ALL GRIND, NO GLORY
OSU’S managers quietly keep season rolling along
The “dressed and ready” alert text is sent out as it always has been. Whenever the Ohio State men’s basketball team is supposed to practice, the managers have a set time they are expected to be on the court at Value City Arena to make sure everything is ready to go, which is communicated through a daily text message from a program staffer.
That much hasn’t changed. The same goes for duties whenever the Buckeyes get their day underway.
In fact, the daily grind of practice has represented the biggest semblance of normalcy for the Ohio State manager crew, which continues to chug along and make the program run while coping with all of the changes that the coronavirus pandemic has thrown at it.
“Once practice starts, it’s a pretty normal year as far as practice goes, besides the masks and distancing,” said fourth-year senior manager Mike Mastroianni, who summed up the managers’ role this way: “Making sure we’re ready for the next drill, making sure things run smoothly for the staff and our players.”
Most everything else, however, has changed for the unsung heroes of the program. The hoops that need jumped through and obstacles that must be navigated just to get on the court for practice are a lot to ask of players whose highlights can end up on “Sportscenter,” much less the guys who mop up their sweat when the cameras are off.
“Some have been in quarantine multiple times, so they’ve missed a lot and that’s very hard, but they understand we’ve got to keep this team safe and keep playing. All of these managers, each of them does not want to be a guy who counts towards possibly shutting the team down.”
Dave Egelhoff
Ohio State mens basketball director of basketball operations
While some programs have opted to make do without managers this season in order to cut down on potential infections on the roster, Ohio State coach Chris Holtmann decided early on that the risk of having a contingent of 15 managers far outweighed any possible negative outcomes.
“I wouldn’t trade them for anyone,” he said. “They are absolutely vital to the success of our day-to-day operations and overall program success. In a year like this with the pandemic, we have needed them and appreciated them more than ever.”
Ohio State has 30 slots for its Tier 1 individuals inside its daily testing protocols, a figure that includes players, coaches and anyone who has physical contact with the players.
Of those 30, between three to five managers are included, and the number can vary because individuals who test positive and complete their quarantine process are free from testing for 90 days. Multiple managers have tested positive throughout this season, taking them out of the daily testing protocols and allowing someone else to take their place.
Those who aren’t being tested daily are categorized as Tier 2. They are tested the day before and the day of games and are given jobs such as controlling the game clock, wiping the floors or doing work in the video room during practices. On game days, they are instructed to arrive as close as five or 10 minutes before tip and depart shortly after “Carmen Ohio” is played.
Social distancing measures and mask-wearing are mandatory at all times, regardless of tiers, the primary goal being to ensure that a positive test for a manager wouldn’t result in players being sidelined due to contact tracing. to think twice about,” said Mastroianni,
“Some have been in quarantine mul- from Mckees Rocks, Pennsylvania. tiple times, so they’ve missed a lot and After doing this for three years already, that’s very hard, but they understand Mastroianni said he can’t imagine college we’ve got to keep this team safe and without his role as a manager. He feels for keep playing,” said Dave Egelhoff, the the freshmen this year who won’t get the team’s director of basketball operations. full experience, the times spent hanging “All of these managers, each of them out in the locker room or playing against does not want to be a guy who counts each other after practice. The traditional towards possibly shutting the team games against managers from opposing down.” schools have been canceled this season.
Unlike in previous years, a full com- “Obviously it’s looked a lot different plement of managers isn’t expected ev- and we may not be able to do the things ery day at practice. Egelhoff said the we’ve always done away from basketball managers have been hyper-vigilant together, but I don’t think that takes away about self-policing and reporting any from how close this group is,” Mastroianni interactions that could result in a posi- said. “Then this year, we really understood tive test or contact trace, even to the and kind of owned that it’s not necessary point that the medical staff has allowed for all of us to be here. We, more continued participation because the than anyone else, want this season to go perceived contact has been so minimal. on and want our guys to be able to play.”
“Every move that you make outside With less than three weeks until Selection of being at basketball and being at the Sunday, so far, so good.
Schott with the team, you kind of have ajardy@dispatch.com; @Adamjardy
The story is about to be written once again. So, Los Angeles Lakers star Lebron James questioned the accuracy of the past and future commentary about his health and energy.
“This whole narrative that Lebron needs more rest so I should take more rest and take time has become a lot bigger than it actually is,” James said. “I’ve never talked about it. I don’t talk about it. I don’t believe in it. We all need more rest. This is a fast turnaround from last season. We all wish we could have more rest. But I’m here to work. I’m here to punch my clock in and be available to my teammates. If I’m hurt or not feeling well, we can look at it then.”
Lakers coach Frank Vogel sounded somewhat open to looking at that issue following the team’s 127-124 loss to the Washington Wizards on Monday at Staples Center.
On one hand, Vogel described James as a “workhorse” and praised him for “doing everything he can for us” after finishing with 31 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds in 43 minutes. On the other hand, Vogel admitted “we got to continue to find ways to lighten his load.” James has logged 40-plus minutes in four overtime games in the past month. He has averaged 37.8 minutes in the past five games while Anthony Davis has nursed an injured right calf. And he averaged 40.6 minutes in the seven games leading up to Davis’ injury.
The situation might harken back to painful reminders of another Lakers star logging a heavy workload. At age 33, Kobe Bryant averaged 45.6 minutes for seven consecutive games in the 2012-13 season before suffering a season-ending torn Achilles tendon. The next two seasons, Bryant then suffered season-ending injuries to his right knee and right shoulder. Before the Achilles injury, Bryant had no serious ailments and brushed off organizational concerns about his workload.
Does that mean James needs to sit a game to rest his 36-year-old body? After all, the Lakers have lost four of their last five games, suffered their first threegame losing streak of the season and have challenging games ahead against a championship contender (Utah on Wednesday), playoff threats (Portland on Friday, Golden State on Sunday, Phoenix on March 2) and another game in Sacramento on March 3 before the NBA All-star break.
“We consider that all season long with him,” Vogel said. “We’ll make those decisions on a game-by-game basis.”
So far, the Lakers have not rested James simply because he has not experienced any injuries. James lamented the season’s start in December after winning an NBA championship in October and the upcoming All-star Game where he was selected to start. Yet, James has maintained he has not struggled significantly with fatigue because of how he takes care of his body with a strict diet, exercise, recovery and sleep regimen. Does that mean the Lakers are comfortable with James trying to play all 72 games this season?
“We’ll see. We’ll continue to evaluate it game to game,” Vogel said. “We’ll meet with the medical staff, meet with Lebron and see how he feels and see what the load looks like and make those decisions game to game.”
So far, all of those decisions have ended with James stepping on the court to play. He stressed he has not made that decision hastily.
“I have nothing but honest people around me. But I’m also honest with myself as well,” James said. “Me having the love for the game and me being able to be available to my teammates is more important than anything.”