Looking Back - Looking Forward

by John Murray, Director of Murray Athletic Development

Dear MAD Times Readers,

2018 marked MAD’s third year of operation, and we continued to provide our unique brand of proactive, healthcare based, athletic development.

Today’s uber intense, hectic world definitely has posed its challenges, but impassioned by our love for our craft, we forged ahead increasing the number of athletes we serve.

All the key areas of our operation saw expansion.

Our Athletic Development Program relocated from Active Care Physical Therapy’s Garage location to the expansive amenities of Saint Ignatius College Prep’s Athletic Performance Center.

Lisa Giannone and her Active Care team still remain an invaluable physical therapy resource, but now having access to S.I.'s tremendous facilities is a huge asset for our program.

This past January we launched our newly named athletic development program, the Institute of Physical Culture (I.P.C.), at S.I. and have been able to expand our services and increase the diversity of athletic skills we address in our coaching.

From fencing, competitive pole dancing, and aerial art performing, to youth rugby, soccer and the Big 3 (basketball, baseball, and football), MAD saw a wider talent pool from all competitive levels. From kids to Pro’s, I.P.C. served as a beacon of athletic development for a rich variety of athletes.

MAD’s Mind, Body & Skill (M.B.S.) Clinics continued to gain momentum and reach more young, aspiring ballplayers. The community response has continued to strengthen the demand for our M.B.S. Clinics, and they now run throughout the calendar year.

In addition, this past Fall, we started a spin-off of M.B.S., the Ali Thomas Shooting Clinic. Led by San Francisco basketball legend, U.S.F.'s career three point Leader, and S.I. Basketball’s Director of Player Development, Ali Thomas, the clinic teaches the detailed fundamentals of shooting to young players in the same innovative M.B.S. Clinic style.

Our Team Program also expanded its reach, taking on the S.I. Varsity Girl's Basketball Program, as well as working with the S.F. Glens Evolution providing supplemental training to a number of their U.S. Soccer Development Academy players.

MAD’s Combine Testing Services continued its outreach as well, working with old friends Raise Your Game, Team Esface and B.A.M.

In conjunction with providing support at the N.B.A.’s annual Pre-Draft Chicago Combine, we also ran regional events in Houston, Atlanta, and L.A., as well as assisted at events at U.C. Berkeley.

Outside the training arena, we continued our forays into the expanding world of sports medicine and analytics. Being very fortunate to work with two great groups in BStrong, leaders in the science of Blood Flow Restriction, and Boost Training, innovators in the field of sports metrics and talent analysis. Both companies share MAD’s passion to help people be their best, and both also provide us with intriguing complements to our training services.

Lastly, this past September, we launched our newsletter MAD Times, the brainchild of MAD Head Coach Eric Bringas. All the members of our MAD Times editorial crew have done absolutely amazing work, rallying their efforts to bring the many stories of our MAD athletic family to all of you, our MAD supporters, in an innovative and creative format.

2019 promises more exciting opportunities and challenging times, ones that we are eager to embrace and to navigate in a manner that will push us all to be our best.

But of course, none of the aforementioned accomplishments would have been at all possible without the help of some very key, very gifted people.

Though all those to whom we owe gratitude covers an expansive group, too many for the confines of this newsletter, there are those who do require special recognition:

MAD Staff Eric Bringas, Ryan Munoz, Emily Easom, Vincent Conlu, Dominique Conlu, and Connor Murray

Ali Thomas

Head Coach Marty Kinahan and his Santa Rosa Junior College Men’s Soccer Club.

SI Staff & Coaches Rob Marcaletti, John Mulkerrins, Jamal Baugh, Tony Calvello, Mike Mulkerrins and Jason Dinius

Sione Ta'ufo'ou and his Difference Makers Athletics

Dele Sobomehin and the entire Team Esface Familia

Lisa Giannone, Colman O’Leary, and all their Active Care Team

Kevin Sweeney and the SF Glens Evolution

Brett Brungardt and his B.A.M. Group

Pastor Kevin James and his Raise Your Game Family

Matt Durell and his Bay City Crew

Sean Whalen of BStrong

Mustafa Abdul Hamid of BOOST

Mike Brungardt of the San Antonio Spurs

Manu Ginóbili

Pepe Sánchez of Bahilla Basket

Cristian Lambrecht, Argentina Basketball

Balen Martinez, C.P.E.M. 68, Villa La Angostura, Argentina

The San Francisco Rebels

Captain Joe Engler, S.F.P.D.

Phil Handy of the Toronto Raptors

Rico Hines of the Sacramento Kings

The Oakland Soldiers

Greg Porter, C.P.A.

Peggy Daley and her Daley Bookkeeping Services

And most importantly, all of our MAD Athletes, who constantly inspire us to keep pushing to learn more and to improve so that we can continue to help them reach their own levels of excellence.

Happy 2019!

All the best!

John Murray

Director of Murray Athletic Development