TAMPA, Fla. – Jared Brantley, a senior history major, is entering his fourth year of being a student manager for the men’s basketball program.
He has been through the highs and the lows that the basketball team has experienced.
He has seen coaches come and go, players leave for the NBA draft and traveled to over 30 different cities nationwide.
Being a student manager seems glorious and entertaining.
However, a more in depth look can open up the eyes of outsiders to see that student managers may have the toughest job on the team.
A normal day for Brantley starts in the early morning hours. The season is a mere two months away so the team has been taking part in preseason workouts.
Those workouts start at 6:30 a.m. Managers are required to set up for this practices so Brantley arrives as early as 5:30 a.m.
After practice, Brantley and his staff of managers take part in doing the player’s laundry, unloading incoming shipments of apparel, taking inventory and countless other daily tasks that help keep the front office running smoothly.
With all of those responsibilities, Brantley still manages to find time to attend his five classes.
He is a part of the Honor’s College at USF and has a cumulative grade point average of 3.47.
During the team’s conference portion of the schedule, there can be three or four games a week.
Being a member of the Big East Conference, the Bulls have to travel to cities like Syracuse, NY., Newark, NJ., South Bend, IN. and Milwaukee, Wis.
The constant flying back and forth can take its toll on managers both academically and physically.
“Depending on the schedule, there are times when I've missed an entire week of classes,” Brantley said. “However, it is not an insurmountable obstacle, just one that takes hard work and dedication to overcome.”
The program's unlikely turnaround has landed the players and managers in an optimistic but unfamiliar position.
This past March, the school announced the brand new, state-of-the-art Muma Center would be constructed and operational by spring 2011.
Not only will the players, coaches and fans of the program benefit from the new facility, so will the managerial staff.
“The Muma Center being a strictly basketball only facility will help cut down the chaotic times we face, as well as improve our workplace in the office,” Brantley said.
Brantley plans on graduating next spring and hopes to become a permanent fixture on the men’s basketball staff.
By Joshua Litton
No comments:
Post a Comment