Buzz Williams Leads His "Get Better Group" to Help Build Culture, Character

If Brandi Sneed hadn't hopped out of bed and made it to the gym a few hours early on Jan. 20, she would've missed Buzz Williams and the rest of the Hokies.

As a dedicated weightlifter, Sneed isn't a fan of missing her regular workouts — after all, she didn't become a two-time world champion at Raw Powerlifting Federation events by skipping gym sessions — so when her work schedule changed, she resolved to make it to the World Gym in Mishawaka, Ind. a little earlier than usual.

A few minutes after she arrived for her 7 a.m. workout, she realized she wasn't the only one stopping in for some early morning reps.

"I never go to the gym that early," Sneed told The Key Play. "But all of a sudden, I see all these tall people walking in and I'm like 'Um, who are they?' And as I got closer, I saw that it was Virginia Tech's team."

Indeed, Sneed got lucky, and happened upon Williams and the rest of the team stopping in for a quick workout ahead of their game against Notre Dame that night. Gym-goers around the country have gotten to see the Hokies at work close up this season, thanks to Williams' efforts to lead the team in optional workouts at local gyms during each of the team's ACC road trips, which he catalogs diligently on Twitter with the hashtag "#getBETTER."

Yet Sneed's experience was unique.

At first, she simply gave the group space as Williams and his assistants put the team through their paces. But after the head Hokie noticed Sneed's picture on the wall from one of her competitions last year, he broke the ice and asked Sneed if she'd pose for a picture with him.

Later that day, he shared the photo with his nearly 39,000 Twitter followers, catching Sneed a bit by surprise.

"That made me feel really awesome," Sneed said. "Like I was famous for a day."

Our latest #getBETTER group @worldgymglobal this morning was able to meet @EmprezzInez, a Champion! pic.twitter.com/JQUlIFDHOq— Buzz Williams (@TeamCoachBuzz) January 20, 2016

Beyond just snapping a photo, Williams and the rest of the team took a few minutes to chat with Sneed to try and draw upon her wealth of expertise on the weightlifting front.

"Some of the team actually came over and asked me about what being a raw power lifter actually meant, they asked me questions about what kind of training I did," Sneed said. "I used to coach myself, so having any opportunity to speak with coaches and other young athletes is always awesome."

But the simple fact that Williams took some time for her at all is what truly impressed Sneed.

"I thought it was awesome that he approached me and was so excited to talk to me about what it is that I do," Sneed said. "Powerlifting isn't something that's huge for women, and women lifting heavy weights isn't something that's huge in general, and a lot of times, you find that men have negative perceptions about it. So for him to be excited to talk to me and hear about the accomplishments I've achieved was really exciting."

The unexpected experience of meeting someone like Sneed is a big part of why the Hokies started convening these sorts of workouts, Williams told The Key Play after practice at the Verizon Center ahead of the ACC tournament.

"I think it's good for them to see different walks of life, you never know who you're gonna meet when you go in a gym," Williams said. "Any time we meet somebody unique, I always want them to be in the picture to help us remember."

Unusual Beginnings for the 'Get Better Group'

Williams doesn't take credit for starting these extracurricular workouts himself. Instead, he notes that they stem from an unlikely source: walk-on forward Greg Donlon.

As a redshirt junior, Donlon's been on the team for four years now, and he said he's used that time to work on his physique tirelessly with David Jackson, senior director of basketball programs for Tech's strength and conditioning staff.

When the team hit the road, Donlon said he normally just went to the hotel gym to get some extra work in. But when Williams started to get serious about spending time in the gym last year, and began charging Jackson with finding a new place where he could train each road game, Donlon saw an opportunity to spend some more time with the head Hokie.

"Coach has really been working out a lot since he's been here and really changed his body," Donlon said. "He obviously wanted to go to a better gym, hotel gyms aren't that great, so I just asked if I could tag along."

Williams agreed, and when Donlon ran the idea by him again on the team's next stint on the road, he decided to expand the scope of the trips a bit.

"The next time, I just said 'Tell the whole team that whoever wants to show up can come,'" Williams said. "Whoever's in the hotel lobby, that's who goes."

The group started off small — Donlon notes that fellow walk-on Matt Galloway and rehabbing players like Ahmed Hill and Ty Outlaw were the most frequent attendees at first as they tried to get extra work in — but the circle has since expanded to include the bulk of the team.

