MSU basketball names Lorenzo Guess as director of strength & conditioning
Michigan State men's basketball has named director of athletic performance Dr. Lorenzo Guess as the program's new director of strength and conditioning, head coach Tom Izzo announced on Tuesday.
Guess takes over for Marshall Repp, who served in the role for the past four seasons, but departed the program earlier this month.
Guess is a Michigan State alumnus who played both football and basketball for the Spartans. He is now in his 12th year on staff at MSU, and was most recently named the director of athletic performance in July 2022. He also previously served as the associate head strength and conditioning coach for the MSU football program.
"I'm really excited to have Lorenzo working with our program," Izzo said in a statement. "He is a Spartan through and through. Lorenzo was a two-sport athlete here, played safety on football teams that won a pair of bowl games and then was part of two Big Ten Championships and a Final Four team playing for me early in my career
"More than anything, I have great respect for him and what he has done with his career. His work with our football program has been outstanding, but he's also one of the most well-respected strength coaches in the country. The guys in our basketball program are going to benefit from his work ethic and his knowledge. Lorenzo is an ideal role model for our players because he has already walked in those footsteps."
Guess was named a Master Strength and Conditioning Coach (MSCC) by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches association (CSCCa) in May 2020, which is the highest honor given in the strength and conditioning coaching profession.
In 2012, Guess returned to East Lansing to join the football program. He worked with former longtime Michigan State head strength and conditioning coach Ken Mannie and former head football coach Mark Dantonio for eight seasons (2012 though 2019).
Overall, Guess has 19 years of experience as a strength and conditioning coach at the collegiate level. In addition to Michigan State, he's had stints at Notre Dame, Cincinnati and South Florida.
"I am excited to be joining the men's basketball team as the director of strength and conditioning," Guess said. "Michigan State has always felt like home to me and this opportunity is truly a dream come true. I have a special relationship with Coach Izzo and the staff, having met him when I was just 14 years old. It's amazing to see how things have come full circle. It's a great opportunity to work with this team and help them achieve their goals."
While at Michigan State, Guess played safety and was a four-year letterwinner for the Spartans in football from 1998 through 2001. He helped Michigan State beat Florida in the 2000 Citrus Bowl and Fresno State in the 2001 Silicon Valley Bowl.
Additionally, as a member of the Michigan State men's basketball team, Guess was part of two Big Ten title-winning teams and made an NCAA Final Four appearance with the Spartans in 1999. He earned two letters with the basketball team during the 1997-1998 and 1998-1999 seasons.
Guess earned a bachelor's degree from Michigan State in 2002. He later graduated from Tiffin University in 2007 with a master's degree in business administration. In the summer of 2021, Guess completed his doctoral program with the United States Sports Academy.
Just like me, Guess is a native of Wayne, Michigan and a graduate of Wayne Memorial High School. During his time as a Zebra, he was considered as one of the best athletes in the state of Michigan.