Managing The Spiders

Former head manager at Richmond, Colin Casey:

I played basketball at The Hill School, a private boarding school in Pennsylvania with a pretty demanding schedule with not much free time. My freshman year at Richmond, I went home for Fall Break and visited my high school coach, Seth Eilberg, who has had a high influence on my life up to this point. As we were discussing how my first year of college was going, I explained to him how weird it was for me to have all this free time on my hand after coming from such a regimented environment at The Hill School. He suggested I look into managing the men's basketball team. He said because I played, it would be the next best thing to actually do besides putting on a uniform. As it turned out, my freshman year, Richmond was recruiting two kids that I had played with in high school, so Seth had contacts on the coaching staff through the recruiting process. He put a call in to one of the assistant coaches, and by the time I got back to my house that day, I had an email waiting in my in-box telling me to come by when I got back to campus after break to see what it was all about. As it turned out for me, luckily, the 4th manager that they had recently quit, so there was a spot open. The rest was history. Coach Jamal Brunt told me to give it a week to see if it was for me or not, but I knew that I didn't need that much time to realize I was right where I needed to be.

Chris Mooney Head Coach

Throughout my four years, it varied. My freshman and sophomore years, I was one of four. My junior year, I became the head manager, and we somehow managed to get through the year with only three. My senior year couldn't have been better. I was one of six, which made everything run so much more smoothly. Given the success we achieved as a program, this past season, the year after I graduated, there was something like 12 managers, which I couldn't fathom, having worked with the numbers I worked with. I feel like a large group is both a gift and a curse. I was fortunate enough to work with some really great people the four years I was there, so despite our lack of numbers, we were extremely efficient.

At Richmond, we were pretty much expected to be someone to lean on. Basically, you were responsible for maintaining the name Richmond Basketball, and expected to do whatever you needed to do to help the program run as a well-oiled machine. If that was helping Coach Chris Mooney, any of the assistant coaches, our academic coordinator, trainer, strength coach, the players, or any of the other managers, you were expected to do it; doing laundry, helping get guys warmed up, setting up practice, maintaining the bench during games, picking guys up from class so that they could be at practice / shoot-around on time, running errands, making sure everything was cleaned up, helping to organize road trips, etc. The list is really infinite.

I hate using the words "expected" and "responsibilities" because those words carry sort of a negative connotation in my mind. I absolutely loved doing what I did because it helped other people, and it helped an organization that was bigger than myself. On top of that, because of the small numbers we worked with, I was one of 4-6 people on a campus of roughly 2,000-plus students who was fortunate enough to do what I did. The hours were sometimes crazy, and the sleep was sometimes minimal, but in the end, I wouldn't trade a second of what I did for anything else my four years there.

My ultimate career goal is to work in basketball. I am currently halfway to my MBA in Sports Management at Seton Hall University, and when I started here, I attempted to help the men's basketball team here. I did to some extent, but between school and unfortunately, a lack of adequate spending money, I had to find a part-time job instead. Coach Willard and his staff are great guys, and I enjoyed keeping statistics for them the few months I was on board. I wanted to do more for them, but they just didn't have what I was really looking for, which is fine. It actually opened up another opportunity for me. I took a part-time ticket sales position for Seton Hall Basketball, ironically enough and that led to an internship last Spring for ESPN Radio 1050 in New York, which in turn led to my current position as a Group Sales Representative for Madison Square Garden Entertainment. I graduate in May, so the sky is the limit. I know I want to work in sports, but where and in what capacity remains to be seen. I'll give anything a shot, so who knows where I'll end up. Don't knock it 'til you try it, right?

