Four.

That�s the number of days Jimmy Duba spent driving from Storrs, Conn., to Sacramento at the end of last March.

�I took it easy,� Duba said comfortably seated in his Monarchs practice facility office. �I left on Thursday and got here on a Monday.�The road trip wasn�t a spur-of-the-moment decision for the Wisconsin native. He received a call from Kings strength and conditioning coach Daniel Shapiro earlier that month. Fresh off finishing his Master�s degree at the University of Connecticut, Duba was hired for his first �real job,� as Monarchs strength and conditioning coach.

Though he just wrapped up his first year at the helm of the Monarchs weight room, Duba is no rookie to the strength and conditioning ranks. Before arriving in Sacramento, he worked as a graduate assistant for several UConn athletic programs, including the highly-touted men�s and women�s basketball teams. And while he was an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Duba interned for the Chicago Bulls.

�They have a great program and have lots of interns that go through there,� Duba said of his experience in the Windy City. �My old boss gave me an opportunity to work. That opened up a lot of doors.�

The road to Sacramento wouldn�t have been taken if not for Duba�s former NBA employer. After he completed his graduate studies, Duba�s old supervisor referred him to his current position. Fortunately for the Monarchs, Duba passed up another job in order to come to California's capital.

�My other opportunity was to be an intern with the Cleveland Browns,� Duba said about the potential to work in the NFL. �But I couldn�t pass up having my own team with the Monarchs.�

His first season overseeing the team�s weight training and conditioning regimens was a success. But like players he trains, his work doesn�t conclude at season�s end. Duba is also in charge of managing off-season workout programs.

�The easiest way to plan is three to four weeks ahead,� Duba said of arranging off-season training. �When you�re working individually with somebody, a lot of times you find yourself changing the regimen if you plan too far ahead because you can�t foresee the future.�

Monitoring off-season workouts hasn�t been an easy undertaking for the first-year strength and conditioning coach. But it�s not the only difficult task.�It�s a challenge working around schedules,� Duba said. �Sometimes coordinating and scheduling different workouts is almost more of a challenge than the actual job.�

Although it�s the off-season for the Monarchs, the Kings are in full-swing. In the midst of their 82-game schedule, the Kings have a lot of practice time scheduled at the team's joint practice facility, which limits workout times for the Monarchs.

�If there�s an 11 o�clock Kings practice,� Duba explained. �We need to be done an hour-and-a-half before that starts. Or if we�re going to work out afterwards, we wait until all the Kings players have cleared out.�

Another challenge Duba�s faced in his first off-season has been working around the fact many players are playing on the other side of the world right now.

Since he can�t visit each player individually, Duba created an off-season workout manual. It details five training regimens to help players maintain and improve strength, speed and conditioning.

�I give them an introduction and explanation of different workouts they should be doing while they�re there,� Duba said. �When they�re overseas, I don�t know exactly what to work with, unless they keep in close contact with me. So I give them example workouts on DVD of what they should be doing.�

Despite the various challenges he�s faced, Duba's enjoyed his first year on the job. Playing a role in players' development has given tremendous satisfaction to the UConn grad.

�Just seeing the growth process throughout the year,� Duba said of one rewarding aspect of his work with the Monarchs. �Seeing a younger person who hasn�t had much experience weight training improve is big.�

One player who�s made huge training strides under his guidance is Monarchs guard Kara Lawson. The Olympic gold medalist averaged a career high in minutes this year, which can be credited to Duba�s instruction.

�He�s very organized and disciplined,� Lawson said of Duba after finishing her afternoon workout. �We have a lot of the same characteristics as far as work ethic, time and thought put into workouts.�

Like his cross-country trip to Sacramento, Duba�s life has seen quick turnaround. Just a year ago Duba was a student, finishing up his final semester in Connecticut. Fast forward to today and he�s the man running the show in the Monarchs weight room.

But Duba isn�t getting ahead of himself. Fans can rest assured he�ll be keeping the Monarchs in peak physical condition for the foreseeable future.

�I�m going to spend as much time here as I can,� Duba said of what might come next in his career. �I�m definitely going to be with the Monarchs for the next few years.�

If Lawson's an example of his early impact, Monarchs players have a lot of hard work and success ahead of them.