Ep. 36: Josh Corbeil, Head Athletic Trainer

When a Pacers player is dealing with discomfort or an injury, Josh Corbeil is who they contact. At practice or in a game, at home or in the middle of the night, Corbeil is essentially always on call. Corbeil, officially the Senior Director Medical Operations and Head Athletic Trainer, joined the Pacers in 2004. He took over for legendary athletic trainer David Craig. Since then, he has worked with four different head coaches: Rick Carlisle, Jim O’Brien, Frank Vogel, and now Nate McMillan. The Boston native holds a bacehlor’s degree in science, master’s in physical therapy, doctorate in physical therapy, and he is a licensed physical therapsist and athletic trainer. Corbeil, Associate Head Athletic Trainer Carl Eaton, and Director of Sports Performance Shawn Windle have a daily meeting each morning about the 15-man roster and what is going on with each player. One thing Corbeil and the training staff emphasize is prehab. That’s taking a focus in treating players daily in hopes of preventing an injury from happening in the first place. It’s prevention rather than reaction. If you enjoy the behind the scenes of a professional team and what an individual’s job entails, as I do, I think you’ll really enjoy this podcast. Subscribe to the Pacers Podcast on iTunes. I welcome your questions and comments @ScottAgness on Twitter or via email. Topics Discussed: * Why he chose to become an athletic trainer * His offseason, and how there really isn’t an “offseason” * Role in the draft & free agency, plus what goes into a physical * The task of each individual on the medical staff * Where he was and how he responded to Paul George’s injury with Team USA * Learning from Dan Dyrek * Why there was a member of the staff with Paul in Rio