Kizer's Basketball Future Taking Shape

Training Regimen Helps All-Met Prepare for Under-18 National Team

One after another, Lynetta Kizer's size 12 Nike sneakers pounded the metal bleachers at Potomac (Va.) High in Dumfries last week -- clunk, clunk, clunk-- as she climbed and descended, over and over again.

By the end of her second set of steps in the mid-90-degree heat, Kizer sat on the bottom row, taking quick breaths. Her red mesh jersey hung loosely over her taut frame, the progress she has made in four months evident since dedicating herself to getting in better shape.

"Your talent is only going to take you so far," said Kizer, a first-team All-Met girls' basketball player who will be a freshman at Maryland this season. "I want to be able to compete with the best players in the country, so you gotta keep pushing."

Next came sprints and crunches. Sweat dripped from the short braids in Kizer's hair as she continued her workout on the track.

The regimen is new for the 6-foot-3, 230-pound Kizer, but it's already reaping benefits. Last month she was one of 12 players named to the U.S. under-18 national team, which will hold open workouts Wednesday through July 19 at Verizon Center and travel to Argentina on July 20 to compete in the FIBA Americas U-18 Championships.

A top four finish will earn the Americans a trip to next year's U-19 world championships in Bangkok.

Although Kizer reaffirmed her standing this past season as one of the best high school players in the country -- she averaged 20 points and 12 rebounds and was named a McDonald's all-American -- she came to the sobering conclusion that it would take even more to succeed at the next level.

So in late December, Kizer called Maryland Coach Brenda Frese and asked for a meal and training outline. Since then, with Potomac assistant basketball coach Kelly Brown by her side, Kizer has run countless wind sprints, climbed the bleachers almost daily and lifted weights. She has shunned fatty foods in favor of bland sandwiches and baked chicken. She has shed nearly 30 pounds.

"She basically did this on her own," said Kizer's mother, Yvonne. "She didn't want to wait until she got to Maryland to get in shape. She wanted to do it now."

In the past, Kizer would devour an entire pizza and a side of breadsticks in one sitting. Her mother said she would eat three bags of Cheetos in a day, or load up on cheeseburgers, nachos and french fries. At her heaviest, she weighed 256 pounds.

But when Kizer and Brown sat in Comcast Center in February and watched Maryland play Boston College, Kizer saw the Eagles' interior players fly up and down the court. It struck Kizer that the players were her size, yet much quicker and faster.

"I'm good, I'm talented, but so is everybody else," Kizer said. "Nobody's taking any breaks. That's what's motivating me through the whole thing. I want to be just as good as everybody else, if not better."

Kizer's slimmer physique has expanded her game, adding speed and stamina. At last month's four-day national team tryouts in Colorado Springs, which drew 34 players by invitation only from across the country, Kizer impressed the selection committee during two-a-day practices. Every play, facial expression and word on the court was scrutinized by the 10-person selection committee, which oversaw the process with clipboards and pens.

"A lot of post players can score down low, but what you need is a post player who can make a high-post pass and make a high-post jump shot," said Carol Callan, assistant executive director of USA Basketball, who was involved in picking the team. "That's what Lynetta did. She made some good passes and made some good shots. She can defend with better range than just on the block. She showed versatility. She showed that she can do quite a bit."

Callan said Kizer's dedication to improving physically showed that Kizer has an early understanding of what it takes to excel in college and beyond. "She figured it out herself," Callan said. "She has a leg up on it."

Callan added that Kizer's more slender frame should translate well to the international game, where versatility at every position is more crucial because of a deeper three-point line, an expanded lane and a focus on spreading the floor.

Kizer's new outlook on fitness and dieting is tested often by friends and family members who happily shovel down potato chips and guzzle sodas in front of her. But Kizer hasn't caved, even opting for a light dinner of baked chicken and pasta salad to celebrate her high school graduation last month.

"I definitely feel good about myself, but I have to keep working," Kizer said. "I like how I'm feeling, and I like how I'm able to compete."