Stephanie Chen – the basketball manager we need

“They’re for the basketball team,” Stephanie Chen (12B) answered, carrying a giant bag of bananas from the LianHua grocery store. As the manager of the Varsity Boys Basketball team, Stephanie does this every time the boys have a game – and is just one of the many things she does for the team. Despite her rigorous schedule with college applications and AP courses, Stephanie still manages to make time for the team as a passionate fan of basketball.

There is more to a team than just its members and coaches; the manager of the team is always working behind the scenes to make sure the team performs at its greatest potential. To Stephanie, this is the basic role of a manager: to be there for the team. “As the season started I just picked up miscellaneous tasks here and there. Honestly I just help out with whatever I can and whatever the team and coach need me for,” she said.

However, to the team, these simple deeds are the greatest support they can receive. Jay Jung (12C), a member of the team, revealed: “She takes a great deal off of our shoulders and gives us a lot of support, which we really appreciate.” Not only is Stephanie always the loudest at games, cheering her team on, she also never forgets to keep statistics of each player’s progress and refill each member’s water bottle. “Her nickname is ‘mom’ in our team,” co-captain Elvin Kim (11C) pointed out. “She is a really important value in our team as well.” Even though Stephanie is not on court scoring points, without her, the team would not perform as well as they do now. She is an irreplaceable piece of the team that keeps it together and running smoothly.

Stephanie has gone above and beyond her duty as the manager and is a shining example to others. High school is a brief, four years of our golden age, a time where we should dip our toes in different areas and try all kinds of activities we are interested in. “This is my last year in SMIC where I can make a contribution to the activities that I really enjoy, so I didn’t want to waste the opportunity,” Stephanie expressed. This does not only apply to being the manager of a sports team, but also all activities. “To anyone who is interested in becoming involved in any school activity,” Stephanie added enthusiastically, “don’t be shy, just go for it. You never know how much of a difference you might make.”

Featured Image – Stephanie Chen keeps stats during a home game Courtesy of Fiona Peng