Near the end of an offseason basketball practice at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga last Wednesday, Liam Vitters heard some news he could not believe.
Celtics star Jayson Tatum, one of Vitters’ favorite players, was set to work out at the school the following day. A Chattanooga assistant coach informed Vitters that Tatum, in the area for former teammate Kemba Walker’s wedding, would be stopping by the university’s training facilities.
“You’re joking, right?” Vitters replied.
The Chattanooga staff had tried to treat the visit as a secret to protect Tatum’s privacy while on campus. But, several weeks earlier, a mutual friend had reached out to Chattanooga assistant Ricardo Rush, Jr., to see if Tatum could use the school’s weight room on the day of Walker’s wedding. The ceremonies, in Trenton, Ga., were only 20 minutes away. Even while traveling, Tatum wanted a top-shelf facility where he could continue rehabbing from the torn Achilles he suffered during the Celtics’ second-round playoff loss in May.
“Oh, s—,” Vitters said. “That’s crazy.”
Sure enough, as the Chattanooga Mocs finished a workout on July 17, Tatum arrived at the gym with his Celtics trainer, Nick Sang.
For Tatum, the stop was another step forward in a long rehabilitation process. For the Mocs, it provided an opportunity to see how one of the world’s best players approaches his time in the gym. After meeting Chattanooga athletes and taking pictures with them, Tatum spent the next hour and a half focusing intently on Achilles rehab and weightlifting. Vitters and teammate Parker Robison said Tatum seemed to be “on a mission” from the moment he entered the gym.
“The crazy thing was that he showed up, said ‘Hi,’ took some pictures, and then got right to work,” Robison said. “You could tell that he was really serious about this injury. Got right on a (training) table and his trainer (Sang) just got right to it, started rehabbing, doing some strengthening stuff for that torn Achilles.”
According to the players, Tatum got a massage, stretched, and performed band work before progressing to some upper-body lifts. Though Tatum’s movement was still severely limited by the injury, the players were amazed by the way he approached every facet of his workout. Even between sets, Robison marveled at how Tatum stayed locked in.
“He’s constantly focused,” Robison said. “In between sets, he’s always focused, he’s never goofing around. It’s like his mind is set on what he’s doing.”
“He couldn’t do much,” Robison added. “But what he was doing, the very limited stuff he was doing, he was taking it very seriously and very detailed. All the little small things that we sometimes overlook, he was really good (at them) and did them consistently.”
Celtics GM Brad Stevens has emphasized how diligently Tatum has approached the rehabilitation process. The Chattanooga players were able to see some of the work in action. The sight left an impression on Vitters.
“When you’re coming off an Achilles tear, you could easily say like, ‘Oh, this sucks, whatever,’” the 6-foot-5 rising sophomore guard said. “To be taking it so seriously, be so intent in your actions and everything you’re doing, I feel like it shows us if he’s that serious when he’s limited, then we should be that serious when we’re not limited.”
Celtics star Jayson Tatum, center right, with walking boot, poses with members of the Chattanooga Mocs basketball team. (Courtesy of Will McCutcheon/Chattanooga Basketball)
The Celtics have not released a timeline for Tatum’s recovery, but Stevens said in early July that the All-Star was “progressing at an incredible rate” from his injury. While rehabilitating, he and Jaylen Brown, who underwent a right knee arthroscopic debridement procedure in June but is expected to be ready for training camp, have spent more time than usual at the team’s practice facility this summer. When Tatum has left the Boston area, Sang has traveled with him, according to Stevens.
“Jayson is working every single day,” Stevens said earlier this month. “He has literally been here every day, except when he took a few days’ break. But when he takes a few days’ break, Nick goes with him.”
Sang’s presence allows Tatum to stick to his regimen, even on the road. The two are often inseparable, working together to prepare Tatum’s body. The first major injury of his NBA career has brought a new set of challenges this offseason, but they have attacked the rehab with purpose. The effort to find a quality gym near Walker’s wedding provided evidence of that.
Chattanooga has hosted other big-name athletes in the past, including former NFL wide receiver Terrell Owens, a graduate of the school. Strength coach Kevin Rodriguez communicated with Sang throughout the week before the visit to ensure Tatum would have everything he needed. Rodriguez wanted to do whatever he could to provide Tatum with as much privacy and space as necessary during his time there.
“They were so cool,” Rodriguez said of Sang and Tatum. “I had mentioned to them like, ‘Hey, we’re going to have other athletes in here training: my basketball team, women’s basketball and some volleyball players.’ And they were cool. They were like, ‘No, man, this is y’all’s home. We don’t mind having anybody around.’ So that was cool. …It was good for not only the men’s basketball team, but our women’s basketball team and our women’s volleyball team to see him as well.”
Rush said Tatum took time to interact with players on each of the teams and take photos. When Tatum was working out, Rodriguez wanted everyone in attendance to soak up some of the NBA champion’s attitude.
“We all know what happened this past year with him (with the injury),” Rodriguez said. “And he’s trying to get back (onto the court). There’s a lot of people that wouldn’t just bring someone with them on the road, you know what I’m saying? Whether it’s for a personal matter, whether it’s for a business matter, (they can see) that he’s trying to get back into the game, and he’s going to do whatever he needs to do to get himself back to where he was.
“I wanted these guys to see that … he’s still trying to get some work in and trying to get back. So I think just having that professional mindset that, ‘Hey, I’m going to dedicate two to three hours of my day every day to work on my body, get back.’ So that’s what we preach with our guys. Like, we want you guys to be professionals. We want you guys to act like professionals. But we want you to treat your bodies like professionals as well. … And that’s what he’s doing. So that’s something that I think was cool for our guys to see.”
For Vitters, the visit was also a personal treat. The Arlington, Va. native grew up loving the Celtics because of his father’s ties to the New England area. Also a passionate Duke supporter, Vitters has followed Tatum’s career closely throughout the years. As such a big fan, Vitters said he freaked out a little bit upon learning Tatum would be working out at Chattanooga. After witnessing the seriousness Tatum showed in the gym, Vitters considered himself fortunate to see a small window into the five-time All-NBA player’s greatness.
“That was one of the best things ever,” Vitters said.
Vitters hopes the Chattanooga program can build on its success after winning the NIT championship last season. He believes Tatum’s visit, as brief as it was, should serve as inspiration for his team.
“If he can be doing that hard of work while still being injured, think about all we could be doing perfectly healthy,” Vitters said. “And if we treat that, if we take that and use it going forward, hopefully it’ll help us with our whole team.”
(Top photo courtesy of Will McCutcheon / Chattanooga Basketball)
