They may be called managers, but the laundry maids and the water and ball boys/girls are more than that to the Kansas University men’s basketball players.
“Coach (Bill) Self tells them to treat us like assistant coaches – like we are there for them just like the coaches are,” head manager Justin Bauman said. “They know we are there to do what’s best for them – to help them achieve success on the court and off of it.”
While they put in about four hours for each practice and around eight hours on game days, the managers’ work week goes beyond that.
“Twenty-six hours a day, it seems like,” senior Molly Bachand said. “It’s actually, probably 30 hours a week, and that’s not the volunteer stuff – the extra stop into the office or random calls for anything else that’s happened.”
Two veterans of the program, Bauman has been around for five years and Bachand for six – the last two as a manager.
“I came up here having no idea what I was going to do, knew no one in the program or anyone else that was coming and liked it enough to come back for six years,” said Bachand, who got started by working summer basketball camps. “I definitely would encourage it to anyone that’s interested in this kind of work.”
While Bachand wrote a letter to the basketball office on how to become a manager, Bauman was asked to join the staff.
“I had played at a junior college in Illinois and transferred here. I walked on, and got cut,” Bauman said. “But I was asked by (former KU assistant) Ben Miller to be a manager.”
Bauman, who recently received his graduate degree in sports administration, will graduate in May and depart from Kansas with the hope to stay in sports.
“I’m using this experience as a way to continue working in athletics – and ultimately lead to coaching,” Bauman said. “I’ve been sending out my resume, but don’t really expect anything with coaching until April or May when there are all the coaching changes.”
Bauman said while he was looking forward to his future in sports, it would be difficult to leave the program.
“We have great relationships with the players. That is what will be missed the most,” the head manager said, “is the relationships with players and coaches and not being able to interact with them every day.”
The managers appreciate the plaudits they receive during the players’ Senior Night speeches, but they say that’s not their motivation.
“We do stuff, but it’s all for them. I would never try and take credit for anything, but just to help them – stay late and rebound or help clean up with something, it’s just fun,” Bachand said.
Although the players get their names announced and numbers raised to the rafters, the managers say they get the same type of thrills being in Allen Fieldhouse as the people on the court.
“To be able to walk through the tunnel and have all of those people in there – not even cheering for you – just have them in there when you walk out, it’s pretty amazing,” Bachand said.