Most of us will spend our winter break reconciling relationships with our couches, but Loyola’s basketball players will be busting their tails on their own to stay sharp.

Both the men’s and women’s teams will have workouts planned during the winter recess. The players will be required to do the workouts on their own while away from the teams.

Beck Flanagan, assistant coach of the women’s team, said that the team will get 12 days off for the break.

“We have a game on the 15th of December and then they don’t have to come back after that game until December 28,” Flanagan said.

Michael Giorlando, head coach of the men’s team, said that his players won’t be required back until New Year’s Eve. While he has not given out the workout regimen for the break yet, the plan will focus on honing skills.

“The drills will be about 45 minutes to an hour of shooting and dribbling,” Giorlando said.

Business management freshman Katie Youngblood said she will spend her break doing the team workouts and working with her trainer back home. She will also do some work on the scout team for her high school basketball team to stay around basketball.

“You can’t really take days off. Especially so many,” Youngblood said.

Business junior Robert Lovaglio said that players are expected to do a bit more than just the workout to not lose a beat over the break. However, Lovaglio said that Giorlando does not want the players to risk their own health.

“He doesn’t necessarily want us going out and playing pick-up against random guys. He doesn’t want us to risk an injury, but he does want us out there working on every part of our game to get better,” Lovaglio said.

For Youngblood, her drive to work out goes beyond requirements or competition: it’s just common sense.

“It’s a lot easier to stay in shape than to have to get back into shape,” she said.

Karl Gommel and be reached at [email protected]

Cami Thomas contributed reporting to this story.