Adam Satz, Manager of the Year Candidate

Greg Domorski
Special to PirateCrew.com

In basketball, heroes are created under the glowing light of 3-point buzzer beaters, record book accomplishments and for the very best induction into the Hall of Fame. But Seton Hall senior Adam Satz has taken another path, spending his athletic career in the closed shadows, rather than center court in the glaring spotlight.

Satz, the manager of the Seton Hall men's basketball team has Cerebral Palsy, a disorder that hinders brain and nervous system functions. But this has not come close to preventing him from making a more than notable impact on the university's athletic program.

Through his true dedication to Seton Hall basketball, Satz was one of four finalists to be selected for the inaugural Manager of the Year Award, founded by the National Association of College Basketball Managers.

Satz said winning the award would mean a lot to him, but it will also have a positive impact on his friends and family, including the people he has developed relationships with at Seton Hall.

"It would mean a lot and show that all the work I put in [pays off]," said Satz. "I will be even more happy because of all the people that supported me through high school and at Seton Hall. It would be nice to have something to show for that."

Prior to Seton Hall, Satz spent four years at Monroe-Woodbury High School in Central Valley, New York where he was a national honor student. Satz first started out as a manager for the freshman basketball team, then moved on to the junior varsity level as a sophomore. For his final two years at the school, Satz took the official reins as manager of the boy's varsity basketball team.

Cerebral Palsy has altered Satz' dream to be able to play his chosen sport at both the high school and college level, but to him, basketball is still a major part of his life and he enjoys spending time supporting both Monroe-Woodbury and Seton Hall.

"Basketball has always been my favorite sport and I really cannot describe why I like it. It is just the feeling I get when watching the sport. There is such an emphasis on coaching in basketball, more than any other major sport. I am drawn to that aspect of the game. After being a four-year basketball manager in high school, it was something I wanted to continue in college."

After high school, Satz enrolled at the University of Miami [FL], until making the decision to transfer after just one semester. He said he was happy at Miami, but wanted to move in a different direction.

"I wanted to transfer to be closer to home. [Seton Hall] was the only school that guaranteed that if I was accepted, I would have the opportunity to be a manager," explained Satz. "For the coaching staff to take the risk and let me be hands on is something I really appreciated. Being a manager [at Seton Hall] has really allowed me to develop and become successful in athletics."

Head Coach Kevin Willard

After receiving his Seton Hall acceptance letter, Satz earned the manager position under then head coach Bobby Gonzalez. Four years later, Satz remains on the bench at Seton Hall, assisting new first year head coach Kevin Willard with responsibilities that include developing a scouting library for prospective athletes and working hands on with the basketball team.

"I have typical manager responsibilities that includes laundry, setting up equipment and working with scouting reports. I want to be as hands on as much as possible and spend as much time as I can with the team".

Satz said he has developed strong relationships with members of the coaching staff, administrative personnel and players in the program. He also travels full time to away games.

"It's a family atmosphere. It is like having brothers. You don't always get along.....but you always have each others backs," said Satz about traveling with the Pirates. "We are all here together trying to accomplish the same thing at Seton Hall.

With head coach Kevin Willard now leaving the Pirates with a changed focus to strengthen the image of Seton Hall University while trying to compete at the highest level Satz fits right into that mold, staying committed to both the court and the classroom with a 3.6 cumulative grade point average. Satz mentions that he is on pace to graduate in the spring with a B.S. in Sports Management.

"Sometimes it has been a challenge to balance athletics with academics, but I have been immensely aided by Seton Hall's academic support systems."

With a strong work ethic and a chance to succeed at Seton Hall, Satz hopes that will translate into garnering the first ever Manager of the Year Award.

With over 500,000 children and adults in the United States exhibiting one or more of the symptoms of Cerebral Palsy, Satz believes his winning would hopefully inspire others with his disability as well as those who suffer from different anomalies.

"It would hopefully inspire a family that has a child with Cerebral Palsy that kids like me can have this opportunity and succeed," said Satz. "My parents provided me with an attitude to work hard and not let anybody tell me what I wasn't capable of doing. Hopefully, I will have the chance to help other people have the same opportunity that I've had."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Last April, The UPS Store announced that Adam won The UPS Store's national managers contest with a $10,000 prize that went to Seton Hall.

Competing against a duo of managers from Duke, a manager from Elon and a manager from Rice, his being chosen as a finalist merited a $5,000 reward to the general scholarship fund at Seton Hall as well as being named to the inaugural  Manager of the Year Award.

- Gabrielle Kiger

Check out the video of Adam: