Imagine this: you are dripping in sweat with claps ringing in your ears, players surrounding you, bantering to one another as you watch the tipping toes of Pat Kelsey, eagerly awaiting for him to put you in the Homecoming game. You are a member of the Winthrop Men’s Basketball team. Then—
“Hey, are you just going to leave me hanging like that?” asks one of the assistant coaches.
You turn and remember you aren’t a toned, 6’3” male with feet the size of a small island.
You are a 5’0” female who has never played a game of basketball in her life, wearing a uniform two sizes too big as you shadow the team for the day. You just ignored a high five from an assistant coach who was just trying support you for doing something the average introvert would never dare to do.
We should back this narrative up a few paces, shouldn’t we?
Hi, my name is Maggie Claytor, Social Media Editor for The Johnsonian. I do not play basketball nor have I ever been a part of any sports team, but I have a passion for making a fool of myself for others’ enjoyment. That is where we begin this journey to see what it takes to be a member of Winthrop’s basketball team.
Four girls walked into a coliseum filled with guys in jerseys throwing balls around like it is their job… well, maybe because it is. Mitchell Hill, the director of operations, walked over and looked at the two tallest girls, asking which one is the lucky winner who will shadow the team. Neither rose their hand, but in the corner of Mitchell’s eye, he saw one of the short–statured girls raise their hand, and he realized who actually signed up for this rare experience.
He chuckled as he explained that the team was deep into training, so most of the practice would be too intense for me to partake in. Before you go all feminist on his operation–director–butt, I will have you know I took no offense. My workout routine is slim to none, so this guy was just trying to save me from getting trampled by one of the many tall dudes on the team.
Mitchell handed me the smallest uniform they had and said I could go change in the bathroom. The jersey was a dress on me so I had to Urkel it up by tucking it in, but once I was suited up I was ready to take it to the courts! What exactly? The one and only vagina in the area (besides my crew of one photographer, videographer and social media gal documenting my time there).
Honestly, that was the first thing I noticed while being on the men’s basketball team. I had never been in a small environment where the testosterone outnumbered the estrogen 25 to 1. Despite the new environment, I ran out onto the court where I met one of the tallest dudes on the team, Josh Ferguson. He seemed pretty cool and impressed to see me—to reiterate—a very short and not athletic girl, in the coliseum with the big dudes. I joined in on the basket practice and made a whopping one basket. For some reason, that was all I thought basketball practice was, making baskets, but I soon realized this was very wrong.
The next warm up was to run four laps up and down the court. I was prepared to be the slowest member, but it turns out that my full sprint was the same pace for the players’ practice jog. I think I managed to impress everyone by not falling behind. They even started cheering me on.
The assistant coaches herded us over to one side of the court as the one and only Coach Pat Kelsey came out to hype the team up for practice. First, I must say Coach Kelsey was shorter than I imagined. I later spotted him yelling at the team over some strategy, and he was on his toes. That is a power move, man. Once he finished his hype speech, he introduced the newest member of the team, moi and I was still out of breath from running so I just smiled and waved.
Coach Kelsey said, “Let’s put four minutes on the clock,” and the drills began. At this point, I realized I was in another world where numbers and letters and phrases all had new meanings that I was not aware of. What does ‘U’ mean? Or ‘peel’? The guys would come out in small teams and try to make baskets or defend, all yelling and clapping in support. I love men supporting men just as much as I love women supporting women.
Once the four minutes were up, we did some stretches. I felt comfortable except for two that I just could not figure out.I am sure it is physically impossible for people under 5’7 to do them.
The final part of practice I participated in was epic. We huddled together in one corner, did a chant and then ran around the edge of the court, passing the basketball down the line. Once we made it back to the start, the coaches and trainers were there in a line for us to run through and high five. We made a giant circle and clapped until Coach Kelsey comes to give some motivation and prayer. It was a pretty cool way to end the practice, seeing how they bond and come together as one.
So what does it really take to be a part of the Winthrop’s Men’s Basketball Team? You have to know the secret b–baller language, be over 6 feet tall, know how to properly stretch, be able to get hype, give good high fives, love the game and most importantly, love each other. I might not fit the stereotype of a basketball player, but it was a worthwhile experience to see what it is like to be a student athlete for the day, and what it feels like the next morning when you wake up to your muscles dying. Thank you, Mitchell Hill and Coach Kelsey for having me on the team. Hope to see every student at the Homecoming Game Saturday, Nov. 17 at 2:30 p.m. to cheer on my fellow teammates.
