By: Lauren Cinelli
My name is Lauren Cinelli and I am about to start my junior year at Bishop Fenwick High School. This summer I am working as a social media intern for Hardwood Hustle. When you think of basketball, most people narrow it down to two categories: coaches and players. Over the past few years I have learned that there is so much more to the game than just coaches and players, there are managers too.
Growing up I loved basketball, playing and watching. I have an older brother named Matthew who is about five years older than me, so I would always go to his games. I learned a lot from him and my dad.
In the summer, I would go to the annual One-on-One Basketball Clinic. I was always a shy kid that didn’t want to leave my family. But when I started going to camp, it got me out of my comfort zone. At camp, I met a bunch of great people including Jackie. I remember always making sure to pay attention to what Jackie was saying because I genuinely wanted to learn more about the game in any capacity. I looked up to her and still to this day she is one of my biggest role models.
2019 was when I really started paying closer attention to women’s basketball. That was Paige Bueckers’ rookie year at UConn. I discovered Elena Delle Donne and would constantly watch her highlights on YouTube. It was also the year that the Washington Mystics, my favorite team, won their first championship. These are my two favorite players because this is when my love for the game really started.
Going into high school, I knew I didn’t want to play basketball moving forward. Although I loved it so much, playing wasn’t for me anymore. Then I realized I could stay involved with the game even if I didn’t want to play.
My brother is a head manager for the Syracuse men’s basketball team, he has been a manager for all four years. Before this, I wasn’t aware that becoming a manager was an option. I decided to ask the girl’s basketball coach at my school, Coach Adam DeBaggis, if I could be a manager in the fall of my sophomore year. He said yes and I didn’t expect much out of it but I can happily say that this experience changed my life and made me fall in love with the game in a whole new way.
I thought I would just be helping out with the clock during practices but it is so much more than that. I travel with the team for every game and it is a new experience every time. I have been to places I would never expect to see myself and this is only the beginning of my journey. Sometimes I film for the team, other times I do the book, but most of the time I am taking stats on the iPad while sitting on the bench next to the coaches. Towards the end of the season I even started helping out with creating scouting reports, specifically for playoffs.
Being a manager has a cool dynamic to it. Before practices and games I am in the locker room hanging out with the team. During the practices and games I am in conversation with the coaches, helping with anything they need.
In the middle of the season, I started reaching out to colleges. I told them my story and how I dreamed of becoming a student manager just like my brother. I wasn’t expecting many responses, but I was thankfully mistaken. The responses I got were full of advice and they all showed a willingness to help me. I got responses from schools like UConn, South Carolina, and Iowa, and even had the opportunity to call coaches from Ohio State and Columbia. This experience has been incredibly valuable, and I’m truly grateful for the connections I’ve made. They are relationships I’ll always appreciate and ones that I know will benefit me in the future.
Right after this, I reached out to Jackie. I told her everything about what I had been doing and what I hoped to be doing in the future. I got hired as a social media intern for this summer. I will be taking pictures and writing for the Hardwood Hustle blog. I want to write for Hardwood Hustle because I know this will be a great experience and lay the groundwork for future networking. The fact that I get to work with and for Jackie is so special and surreal, considering she played a key role in sparking my love for the game.
You can love basketball without playing. It sounds very simple but when I realized I didn’t want to play anymore it seemed complicated. There are so many ways to be involved with women’s sports nowadays and being a student manager is just one of them. The energy and adrenaline rush I feel before a game, in the pregame huddle, is like no other feeling. What I do matters to me, and I put in the effort, heart, and focus it deserves so I can be the best I can be for my team. My coach expects the same from me as he does from his players.
My goal is to be a student manager in college and after that pursue a career in women’s basketball. Basketball isn’t just about playing a sport, it’s about the community and culture you build while staying involved. You can do anything you want as long as you stay focused on your goal. I am motivated, dedicated, and passionate about what I do. Find something you love that will make you want to show up and work hard everyday.