success of Andrea Hudy anymore. If she was not a woman she would be a man and then we obviously would ignore his success.



  • JhwkrRedLegs said:

    @elpoyo Oregon proved exactly this:

    1. Lucas was a pedestrian, non-athlete, manning our post. Nothing Hudy could do.

    guess he wasn’t “hudified”!



  • @wrwlumpy And why do the opinions of the players matter, anyway? They obviously only extolled her because she is a woman.



  • Hudy is very good at what she does. She ain’t perfect, but neither is any other strength and conditioning coach in the country.

    She led groundbreaking research on the affects of stress on athletic performance a couple of years ago.

    She has done some impressive things to get more explosion out of different players.

    However, there’s also research out there that certain people, simply because of the way they are built, their frame can’t handle the extra explosiveness. That’s not really her fault, and I am sure she is working to guard against that, but that’s still an existing fact.

    Does the fact that she’s a woman matter. Yes and no.

    No, because she is skilled at her job. She’s just like anybody else.

    But yes, it matters because in addition to being skilled and knowledgeable, Hudy has to convince 18-22 year old guys that they should listen to a woman about getting stronger, faster and more athletic. That’s not exactly an easy sell, and most certainly not a level playing field because she has to prove herself to be not only knowledgeable, but also gain the respect to get full buy in from the athletes themselves.

    So Hudy, in addition to being a skilled strength and conditioning coach, must also be a superior communicator in order to achieve that buy in.

    Does that make her better at her job than a man? No. But does she have to use more skill to get the same results? Yes.

    There’s a credibility bias that women, young people, and minorities face within the workplace. It’s assumed that they just aren’t as skilled, as knowledgeable or as hard working, which requires them to do even more to prove themselves. As a minority myself, I can speak to that bias. You have to first prove that you are worthy of consideration before you can prove that you are skilled. We wouldn’t even be having this conversation about whether or not Hudy was good at her job if she were a man. Her track record would speak for itself.



  • @wrwlumpy most of us appreciated it!



  • This place descends to pathetic many times. And is specifically because of mischaracterizations, misquotes, and misstatements, and blatantly dishonest attempts to create a narrative.

    THE FACT IS NO ONE EVER SAID THAT HUDY GOT THE ACCOLADES BECAUSE SHE WAS A WOMAN. NO ONE.

    But that doesn’t stop the dishonesty. It’s literally as if what folks say doesn’t matter. When it’s a little hot button issue that offends, accuracy doesn’t matter.

    @elpoyo said – “but i don’t really get what the hoopla is about Hudy? she’s a female??? is that it???”

    But that undeniable fact doesn’t matter. He never said it was because of her gender, and neither did I.

    Pathetic.



  • @HighEliteMajor Sorry, snowflake, for offending you by pointing out that questioning someone’s accomplishments literally means suggesting that the recipient is not worthy. Ask any woman with professional achievements if she agrees with you, or with us. I’ll wait.



  • @mayjay Right … me, a snowflake. There’s a first. But it’s your style. You take your posture (as the offended snowflake) and now send it my way.

    Of course, I have not stated nor suggested that I’m offended by anything. I have pointed out your (continued) intellectual dishonesty. And your last point admitted it – “suggesting” is now the word you use. Sure.

    By your dishonest approach, anyone that asks a question or posits a theory is “suggesting” the question or theory to be true. That’s the box you’re in now.

    That’s checkmate, counsel.



  • HighEliteMajor said:

    THE FACT IS NO ONE EVER SAID THAT HUDY GOT THE ACCOLADES BECAUSE SHE WAS A WOMAN. NO ONE.

    Then you quote @elpoyo

    @elpoyo said – “but i don’t really get what the hoopla is about Hudy? she’s a female??? is that it???”

    Then @HighEliteMajor says this.

    But that undeniable fact doesn’t matter. He never said it was because of her gender, and neither did I.

    Let’s go backto @elpoyo for a second.

    “But I don’t really get what the hoopla is about Hudy?”

    That statement seems to question why Hudy is such a big deal, or why we talk about her so much, or something along those lines.

    He then says she’s a female??? is that it (empahsis mine, obviously).

    That at least implies that the only reason for Hudy getting “hoopla” (his word, not mine) is because she’s a female.

    You quote the very sentence that says what you claim was never said, then say that no one said it.

    Am I the only one that sees that?

    We can agree or disagree about the existence of bias. That’s a reasonable conversation to have. We can dispute the weight that bias plays into things. That’s also very reasonable.

    We can’t say that this quote doesn’t question Hudy’s accomplishments based on gender. That’s ignoring the actual words that were written.

    @elpoyo goes on to question what Hudy has done beside be a female in a men’s D1 program. It’s all there in the comment.

    How else is that supposed to be interpreted when that’s exactly what’s written.



  • @justanotherfan HEM refuses to notice that he is not just arguing with me. That stalwart liberal @JayHawkFanToo carefully delineated what was sexist about the elpoyo questioning early in this thread, but HEM wants to believe it is an argument he can bully into submission with his rants against liberals, and me in particular. In fact, he has never acknowledged the existence of any of the numerous posts that have attempted to discuss the merits, including your own direct rebuttals to his assertions. And now I am dishonest?

    Which reminds me, I need to find a brick wall to see if I can keep beating my head against it longer than I can keep up this frustrating education self-torture.