Three games, three days: How athletic trainers help players recover between games

WASHINGTON — If you were out and about in Washington, D.C., after UNC men's basketball’s ACC tournament semifinal victory on Friday, you may have found Armando Bacot wandering around in search of a pool. 

He thought there may be one available to him at nearby Episcopal High School. The water is a necessary step in the big man's recovery process. In light of the Tar Heels playing three games in three days during the tournament, rest and recuperation are paramount for performance. 

“Tonight I have to find a natatorium,” Bacot said after the 72-65 win over Pitt.

Granted, that may have been a joke, but his postgame routine is serious.

It includes the aforementioned pool, a hot tub, an ice bath, a protein shake or two and daily needling. For those unaware of what needling is, it entails around 30 needles being placed in the quads and hamstrings.

“It’s super painful,” Bacot said. “I hate having to do it every time, but it always makes me feel better.” 

Bacot’s treatment methods are prescribed by head athletic trainer Doug Halverson and strength and conditioning coach Jonas Sahratian. The two have a long list of remedies, gadgets and routines that are personalized to each player.

Halverson spends time before and after games doing various rounds of soft tissue massages, acupuncture, powering up the Normatec boots and completing tape jobs. Sahratian, on top of coordinating workouts, leads players through pregame warmups and mobility exercises.  

Each Tar Heel has their own favorite and least favorite methods. Sophomore forward Jalen Washington loves protein shakes — he went through two brown ones in a ten-minute span after Pitt.

“I couldn't tell you [the flavor],” Washington said with a laugh. “It’s brown, you would think it's chocolate, but I don't know.”

Washington’s roommate, sophomore guard Seth Trimble, on the other hand, does not enjoy protein shakes, but knows he has to down them. He does love a good tub, though. Hot is preferable, but he can deal with the cold. 

First-year guard Elliot Cadeau does not like dealing with the mandatory cold baths. According to Halverson, he avoids the cold tubs “like the plague.” 

But there’s a reason water therapy is utilized. During games it’s all go, go, go. Therefore, on the bench and in the locker room, Sahratain and Halverson have one goal: to bring down the hustle of the nervous system. 

“Their sympathetic nervous system is on overdrive,” Sahratian said. “So we want to bring them back to parasympathetic as soon as possible. [It's like] rest and recovery as opposed to fight or flight, which is during the game.”

This week, time is not in their favor. There were about 29 hours between the end of Thursday’s quarterfinal contest and Friday’s semifinal — not very long for the body to recover. 

Most of that time is spent trying to catch up on sleep. 

“Sleep is the number one performance enhancing you can do,” Sahratian said. “So we try to get them to bed, try to get them off their phones, things like that."

But both Halverson and Sahratian stress educating the team on what their body needs to perform.

Even head coach Hubert Davis wears an Oura ring – just like Bacot – to track his heart rate and sleep, although it was prescribed by his wife, not the UNC staff.

ACC Coach of the Year Hubert Davis spoke to the media today at UNC’s team hotel in D.C.

Here he is speaking about Armando Bacot’s new nickname (3 and D) and his Oura Ring, which monitors his heart rate.

He said his wife checks his Oura data, makes sure he’s sleeping, etc. pic.twitter.com/pBJS9M1tx8

— Shelby Swanson (she/her) (@shelbymswanson) March 13, 2024

“I give kudos to Jonas – he's looking at me right now – and Doug,” Trimble said in the locker room after playing 24 minutes against Pitt. “They do so much for us just to make sure our bodies recover and just make sure that we're locked in for the next game. Them being them is the biggest thing.”

Three physical games in three days is a lot on the body, but the Tar Heels firmly believe in the recovery methods preached by Halverson and Sahratian. Thus, Bacot will be in search of a natatorium, Cadeau will be enduring a cold tub and Trimble will be downing protein shakes. 

As for the results? Well, Bacot knows the immediate pain will be worth it.  

 “We’ll feel as good as new tomorrow.”

@gracegnugent

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com