Teamwork, timing key — even during timeouts

NEW YORK

The moment the TV cameras cut away, the real work begins.

Three South Carolina staffers begin the high- wire choreography of seating, hydrating and preparing the Gamecocks for the next four- plus minutes of game action.

It seems like a simple enough task for strength and conditioning coach Scott Greenawalt, director of basketball operations Andy Assaley and director of stu- dent- athlete development Doug Edwards: Grab the stools stamped with the Gamecocks logo from behind the bench and sprint onto the court to set them up for fiery coach Frank Martin and the five players in the game to sit on during the timeout. Yet the stakes can be high. “The No. 1 goal is not to get yelled at,” Greenawalt says. “You’ve got to be efficient. Don’t let him wait for a stool or a grease board.”

It’s a dance that plays out eight times every game — during the media- mandated timeouts that come at the first whistle after the 16-, 12-, 8- and 4- minute marks of each half.

But the conditions are even more compact during the Big Dance. During the regular season, student managers are in charge of stools, water bottles, towels. But in an NCAA tournament setting, there are fewer seats along each team’s bench. That means managers get relegated to seats in the stands or elsewhere too far away from the bench to perform these traditional duties.

Each tournament team fills its manager void differently. Some use seldom- used bench players; others rely on assistant coaches.

Xavier put players in charge of its stools during its run to the Elite Eight, though coach Chris Mack has a stricter system than most in regards to the ordering of the seats. He wants his point guard sitting directly across from him, with the shooting guard and power forward seated to Mack’s right and the small forward and center to his left.

“That’s how he likes it done,” junior Sean O’Mara says. “It makes organization simple as far as knowing who’s in the game when you’ve got 15 guys huddling around you all in the same jersey. If you’re in this spot, you’re in. If you’re not, you’re out.”

KYLE TERADA, USA TODAY SPORTS Xavier players and assistant coaches bring chairs onto the court for a media timeout in the West Region final in San Jose.