Photo Essay: Michigan Basketball Managers, an extension of the family

Michigan men’s basketball is one of the most established programs in the nation. Most people attribute that to the players and coaching staff, but there’s another group of individuals just as important to the Wolverines’ success: the student managers.

These students are often drawn to the position for different reasons. For some, having been high school players, they want to stay close to the game. For others, being lifelong sports fans, they want to gain experience in the sports industry to further their career goals.

The job provides perks like being able to travel with the team and making incredible connections, but it also comes with large sacrifices. It is a huge time commitment and requires a lot of selflessness for the coaching staff and players to rely on. Managers help rebound the ball, wipe the floor during practice, clip film breakdowns of individual players and opposing teams before a game, and play dummy defense during practice. Beyond those responsibilities, they execute many other vital tasks that simplify the lives of everyone in the program.

“Being a manager means you work a full-time job, it’s 24/7,” senior forward Jackson Selvala, a former student manager, said. “Whenever someone needs a rebounder at 3 a.m., a manager is there. If a player needs a rebounder at 11 p.m., a manager is there. If someone needs a ride to the dentist, help with homework or simply wants to hang out, a manager is there.”

*Head Manager Senior Devon Wisniewski heads back to the bench after wiping the floor during a timeout against Illinois. *Selena Sun/Daily.* Buy this photo.*

Kinesiology senior Devon Wisniewski is one of five head managers alongside seniors Alex Assad, Max Wittenberg, Conor Shannon and Andrew Wolfe, and he is majoring in sports management.

“I wanted to be a manager because I had grown up around the game of basketball,” Wisniewski said. “And even when I realized I wasn’t quite skilled enough to play at a high level, I knew I wanted to be around the game. So, wanting to work in basketball and being able to do it for a team I had grown up supporting, it all made too much sense for me.”

Something that sets Michigan’s program apart from others is the family aspect. Since taking the helm in 2019, Michigan head coach Juwan Howard has brought the “Michigan basketball family” approach to the forefront of his coaching philosophy. And that family extends beyond the roster and the coaching staff.

*Senior Zach Corsun rebounds for players at open practice. *Selena Sun/Daily.* Buy this photo.*

Sophomore Michael Lomonoco smiles alongside freshman Gregg Glenn at open practice. (left) Senior Zach Corsun tosses the ball to freshman Dug McDaniel. (right) *Selena Sun/Daily.* Buy this photo.

“It’s much more of a family than I ever expected,” Assad said. “I initially thought the only people I’d interact with were other managers, but right away I felt the respect from the coaches and players. The coaches treat us like an extension of the coaching staff, and the players treat us like friends.”

Because of the excessive number of hours managers dedicate to the team, they often end up forging deep friendships with players. Assad’s love for the culture within the program seems to be universal — the managers fall in love with being part of this family, even beyond the job.

“My favorite part of the job is being able to feel like I am a part of the Michigan basketball family and the culture that comes with it,” Wisniewski said. “Every day I get to wake up and do my job to help contribute to the success of our team, and do it with a group of people that are all … focused on accomplishing our goals.”

Senior Andrew Wolfe shares a laugh with sophomore Ian Burns during a timeout (left). Senior Andrew Wolfe cheers on the team from the bench (right). *Selena Sun/Daily.* Buy this photo.

Contributing to the success of the team is something Assad especially takes to heart. When asked what his favorite part of the job is, Assad values one thing above others: winning.

“Winning games makes all the hard work and effort worth it,” Assad said. “I hate losing. I hate losing more than I even want to win. And there’s a difference.”

*Senior Andrew Wolfe celebrates a clutch three pointer with the bench. *Selena Sun/Daily.* Buy this photo.*

Some former managers, like CJ Baird and Rico Ozuna-Harrison, have even worked their way onto the roster, eventually getting to play on the team they worked so hard for. Selvala followed this unconventional trajectory from manager to walk-on this season, seeing on-court action in four games. Selvala wasn’t completely inexperienced in the demands of being a player before his call-up, though, because he ran with the scout team when players got injured during practice.

Buy this photo.</a> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/managers-3.png?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/managers-3.png?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1" decoding="async" width="780" height="520" data-id="400908" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/managers-3.png?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1" alt="Senior Jackson Selvala runs back on defense during Michigan's game against Nebraska." class="wp-image-400908" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/managers-3.png?w=1152&ssl=1 1152w, https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/managers-3.png?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/managers-3.png?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/managers-3.png?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" data-recalc-dims="1" />

Senior Jackson Selvala runs back on defense during Michigan’s game against Nebraska. Selena Sun/Daily. Buy this photo.

