Fueling the High School Basketball Player

Basketball is a very demanding sport that requires speed, agility, endurance, and power. The constant stop and go nature of the sport requires a great deal of energy making adequate and balanced nutrition so important for these athletes. Keep reading for helpful tips on how basketball players can fuel properly during pre-season, practices, games, post-games, and during the off season. How much you need to eat, when you need to eat, and what to eat can also change!

Pre-season can be a very challenging time due to demanding schedules balancing school, workouts, practices, and any additional skills training sessions. During this time, creating good eating habits and following an eating schedule are key. Focus on eating 3-4 meals and 2-3 snacks daily that are balanced with lean protein, carbohydrates, produce, and healthy fats.

Include 25-40 grams of lean protein for muscle building and repair and satiety and a great amount of carbohydrates for energy at each of your meals. Use this graphic to build a performance plate for all your meals!

Don’t forget about hydration! Dehydration can negatively affect your performance by increasing muscle cramps and decreasing strength, speed, power, and recovery. Aim for at least 100-120 oz of fluids per day. This should include water but also electrolytes from sports drinks or electrolyte packets to replenish electrolytes lost in sweat. Want more hydration tips? Check out our hydration blog to learn more!

Nutrient timing around training sessions will help you feel and perform your best. Before practice, use our chew-nibble-sip strategy for your pre-training meal or snack. This strategy will help you learn exactly what to eat at what time. Remember, focus on carbs, protein, and fluids for optimal energy during training and muscle recovery. For some pre-training snack ideas, check out this video!

The focus for recovery nutrition should also be on carbs, protein, and fluids for replenishment. Replenish your glycogen stores that were used during training, protein for muscle repair, and fluids and electrolytes for what was lost in your sweat. Use the NWW 25-50-30 recovery rule of thumb for your post-training snack. Plan ahead and prioritize 25 grams of protein with 50 grams of carbs within 30 minutes of training. Need ideas? Head here for some great recovery snacks!

Your fueling strategy on game days should be practiced in advance. Never try new or spicy high fat foods the night before or on game day. If you try new foods, you could end up with stomach issues that could negatively impact your performance. Practice your night before meal and your day of meals and snacks throughout pre-season to nail down your exact fueling strategy that helps your feel and perform your best on the court. Avoid fried, greasy, and spicy foods as these foods can also upset your stomach. For more tips for what to eat the night before a game, head to our blog.

Use the chew-nibble- sip strategy for your meals and snacks on game days as well. Focus on carbs and protein for optimal energy and recovery during, between, and after games. Check out our pre-game nutrition blog for some great pre-game meal ideas. Don’t forget about hydration on game days too! Keep your water bottles filled and on hand and bring some sports drinks or electrolyte packets to replenish your electrolytes as well.

Off season is the ideal time to focus on your personal goals through nutrition whether that’s improving your strength, speed, power, or endurance, losing body fat, or gaining muscle mass. These changes should be done in the off season to prevent any potential impacts to your performance during the season.

If your goal is to gain muscle mass during the off season, first you have to EAT! Follow an eating schedule with 3-4 meals and 2-3 snacks a day. Start your day off with a high calorie, high protein breakfast followed by a second breakfast a few hours later to front load your calories. Double up on your protein and carb portions at each of your meals and aim to consume an additional 500 calories per day to put on about 1 lb per week. For more great weight gain tips, head over to our weight gain blog.

If your goal is to lose body fat, a calorie deficit along with a high protein diet is key to ensure none of that precious muscle mass is lost. Include 25-40 grams of protein at each meal and 10-15 grams at each snack to consume enough protein during the day but to also feel full between meals. Also focus on half of your plate full of colorful veggies. Head over to our fat loss blog for more tips!

A well-rounded approach to nutrition that includes balanced meals, hydration, and nutrient timing supports peak performance on and off the court. Whether it’s pre-season, in-season practices, game days, or off-season goals, every fueling choice impacts your speed, endurance, and strength. Developing healthy eating habits early sets players up for success, both physically and mentally. By prioritizing nutrition, basketball athletes can maximize their performance, prevent injuries, and work toward their personal goals, empowering them to thrive both now and in the future.

The Nutrition with Wendi team utilizes evidence-based science to tailor nutrition programs for athletes to optimize performance, minimize health risks, and enhance recovery from training while focusing on injury prevention. We partner with parents, athletes, health professionals, and individuals and offer elite nutrition and health guidance for optimal athletic performance, injury, and disease reduction. We provide virtual sports nutrition coaching, education, and presentations virtually in Texas, Florida, California, Minnesota, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Arizona, and Michigan. Our primary office is based in Nashville, Tennessee where we serve the greater Brentwood, Franklin, and Green Hills communities. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more nutrition information. Services booking here to consult with Wendi for a team talk or QA session.