Basketball Manager Duties

When most people think of sports teams, only the coach and the team players come to mind. There are many other people in front and behind the scenes who are integral to the success of a team, though. In basketball, one of these positions is manager. The manager of a basketball team has a litany of responsibilities during practice, game day and scouting. In fact, a basketball manager is one of the most important positions in regards to preparation.

Practice Preparation

Practice is the time when players get to hone their skills against each other through drills sets and game play. It is the responsibility of the manager to arrive at the practice location before all the players and coaches arrive. The basketball manager will set up all the equipment and water for the players to use. The manager will then assist the coach by giving directions during drills and games. Sometimes the manager will even participate in the drills. For example, the manager may guard a player so that player can work on dribbling skills and how to shoot under pressure. Practice preparation also includes monitoring gym time. The manager must attend each weight lifting session to see if the players are conditioning properly (completing all the required lifting, keeping proper form while lifting and so forth).

Game Films

The basketball manager must tape all away games so the rest of the coaching staff can watch the game film to analyze what went right and what went wrong during the game. The players will either watch the game film as well or they will be briefed by the coaching staff on what they need to work on based on the game film. The basketball manager is also responsible for scouting film. Scouting film is game footage of a basketball team that will be played in the near future. For example, the basketball manager will tape film of their arch rivals and watch that film with the team before the annual meeting between the two squads. This helps the team analyze their competition in regards to both skill and scheme.

Keeping Statistics

The basketball manager will watch or attend each game, making note of each player's assists, points, turnovers and so on. This information is used to see what each of the players needs to work on. So if the basketball manager can see that the starting power forward has rebounded poorly for four straight games, the coaching staff can work on rebounding drills during practice. The basketball manager will also keep score of each game as well.