The Life Of A UConn Manager...

Check out this post by Kyle Lyddy:

 While I was a manager at Connecticut, I was able to work along side some pretty good athletes and some high profile coaches. My freshman year I was just getting into the swing of things, learning my role as a team manager, following the lead and respecting the work of the upperclassmen and trying to really soak in everything.

I had worked the Jim Calhoun Basketball Camp the previous summer and met some of the coaches and worked closely with the other managers on the staff. I worked my tail off that summer. It was a place I wanted to be and I wanted to do anything to prove myself to those above me. Prove to them that I was there to stay. You see, I grew up in Connecticut and was a UConn fan my entire life. I cheered when I was 9 years old when Ray Allen hit that awkward Big East Championship last second shot and cheered again in 1999 and 2004 when the Huskies took home the National Championship. I was a die hard.

To be part of it all in 2005 was a dream come true. To see Marcus Williams and Hilton Armstrong walking around in my early days, I was awe struck. Driving Rudy Gay to an off campus party? Unreal. Waking Hasheem Thabeet up after a  nap to head to our Final Four game against Michigan State? Dreamlike.

Police escort to Michigan State Game (Final Four)

I fit in kind of quick, because I was around so often and I can talk to pretty much anyone. I joked when people asked what my major was in school. "Basketball," I would respond. I would be in Gampel Pavillion (UConn's Home Court) for literally 8-10 hours a day. I would study in that building, eat in there, take a nap in there, attend practices in there and do our managerial duties in there. It was perfect.

As I became a little more respected by my peers, I began to travel. I did this by literally being around as much as I could. Sociology was my major. I didn't really care much about that. I was gaining relationships and learning so much by being around a program that I loved. If it meant bringing Coach Calhoun's car to get washed-shit- you better believe I was going to do it.

 It is important to know your role in a business like this. My trick? Eavesdrop as much as you can. But, keep your distance. Pick up on as much as you can. You need to know where the line is. If you overstep that boundary, it could be your last step. So there is a fine line to walk.

 When my senior year came around, the Huskies finally came around and had a great year. It was a year that started with a Paradise Jam Championship win in the Virgin Islands, Coach Calhoun's 600 win at Marquette, a 6 overtime loss to Syracuse at MSG and a Final Four appearance in Detroit. It was literally a dream come true.

It wasn't as if I was just along for the ride however. And that would be my challenge to each one of you. Try and get something a little more out of the whole experience. The life lessons that I learned on a daily basis is what really made this so special. Coach Calhoun is looked at as an aggressive, angry man on the sidelines. He is a coach that cares so much about his "family"though. If you're on his side-you're good to go!

It was about looking out for one another, being on time, learning how to interact with a diverse group of people, giving back to the community, doing the right thing and giving everything you have on a daily basis. There are no shortcuts at Connecticut. The first thing I realized coming in was how much of a business this really is. I challenge you to try and look beyond the basketball aspect of your program and work with your team managers to create an atmosphere where you can all be successful. Figure out ways to help each other out.

A lot of you have the same common goals. You need to figure out a way to differentiate yourself from the guy next to you. You need to continue to work as a team, however individually you need to figure out a way to stand out and be a leader. Allow people around you to realize what a solid person you are.

Detroit's Ford Field (2009 NCAA Final Four) 70,000+ Fans