Behind Every Good Team Is a
Great Manager
It's typical, at a Pebblebrook basketball game to see and hear fans in the bleachers cheering and yelling at the referees, cheerleaders chanting on the sidelines, the coaches pacing in front of the bench and the sounding of the buzzer at the end of a quarter.
Have you ever noticed what's going on center court on the sideline? You'll see an announcer, a scorekeeper for both the home and visiting team and a person running the clock. You may also see someone going back and forth taking care of team members as they exit the court.
Meet Erica Boykin, Manager for the Pebblebrook Boys Varsity Basketball Team. Four years ago, as a freshman she began her management journey with the Varsity Girl's team but soon transitioned to the boys team. "I've grown up in a family of boys so managing the boy's team felt more natural to me," she says. "My job is to make sure everything is running smoothly for the coaches so that they can concentrate on what they do best, and that's coaching our boys."
She handles everything from making sure the players have enough water during practice and a game, to ensuring they have clean practice and game day apparel."Some of the team members have specific needs such as particular snacks or preferring Gatorade instead of water," she says. "But aside from an occasional foot massage request, they don't ask for anything too outrageous."
Although she isn't a ball player, she is an equal and vital member of the team. She attends every film session, game, tournament (in state or out of state), practice and team meetings. Her role is also extremely vital when she is asked to keep the stats or run the clock. She says It's difficult sometimes because you can easily get distracted because of what's going on around you. "I haven't always had to keep the stats and run the clock. So the first time I was asked to take on the task, I was a little apprehensive," she admitted. However, she had to bite the bullet and do the job because there was no one else to do it. "I remember making a mistake and getting chewed out by my coach and people sitting behind me. But as you keep doing it you get used to it."
The season has ended and now Erica will be focusing on the next phase of her life. After graduation, Erica will continue her educational career at Albany State in Albany Georgia and will continue on with her athletic management skills in college. Her ultimate goal is to one day managing for the NBA. What started out as something to do to enable her to be around the sport she loves has ultimately turned into a lifestyle.
The best part of this season for me has been the teamwork and the family atmosphere. The bond that we had this year was amazing. This has been my best year ever.
~Erica Boykin
Joyce Oscar