Eric Lang enters his sixth season as head strength and conditioning coach for the Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball program in 2024-25.
Lang came to Hawk Hill in June of 2019 after spending the previous three years working with the Houston Rockets. Joining the organization in June of 2016, Lang served as the Rockets' assistant strength and conditioning coach. He was also the head strength and conditioning coach for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, who won the G-League Championship in 2019. He has additional NBA experience having spent the 2014-2015 season with the Philadelphia 76ers.
With Saint Joseph’s, Lang leads all areas related to Performance Fitness for Men’s Basketball. His philosophy focuses on building personalized strength, conditioning, mobility and nutrition plans for every athlete. He specializes in creating functional drills that simulate basketball specific movement body mechanics. Lang is also responsible for implementing all sports science initiatives, and tracks progress through data and metric resources.
Coach Lange on Eric:
“We want to be the best in college basketball in the space of body development and Jill’s commitment to hiring Eric Lang was a major step. Eric is transformational. Our player’s feel Eric’s preparation and authentic care for their whole being as he equips them for life in all ways related to their physical health. We are excited for what the present and future hold under his energy and guidance.”
With Houston and Rio Grande, Lang tested and analyzed each player's athletic performance and movement efficiency to help create comprehensive individualized training programs, along with coaching warm-up and stretching protocols for both practices and games. Lang was also an intricate part of the team's pre-draft assessments as he worked potential draft picks through specialized strength and conditioning tests.
Prior to joining the Rockets, Lang served as a strength and conditioning intern with Villanova Basketball, working with the men's basketball program during their 2015-16 National Championship season.
A native of Exton, Pennsylvania, Lang graduated from West Chester University in 2013 with a degree in exercise science and earned a master's degree in kinesiology from A.T. Still University in March of 2021.
"Eric brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to St. Joes. The players he will coach are in great hands. Eric’s ability to effectively bridge the gap between performance science and application on the court is an asset that gives this basketball team an immediate advantage." - Javair Gillett, Rockets’ Head Strength Coach
"Eric Lang is one of the best young trainers in the league and has a hands on approach for all of his athletes. His knowledge has made a huge impact on my game. Eric is passionate about his work, informative, hard working, and always learning new techniques in the industry to set him apart from the rest." - Eric Gordon, Houston Rockets
