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38 GOLD AND BLACK ILLUSTRATED how much they'd jack up the resistance on a special el- liptical that focused on cardiovascular development. And then Haas would hop on the one to the right — his "baby" — and rip off a high-intensity 20-minute workout. He'd usually wake up feeling "like crap" in the morn- ing with his body stiff and sore from the previous day, and though the elliptical work left him dripping in sweat and breathing hard, somehow, he'd always feel great after- ward. After the workout, Haas headed home to shower and took five minutes to take a breath on his futon before get- ting dressed for class. That was followed by weight ses- sions with his teammates and open gym or practice, what- ever was scheduled that day. Three times a week, usually Monday, Wednesday and Friday, he spent time in the gym to get extra shots up with a buddy rebounding for him. The emphasis on doing extra — the conditioning, the time spent on developing skill — became part of Haas' routine into the fall semester and up until the start of team practices. And it didn't go unnoticed. Soon after his open-gym discussion with Haas, Thomp- son got a late-night text from teammate Basil Smother- man, asking Thompson to guess who he'd seen working out late. "I knew right away," Thompson said. "I'm like, 'Isaac.' And he said, 'Yeah.' "He really took it to heart. I think it's helped us. I think since then, his game has elevated and he's gotten better." In his first two seasons, Haas never really had long stretches of court time to showcase his ability. So one of this season's biggest storylines is not just how much Haas will play, but how much he can play. Haas probably won't be a 30-minute-per-game guy like Tom Campbell Haas hopes to see his minutes increase, buoyed by being in better condition and commiting fewer fouls.