"Whether it's lifting or shootaround, it's just us trying to put in anything that we can do to win," said senior forward Shane Henry.

Williams notes that the time is largely unstructured, and remains completely "voluntary," but he still thinks it's plenty valuable for the squad.

"It's just an hour that they have that they can get better, so that's why we call it the 'Get better' group," Williams said.

But junior guard Devin Wilson points out that Williams is plenty active in the process in the well, often working just as hard as any player, which sends quite the message.

"He's committed to trying to get his body the way he wants to get it," Wilson said. "I think he's ultimately doing it so we see that he's got a goal, he's working just like we're working and everyone on the team has a lot of respect for that. He practices what he preaches."

'A Life of Its Own'

When it comes time to find somewhere to work out, Williams notes that he generally leaves the logistics to Jackson and Lyle Wolf, his right-hand man and operations guru.

"I don't even know where we're going in the morning," Williams said.

But before dropping into any gym, the pair is always careful to give advance warning the the gyms they pick, instead of just showing up unannounced.

Indeed, Rebecca Stone, general manager of the World Gym in Mishawaka, says she got a call the Hokies the day before they arrived, just to make sure they'd be welcome.

"I was like 'Come on in, we'd love to have you,' since we get a lot of teams that come in that either play Notre Dame or the (minor league baseball squad) South Bend Cubs," Stone said. "We're so busy here, that I just let them know what time is not so busy."

That helped precipitate the team's fortuitous meeting with Sneed, and Stone said the squad didn't hesitate to reach out to other members working out when they arrived.

"They were very interactive with the members," Stone said. "A lot of times, these teams come in and stay with their group, but these guys got out and talked to people and had a good time with everyone."

Frankie Dare, owner of the Flex House of Fitness in Syracuse, N.Y., says Williams and rest of the team was similarly friendly when they stopped by his gym prior to their matchup with the Orange.

"(Williams) was jumping all over, he was spotting my members," Dare said. "He didn't have to do that. He was motivating my members that were coming to my gym. Instead of staying with his guys, he was jumping over and spotting my guys and motivating them."

Like Stone, Dare said one of his workers got a call from the team the day before "a big bus pulled up" and delivered the Hokies to his establishment.

"I thought they were a great bunch of guys, very respectful," Dare said. "They were jumping all over the place, just working out hard."

The hardest part of the #getBETTER group is doing it daily-not for everyone!Joined by Ms. Dare,the owner's daughter. pic.twitter.com/ZXiYl5wwo5— Buzz Williams (@TeamCoachBuzz) February 2, 2016

Dare noted that Williams was plenty "intense" and got in quite the workout himself on the visit, before posing for "lots of pictures" with his members.

John Greene, general manager of the ACAC Fitness and Wellness Centers in the Charlottesville area, says Williams also worked up a sweat at his Albemarle Square club ahead of the team's road matchup with Virginia, making it clear that he "walks the walk and talks the talk" when it comes to fitness.

But when it came time to take a picture before the Hokies left, Greene noted that Williams happened to choose an ACAC staffer with ties to a certain UVA forward to act as photographer.

"We needed somebody to take the picture, and the young lady who works our front desk is Anthony Gill's fiance, and so Coach Williams asked her if she'd take the picture," Greene said. "We all had a little bit of a laugh about that."

"Momma" joined our #getBETTER group for the 1st time this year today. Thank you to ACAC for their hospitality! pic.twitter.com/xzwmuk8IPZ— Buzz Williams (@TeamCoachBuzz) February 9, 2016

Even though the Hokies were indeed in "enemy territory" with plenty of Hoos around, Greene said he didn't think they were on the receiving end of too much smack talk on the visit.

"You have certainly perceptions of folks you don't know, and then when you have a chance to meet them up in person, you get a different perception," Greene said. "They were just delightful all the way around. The team members, Coach Williams couldn't have been nicer, and we had a real nice visit from them, and hopefully they'll come back next year and get a workout in before they play Virginia again."

But before Williams can consider his plans for gym visits next season, the Hokies' performance to close the regular season could very well send the team on the road once more this year, possibly necessitating the need to continue the tradition into the postseason.

"It's kind of taken on a life of its own, in a good way," Williams said.