Life as a CCU Athlete

Are you a Non-Athletic Regular Person (NARP) wondering what it would be like to be a CCU athlete? I sure am! To find out, I interviewed CCU men’s basketball senior Schafer Reichart on how he maintains a healthy lifestyle both out of and in season. 

First, a little about Schafer. He is a senior studying pre-med. He hopes to go to medical school and eventually become a pediatrician. He is both captain and chaplain of the CCU men’s basketball team and attends Beacon church. His favorite NBA player is Nikola Jokic, and his favorite WNBA player is Angel Reese. 

A big part of being an athlete at CCU is working hard, both in practice, in the weight room, and during recovery. In the offseason, a lot of Schafer’s focus is on bulking up in the gym. He lifts five days a week, focusing on higher weight and more reps. He also does individual workouts, either with a trainer or just getting up shots, for 5 days a week. 

Once the season starts, the focus shifts more towards basketball and less towards lifting. He lifts weights around three to four times a week, while having team practices five times a week. These last for 90 to 120 minutes, and Schafer keeps up with individual workouts for three to four hours a week. He also needs to focus more on recovery. This includes ice baths, stretching, rolling out, and treatments from the trainer. 

Another big focus for Schafer is his diet. He eats as many calories as possible, trying to bulk in the offseason and maintain his weight when the season starts. He eats a lot of protein and carbohydrates, as well as fruits and vegetables. He is a Caf connoisseur, but makes sure to avoid the tilapia, just like everybody else I know. Schafer has also never broken a bone in his life – likely due to drinking a glass of milk every single time he visits the Caf. Legend has it that Schafer is the only freshman in CCU history that did not feel like they got ripped off with the eighteen swipes a week meal plan.

Schafer is optimistic about his senior season. He has seen his role on the team improve yearly, with his favorite basketball memory coming from last season: when he dropped a college career-high thirty-four points and had the game winner against Colorado School of Mines, who were ranked as the #14 D2 basketball team in the nation.

Photo from CCU’s Athletics Website