Managing Terp Nation

Arik Orback's post:

Being a student manager for the University of Maryland's Men's Basketball Program was the worst three years of my life. But don't get me wrong, it was also by far and away the best three. I think anyone who has had the opportunity to be a student manager long enough can empathize with that statement.

In becoming a student manager you are making an extraordinary commitment not only to the team you are managing, but also to yourself. It's essentially a full-time job, and required your services all throughout the calendar year. See for managers, there is no off-season. Whether it's preseason workouts / practices, weight-lifting sessions, or pick-up games in September or early October, practice six days a week in the weeks following Midnight Madness and just before the season commences, post-season workouts one or two weeks after your team's season ends until the school year is over, summer camps, in the months of June and July, or the grueling regular and post-seasons months of November through March, you don't really get time off. Upon realizing I was a student manager, people always asked me, "How often do you have to work?" I answer, "Well during the season, it can sometimes reach up to 40 hours per week." Almost 100% of the time, that question is followed by, "Oh wow, well how much do you get paid?" To which I respond, "I don't get paid." And gain almost 100% of the time, people would then say, "You're crazy." The thing about being a student manager is you sort of have to be a little crazy to do it.

My story on how I became a manager is one of the disinterest, but does have a valuable lesson in it. I came into the University of Maryland not even knowing about the manager position, I just knew I wanted to get involved in Maryland Athletics, and that's about it. Upon finding out about the position, I actively pursued it. I sent emails to the Men's Basketball Department my first month at school, and shortly found out that they were full that year, but I could contact them after the season was over and they might have an open position. In the mean time, I pursued and got a Sports Marketing Intern position, which was a lot of fun and I gained a lot of valuable experiences, but I still had my sights on being a manager.

 

After the season was over, I immediately contacted the Basketball Department again, anxiously waiting for a response. I finally got one, and they told me to come in for an informational interview. I came in and talked to the Assistant Director of Basketball Operations, who basically described the job and asked if I had any questions. In doing so, he walked me down to the main court, where none other than big man on campus, Greivis Vasquez, was playing one-on-one with his old high school teammate, Kevin Durant. Doesn't really pertain much to the story, but cool nonetheless. Anyways, I was told that I could come in and work the summer basketball camps, and if they liked me, I could be a manager. And so I worked them, and only found out after arriving on campus for my Sophomore year, that I could be a manager. It was one of the greatest feelings knowing that my persistence had paid off, and I was extremely excited to start working.

There is no requirement on how many manager there needs to be at Maryland. Usually there are around six to eight though. As manager, our list of responsibilities was quite lengthy. Assisting in preseason workout, weight-lifting sessions, post-season workouts, and working all summer camps are some of the off-season responsibilities. In-season responsibilities include mandatory attendance at every practice and home games, and for road games for traveling managers. At Maryland, your responsibilities were based on how long you've been there for, followed by a seniority basis. So your first year, you're mainly wiping up sweat, filling up coolers and bottles, putting out and collecting the gear, and so on. By the time you're a senior, you're usually recording practice and game statistics, watching video sessions with the team, assisting with travel logistics on the road, and so on. But these are just several of the many responsibilities we had as managers, there are simply too many to name them all.

Former Maryland Head Coach Gary Williams

Like I said before, becoming a manager means you are making an incredible commitment to both the team, and yourself. This is certainly not a job for everyone. You must be passionate about basketball, willing to perform less-than-graduate tasks (i.e. wiping sweat), work long unpaid hours, and you must be on call 24/7. If you're okay with these things, and you work hard and you're on time, you are well on your way to being a successful manager. And if you can get past the downsides of being a manager, you can certainly enjoy the upsides.

Working under a future Hall Of Fame Coach, Gary Williams was certainly a great privilege. Watching him teach each and every day was an amazing experience, and part of the reason why going to work every day was enjoyable. This was the same guy I watched back in middle school coach a team lead by Juan Dixon and Steve Blake to a National Championship victory. And often times, guys like Dixon would come to the Comcast Center. I actually recall a conversation with Dixon I had, where he genuinely seemed interested in my experience at Maryland. It's times like those where you have to step back and realize what just happened. I've met many great coaches, players, and celebrities through my time as a manager. I recall another time where after a practice, all the managers got into a half court shooting contest with ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt partook. The player's also play a major part of the manager's experience. I was fortunate enough to be around some great players and some great personalities. I was also fortunate to be a part of two NCAA tournament teams, with one of those teams tying Duke for the regular season ACC Champions in 2010, the year they won the National Championship. In addition, everyone part of the team, including managers, received personalized rings and plaques recognizing the honor.

As a student manager under Gary Williams-led Maryland team, I witnessed firsthand many great games. In 2009, we upset #3 ranked North Carolina in overtime, who went on to win the National Championship. A few weeks later we upset #8 ranked Wake Forest in the second round of the ACC Tournament to solidify a NCAA Tournament berth. In 2010, we ended the regular season on a seven-game winning streak including a win over Clemson after being down 15 early. That streak also included a double overtime win in Blacksburg against Virginia Tech and a home win over #4 ranked Duke, in which the whole student body, including yours truly rushed the court. My favorite game of that winning streak though, and probably my favorite game, where Coach Williams suit jacket somehow ended up in my lap, Maryland squeezed out a win in very dramatic fashion. Derrick Favors gave Georgia Tech a one-point lead with 3 seconds left on the clock, and Greivis Vasquez took a half-court shot and made it as time expired. The basket was waved off and we got the ball at mid-court with 1.5 seconds left. Everyone thought Vasquez would take the final shot again, but in-bouncer Eric Hayes threw the  ball to Cliff Tucker who took a deep and off-balanced three-pointer from the left wing and drained it as time expired. It was the "first" buzzer beater in Comcast Center history. The crowd didn't rush the court, but out of pure jubilation I did, trying to run after Cliff Tucker to celebrate along with the rest of the team. The feeling I had that night does not come around often.

Overall, being a student manager for the Maryland Men's Basketball Program was an amazing experience. I made many friendships and I have a lot of great memories to take with me. From a business standpoint, I also did a lot of networking. Whether with other coaches, players, scouts, Maryland alumni, and so on, I made plenty of great connections. 

Before becoming a manager, I had no idea what I wanted to pursue as a career, except I knew I wanted to stay involved in sports. After three years as a manager, I defiantly would like to stay  involved with basketball in some capacity or another. Preferably at the collegiate or professional level.

Like I said before though, being a manager is not for everyone. And those who choose to make the commitment must realize that while they are offering their unpaid services, it is still a privilege. My advice to any collegiate basketball manager out there is to stay humble, work hard, always be on time, and every once in a while take a step back and think about the privileged position you are in. It is very easy to forget that sometimes when you're waking up at 4:45 in the morning to help prepare for a six o'clock team workout or when your team has a terrible performance and gets crushed by thirty.

As a manager you invest so much of your time into the team, and you live and die with them. I was a fan of the Terps my freshman year, but I was part of the team my last three. No one can take that away from me. Managers are essential, and the backbone to every collegiate basketball program. Take pride in that.