7’5 Samuel Deguara, Preparing in Canada for the Next Level

7’5 Samuel Deguara arrived to Canada from Malta (Europe) and has been working with professional basketball skill developer Mihai Raducanu of No Limit Performance for 95 days…and counting.

Dana Heimbecker, the head of athletic development at No Limit Performance has been working on the big fella’s flexibility, balance and overall movement.

Deguara has been cut by nine teams in nine years, but is still focused on getting his game to the next level.

He has signed on with Canadian agent Gary Durrant and will be an interesting prospect to keep tabs, particularly following the progress that Deguara has made.

“He is the true definition of commitment; he had nowhere to go, no team to play for, nobody wanted him, and he said I want to get better and I’m going to dedicate myself,” Raducanu told NPH.

“Nobody took the time to teach this guy. We taught him the ABC’s of basketball, took care of his body, along with testing at the Performance Lab in Toronto.”  

Since being cut by the Niagara River Lions (NBLC), Deguara has lived in the gym, seven hours a day, from skill work to conditioning.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbjrFvdlORA

Raducanu raved about the work ethic he is seeing from the 24-year old specimen.

“When I come into the gym and say it’s go time, he has already broken a big sweat, and has already changed his drenched t-shirt.”

When Raducanu first started working with the big man roughly three months ago, the scouting report was:

He had no lateral movement, has his feet stuck in the ground, was off balance, didn’t understand getting low and wasn’t a fluid athlete.

Through the assistance of both Raducanu and Heimbecker, Deguara is now ready to get back into competition in team training camps throughout the summer.

Raducanu agrees.

“It’s time to get him in front of people.”