“This transition was something I worked extremely hard for and for it to come to fruition meant everything,” Selvala said. “There’s a culture of family surrounding the team and program so the transition itself wasn’t unusual because I had been a part of the program for the previous couple of years.”

He cites the aforementioned family culture as a pillar of his smooth transition. With his newfound perspective — one from the other side of the bench — Selvala believes the value of the managers cannot be understated.

“There’s always been a strong bond between managers and players which makes practice, traveling, games and other team experiences much more memorable,” Selvala said. “To be on the other side of this manager-player relationship felt somewhat strange initially but began to feel natural quickly after.”

Buy this photo.</a> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/DSC00815-2-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/DSC00815-2-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="401910" data-permalink="https://www.michigandaily.com/multimedia/photo-essay-michigan-basketball-managers-an-extension-of-the-family/attachment/dsc00815-2/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/DSC00815-2-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1" data-orig-size="2560,1707" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"","camera":"ILCE-7M4","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1677808888","copyright":"","focal_length":"24","iso":"2000","shutter_speed":"0.001","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="DSC00815-2" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="Grad Student Jaelin Llewlyn and Senior Jackson Selvala anticipate a three-pointer from the bench. Selena Sun/Daily. <a href=https://www.michigandaily.com/multimedia/photo-essay-michigan-basketball-managers-an-extension-of-the-family/"https://store.pub.umich.edu/michigan-daily-buy-this-photo/">Buy this photo.</a> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/DSC00815-2-scaled.jpg?fit=1024%2C683&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/DSC00815-2-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1" srcset="https://i2.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/DSC00815-2-2560x1707.jpg?strip=info&w=600&ssl=1 600w,https://i2.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/DSC00815-2-2560x1707.jpg?strip=info&w=900&ssl=1 900w,https://i2.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/DSC00815-2-2560x1707.jpg?strip=info&w=1200&ssl=1 1200w,https://i2.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/DSC00815-2-2560x1707.jpg?strip=info&w=1500&ssl=1 1500w,https://i2.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/DSC00815-2-2560x1707.jpg?strip=info&w=1800&ssl=1 1800w,https://i2.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/DSC00815-2-2560x1707.jpg?strip=info&w=2000&ssl=1 2000w" alt="Grad Student Jaelin Llewlyn and Senior Jackson Selvala anticipate a three-pointer from the bench." data-height="1707" data-id="401910" data-link="https://www.michigandaily.com/?attachment_id=401910" data-url="https://www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/DSC00815-2-2560x1707.jpg" data-width="2560" src="https://i2.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/DSC00815-2-2560x1707.jpg?ssl=1" data-amp-layout="responsive"/>

Buy this photo.</a> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/sel.BKC_.MichiganMediaDay.10.14.22.1436-scaled.jpg?fit=769%2C1024&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/sel.BKC_.MichiganMediaDay.10.14.22.1436-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C1038&ssl=1" decoding="async" data-attachment-id="402107" data-permalink="https://www.michigandaily.com/multimedia/photo-essay-michigan-basketball-managers-an-extension-of-the-family/attachment/sel-bkc-michiganmediaday-10-14-22-1436/" data-orig-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/sel.BKC_.MichiganMediaDay.10.14.22.1436-scaled.jpg?fit=1923%2C2560&ssl=1" data-orig-size="1923,2560" data-comments-opened="0" data-image-meta="{"aperture":"2.8","credit":"","camera":"NIKON Z 6_2","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1665737127","copyright":"","focal_length":"200","iso":"1600","shutter_speed":"0.001","title":"","orientation":"0"}" data-image-title="sel.BKC.MichiganMediaDay.10.14.22.1436" data-image-description="" data-image-caption="Senior Alex Assad converses with senior Devon Wisniewski at open practice. Selena Sun/Daily. <a href=https://www.michigandaily.com/multimedia/photo-essay-michigan-basketball-managers-an-extension-of-the-family/"https://store.pub.umich.edu/michigan-daily-buy-this-photo/">Buy this photo.</a> " data-medium-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/sel.BKC_.MichiganMediaDay.10.14.22.1436-scaled.jpg?fit=769%2C1024&ssl=1" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/sel.BKC_.MichiganMediaDay.10.14.22.1436-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C1038&ssl=1" srcset="https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/sel.BKC_.MichiganMediaDay.10.14.22.1436-1923x2560.jpg?strip=info&w=600&ssl=1 600w,https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/sel.BKC_.MichiganMediaDay.10.14.22.1436-1923x2560.jpg?strip=info&w=900&ssl=1 900w,https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/sel.BKC_.MichiganMediaDay.10.14.22.1436-1923x2560.jpg?strip=info&w=1200&ssl=1 1200w,https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/sel.BKC_.MichiganMediaDay.10.14.22.1436-1923x2560.jpg?strip=info&w=1500&ssl=1 1500w,https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/sel.BKC_.MichiganMediaDay.10.14.22.1436-1923x2560.jpg?strip=info&w=1800&ssl=1 1800w,https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/sel.BKC_.MichiganMediaDay.10.14.22.1436-1923x2560.jpg?strip=info&w=1923&ssl=1 1923w" alt="Senior Alex Assad converses with senior Devon Wisniewski at open practice." data-height="2560" data-id="402107" data-link="https://www.michigandaily.com/?attachment_id=402107" data-url="https://www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/sel.BKC_.MichiganMediaDay.10.14.22.1436-1923x2560.jpg" data-width="1923" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.michigandaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/sel.BKC_.MichiganMediaDay.10.14.22.1436-1923x2560.jpg?ssl=1" data-amp-layout="responsive"/>

