THE IMPORTANCE OF STUDENT-MANAGERS

Today on the LSU campus, three of our managers will walk across the stage of the Pete Maravich Assembly Center and pick up their diplomas. Certainly it is not easy task for a student to commit towards obtaining their degree, but the difficulty is magnified for a manager. We ask a great deal of our "team behind the scene." The are there before the players each day and the last ones to leave. Just because the players have a day off doesn't mean they do. There is no off-season for staff and players which means there is no off-season for managers. The word LEGACY is very important at LSU and not just for our players and our accomplishments on the court. It means just as much for all of our students and what they accomplish in all facets -- on the court, in the classroom and in the community. We have a tremendous tradition of great managers that go on to great things beyond LSU and the three that graduate today will continue that tradition.

Below is a passage from "The Carolina Way" by Dean Smith:

Every person on the team was important. There were no exceptions. This included not only the man on the team but also the student-managers, who worked hard on our behalf. They pick up towels, washed uniforms on road trips, made sure equipment got to where it was supposed to be, set the gym up for practice. They came early and stayed late. I told many business friends that if they wanted to hire a great employee, then choose one of our student-managers. They would find a hardworking, self-starting, highly organized, dependable individual. Our players respected the student-managers and didn't boss them around. Nor did they expect them to wait on them hand and foot. The players had a role; the managers had a role.

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I thought Coach Smith's thoughts were ironic. Coach Van Chancellor met one more time with the three managers this morning in his office to thank them for their contributions and made a point to tell them that they could call on him "day or night" for anything they may need.

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"I'd be honored to help you in any way, including assisting you to gain future employment," he told them. "You have proved to me that you have all the tools to be successful and I expect great things from you all."

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This blog is dedicated to: Ali Laughlin, Jerriel Bazile and Ebonie Mathews.