For star Ole Miss forward Malik Dia, workouts outside of organized team activities are not optional — they are a requirement. How often does he put in work on his own?
“Every day,” Dia said.
Dia, originally from Murfreesboro, Tenn., transferred to Ole Miss from Belmont University last season. He played in all 36 games and averaged 10.8 points per game. On defense, he totaled 31 blocks and 25 steals. The Daily Mississippian sat down with Dia for an in-depth look into what a day of preparation for basketball season looks like — and each of those days starts with a daily prayer.
“I thank the Lord for the day, (my) blessings,” Dia said.
Dia then lifts weights at 8 a.m. Some days, the team practices immediately afterward; other days, practices occur later on. Before practice and workouts, Dia routinely focuses on his shooting form. This slows down the game and allows him to get in rhythm.
“I think that’s really important, just finding a groove, getting a feel for the new day,” Dia said.
After practice, Dia performs cool-down activities and goes to post-practice recovery, then he begins his classwork. Dia’s classes are almost entirely online. His only in-person class is on Thursdays, and he is usually able to attend class around practice. Following practice, he dedicates a big chunk of each day to his schoolwork for his multi-disciplinary studies degree.
“I have a set-up time when I want to knock out my work on a day-by-day process, and I’m really efficient with that time,” Dia said.
Dia’s academic drive was instilled in him by his parents. Even though he is a gifted athlete, they instructed him to never overlook his studies.
“My parents have always held me to be an A-B student,” Dia said. “It’s how I was raised. It’s important to me to have good grades. … School is not just a cake-walk for me; I like to take it seriously.”
Dia sometimes has team practice after school. Even on days when he does not, though, he makes sure to get back in the gym for extra work. He usually completes these personal workouts late at night.
“There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t work on myself outside of practice,” Dia said. “Whether that’s lifting, whether that’s basketball workouts, whether that’s mental work — I do a lot of yoga now, too — there’s a lot of things that go into the day-to-day process. … But just doing practice isn’t enough.”
Throughout the day, Dia pays careful attention to what he puts into his body. The basketball staff provides healthy meals for the student-athletes. Dia cites his dietary habits as a major factor in his and his teammates’ quality of play.
“I think nutrition is a very key component in what I’m trying to do and what this team’s trying to do,” Dia said. “(We’re) making sure that we’re fueling our bodies properly for the season coming up. It’s just as important as doing all the work out there.”
Dia stressed how, going into the season, he wants to take care of his body. The longer he does this, the better shape he will be in.
“My biggest thing is (if I can) stack days on top of days in the hydration, the nutrition, just being consistent with that,” Dia said. “I think that’s the piece I’ve been missing.”
An important part of nutrition is cutting out unhealthy foods.
“The go-to snack used to be cookies, but I can’t eat that all the time,” Dia said. “So I’ve been trying different stuff, just figuring out what it is, but nothing crazy.”
After he finishes practice, workouts and classwork, Dia relaxes with his girlfriend. Her presence is comforting, and she helps him unwind after long, intense days.
“She’s a big decompressor for me,” Dia said. “It’s super helpful to have her around. We talk about a lot of things. We have a lot of fun with each other. … It’s always awesome to have her, and I appreciate her.”
Dia also likes to decompress with video games — specifically, NBA2K, Fortnite and Clash Royale. Still, he is careful to go to bed at a reasonable time so that he is not dragging his feet in the morning.
“Recently, I’ve been trying to be in bed by 10 p.m., so that I’m not out and about doing whatever or wasting time on the video games,” Dia said.
Ole Miss Men’s Basketball’s first action of the season comes later this month in an exhibition game against St. Mary’s on Oct. 26. Though the team has a big hill to climb in SEC competition, Dia is hopeful for this season. He is focused on controlling what he can: himself.
“It’s a new team every year,” Dia said. “I think this team has a lot of work to do, and I can only control myself, mainly. With my preparation, my work, my output and my results — I’m going to focus on that, and I think if I do that, it helps the team a lot.”