Personally, I hate to make mistakes and always want to do things right. I'm hard on myself, and hold myself to a high level of expectations. In that regards, I feel like my own work ethic was a piece of the puzzle, albeit a small piece. It was without question the people I was surrounded by: the coaches, the players, the support staff, the other managers, the facilities personnel, and the athletic department in general; these people made my experience a successful one. As much as I needed to be there for them, they were there for me in return. They brought me in and made me a part of what they were trying to accomplish, and most importantly, they made me feel like I was just as integral a apart of getting towards that goal. They were supportive and they pushed  me to the best person I could be, both inside the program and outside of it as well, and I am forever grateful for those relationships that I established with them.

Current Assistant Coach Rob Jones was the Director of Basketball Operations 2 of the 4 years I was there, and while I had access to whomever I needed while I was on staff, as a manager, you work most closely with the DOBO. Coach Jones essentially told em to ask questions if I didn't know or were unsure, and "it's better to pack everything and not need it, than to forget something and need it". Like anything else, when it comes to managing, you get what you put in. When you're always around and busy, it is noted by those around you.

I worked our summer camps almost every summer I was there with the exception of my freshman year. Camps were great. Everyone is around having a great time and the setting is so much more relaxed because you aren't competing in-season. Even as a manager, people outside the program, whether it be the campers or the parents, looking up to you like you're something of legend because you are a part of the Richmond Basketball program. I do regret having not worked camps at some other schools, if for no other reason than to meet other people and network more.  I met some great people outside of Richmond Basketball who would come and work our camps, and the connections you make could catch up to you somewhere down the road. This is definitely something all managers should take note of.

Man, narrowing down which game was most memorable for me is TOUGH. I'll pick three and let the readers decide which one? My sophomore year, we beat Dayton at home. At the time, Dayton was nationally ranked, the Robins Center was packed, and our guys played great that night. Another would have to be beating nationally-ranked Xavier at home my junior year, giving Coach Mooney his first win over Xavier, the only A10 team he had yet to beat. The last would have to be Senior Night against Dayton. I had a wild ride my four years behind the bench, and to see two Spider greats but more importantly, two great guys and friends, David Gonzalvez and Ryan Butler, end their careers in the home whites with a big "W" was a proud moment for me. Obviously, we had some big A10 tournament wins, some emotional nail biters, some other top-25 victories on national television, etc. However, those three games held so much more meaning than what they said on paper that they will never be forgotten.

My advice for other managers reading this is work hard and enjoy the moment. Four years fly bye. When I was at Richmond, I thought I would be there forever, and then suddenly your time is up. Rely on those around you, and that includes everyone. As a manager, you will literally get to know so many people other than just the people immediately associated with the program. It's okay to reach out and ask for help sometimes, people involved understand the hard work and effort that gets put into doing what you are doing. Be relentless, be positive, but be unseen. You are an integral part of the program, but you aren't going to be on the cover of the sports section after a big win. Understand that your role is important and absolutely necessary, but understand and respect the tradition and the image of your program.

"Fellas, there is nothing like the NCAA Tournament." - Chris Mooney (Head Coach of Richmond)

Coach would echo this in the weeks leading up to March of that year, and to this day this quote couldn't be truer. My senior year we had big non-conference wind, a great finish in the A10 regular season, a tough loss in the A10 final to Temple, which all culminated in being selected as an at-large to the field of 65. We watched the Selection Show from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City following the A10 final, and CBS had cameras on us when our name came up. It was by far the coolest, most nerve-racking thing I have ever experienced. It was pretty much a guarantee that we were in at-large, but our game was the second-to-last one announced on the show, so waiting around the entire 60 minutes is pretty crazy. The "wow" factor of "I can't believe that's really us up there" was something I don't know if I'll ever experience again. Despite losing in the first round, the experience is something I wouldn't trade for anything. The lights are brighter, and you know everyone is watching. The police escorts, the open-shoot arounds, the media, the buzz, everything was so incredible that I don't know if putting it on paper does it any sort of justice. Nothing could ever replace that week for me. We were the 8th Spider team to reach the NCAA Tournament, receiving the highest seed in school history, and to be recognized as one of the best teams in college basketball that year was an awesome way to end one of the greatest collegiate experiences a kid could ever have.