NEW ORLEANS — Jimmy Bean remembers the thick, hot summer air. Reaching the point of early morning exhaustion. Each breath heavier than the next.
He wasn't alone, either.
The entire 2011 freshmen class at Oklahoma State had tired running ladder workouts on the practice turf. They slowed with every repetition. But suddenly, a group of seniors took verbal command, pushing Bean and other first-year players to a gear they didn't know existed.
“That was the first time I'd ever seen somebody speaking and it changed the whole atmosphere,” said Bean in a phone interview this week.