Left: Grad Student Jaelin Llewlyn and senior Jackson Selvala anticipate a three-pointer from the bench. Right: Senior Alex Assad converses with senior Devon Wisniewski at open practice. Selena Sun/Daily. Buy this photo.

What is often surprising is that many managers, Assad included, are not planning to pursue a career in sports. Despite his plans to go into finance upon graduating, Assad remains grateful for the experience.

“Although there aren’t many hard skills I’ve learned as a manager that translate to being a financial analyst, the work ethic this job requires has prepared me for the long hours I’ll have to work after college,” Assad said. “I also feel like this job has taught me to always seek ways to add value and improve upon some of my weaknesses. I’m going to miss being a manager, but I know it has set me up for success in the professional world.”

No matter what the managers plan on pursuing beyond the basketball court, they know that they have this family standing behind them.

“Everyone in the building has their backs in supporting whatever endeavors they choose to pursue,” Wisniewski said. “So, being able to say you take part in (the Michigan basketball family) and have a group of people behind you who want you to succeed is something that is so special to me.”

Graduate Assistant Colin Anschuetz laces up for the managers game against the Ohio State managers. *Selena Sun/Daily.* Buy this photo.

There is also a lesser-known side of being a manager — they play against the opposing school’s managers the night before the Wolverines take the court in what is known as “the game before the game.” And since 2016, the Manager Games, a tournament for management teams, have taken place at the Final Four location.

Graduate Assistant Colin Anschuetz gives a pep talk during halftime of the managers game against the Ohio State managers. *Selena Sun/Daily.* Buy this photo.

In the Manager Games ranking on Twitter, the Michigan managers have been consistently ranked in the top two this season. They made it to the Manager Games in New Orleans last year, reaching the quarterfinals before losing to Wisconsin. The managers are hoping to continue their tournament success again this year and reach the finals in Houston. They look well positioned for prosperity this year with a dominant backcourt and strong 3-point shooters. They are never lacking in support, especially from Coach Howard, who often makes an appearance at their games, as well as Michigan players and fans alike.

*The Michigan managers and Ohio State managers pose for a photo after their game. *Selena Sun/Daily.* Buy this photo.*

Manager Cody Kegley had a stellar performance in their game against rival Ohio State University managers earlier this season. He nailed six 3-pointers en route to a dominant 98-76 victory. Although they fell just short of the 100 points they aimed for, referencing Ohio State football coach Ryan Day’s threats to hang 100 on Michigan, their play this season has been impressive, maintaining a clean 5-0 record.

Junior Cody Kegley dribbles to the paint against an Ohio State manager (left) Junior Cody Kegley shoots a three-pointer against the Ohio State managers (right). *Selena Sun/Daily.* Buy this photo.

The managers have lived up to their motto as “the hardest working crew,” whether they’re the ones playing on the court or ready to help on the sidelines, and credit is due to the nurturing family culture that the program fosters.

Senior Photo Editor Selena Sun can be reached at selsun@umich.edu.

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