Most Valuable Managers: The men behind the scenes of Elon Men’s Basketball
At 7 a.m. every morning, most Elon students are struggling to get out of bed. But for Men’s Basketball managers Corey Roe, Jeff Cook and Mac Ryan, the day has already begun. Players uniforms have been washed, the water cooler is filled and practice is set up in Alumni Gym.
“You have to absolutely love basketball in order to be willing to get up everyday and do this job,” Cook said. “We help rebounding the balls - we help facilitate the drills - wipe up the sweat - make sure everyone has water - just make sure everyone has everything they need.”
Being a manager means giving up time for a lot of social activities. “You definitely don’t have that much free time,” Cook said. “We’re taking just as many classes as everyone else, but instead of going home in the afternoon to do homework, we have to wait until 9 or 10 p.m. to start our homework.”
It’s a job that requires long hours and little compensation, but they keep coming back for more.
“I think a lot of people wouldn’t classify this as fun, but at the end of the day I go home and say I had a fun day,” Ryan said.
While the hours may be long and strenuous, the memories the managers make are well worth the sacrifice.
“It’s something about the people,” Ryan said. “Something about them makes me want to come back everyday, talk to the coaches, hear what’s new, hear their jokes.”
“Here we get to see everything from recruiting, to the statistics, to the film work, to the coaches meetings, to the pre-game meals, to every little thing that goes into winning a basketball game,” adds Cook.
It’s been a fun four-year run for Cook and an experience he wouldn’t trade for anything in the world.
“Being able to come and be on a basketball court for work everyday, whether its three hours a day or not. It’s a pretty cool experience,” said Cook. “Not many people can say that’s their job on campus.”
