Fuelling the Wildcats: Nico Giuliani on Nutrition & Recovery in Basketball
By Daniel Herman
Fuelling the Wildcats: Nico Giuliani on Nutrition, Recovery and the Make It Happen Mindset
By Daniel Herman, Founder of Bio-Synergy
What does it take to fuel a basketball team through training, match days, travel and everything else life throws at them?
On the Make It Happen Mindset podcast, I caught up with Nico Giuliani, lead performance nutritionist at Nottingham Wildcats, to explore exactly that.
Through Bio-Synergy’s partnership with Super League Basketball, we’ve been talking about the practical realities of supporting players. Our conversation brought those realities to life: busy schedules, misconceptions about food and the work that happens long before the first whistle.
From playing basketball to supporting performance
Nico’s interest in nutrition started with his own experience as an athlete. Having played competitive basketball in Italy and the UK, he understood the desire to find that extra edge on court.
Initially, he pursued strength and conditioning, gaining experience through internships and shadowing coaches. But he became increasingly interested in how food and everyday habits could influence performance.
While completing his master’s at Loughborough, an introduction to the Wildcats’ medical team opened the door to practical experience. That opportunity developed into his current role, supporting players across the club.
The conversation starts with enough fuel
One of the strongest themes of our discussion was energy availability.
Nico described helping players recognise whether their eating habits matched the demands of their schedules. For some, those demands include club basketball, university competition, gym sessions and academic commitments.
Against that backdrop, messages encouraging women to eat less can make the conversation harder.
His approach centres on education: helping athletes understand what their bodies need, why those needs differ and how to make food choices with greater confidence.
It also means listening. A player trying to build muscle may need different support from a teammate with another goal, position or training schedule.
What match-day nutrition looks like
For Nico, putting nutrition into practice often starts in the kitchen.
At Wildcats games, the team prepares a courtside table with options such as grapes, bananas, orange slices and rice cakes with honey. He described these as convenient ways to make carbohydrate foods available during the game.
Before training, the conversation shifts towards planning meals around the session. Afterwards, the team provides shakes made with Bio-Synergy protein powder and skimmed milk as part of its recovery routine.
Nico repeatedly returned to a food-first approach. Supplements have a place within the wider plan, alongside meals, snacks and habits players can maintain.
Away fixtures bring another challenge: preparation. Packing suitable food before travelling helps players avoid leaving every decision to whatever happens to be available on the road.
Recovery deserves space in the diary
When I asked what gets overlooked in recovery, Nico’s answer was immediate: sleep.
He talked about players balancing demanding training schedules with school or university, sometimes moving straight from lessons into the arena and staying late into the evening.
In his work, recovery conversations cover food, fluids and the opportunity to rest. His closing answer captured how strongly he feels about this:
“Better performance starts with a good sleep.”
It is a useful reminder to look beyond the training session when thinking about what supports the next one.
Education across the whole club
Nico’s ambition extends beyond the professional squad.
Alongside his interns, he described an approach that adapts support to different groups: individual consultations and performance support for senior players, with a greater educational focus for academy athletes.
He is also working to involve parents of younger players through short workshops while their children train.
That stood out to me. Giving families practical knowledge can help young athletes make informed choices as they grow, develop and take on more responsibility for themselves.
Keep it simple—and make it happen
Asked about eating well on a budget, Nico emphasised simplicity: buying basic ingredients, cooking at home and learning to prepare meals.
That practical attitude carried into his answer about mindset. For Nico, making it happen means pursuing an idea you believe in, stepping outside your comfort zone and accepting that an unsuccessful attempt can still teach you something.
The same spirit runs through his work with the Wildcats. Preparing food for an away trip, helping a player understand their needs or making time for a parent workshop are small actions with a clear purpose.
What is one thing you could prepare today to support tomorrow’s training?
Discover more conversations about performance, wellbeing and the people putting their knowledge into practice on the Make It Happen Mindset podcast.
