Jacob Watkins is a full-time student by day and the basketball team manager by night. He does homework and the Millikin basketball team’s dirty work.
Jacob Watkins is the Millikin men’s basketball team manager. Although this position seems like easy work, Watkins takes time out of his week to travel with the team and assist them with behind-the-scenes work.
The basketball season has just started and Watkins’s job is going to be in full swing.
“Sometimes I help with drills and stuff, like the play clock, if they need help doing that,” Watkins said. “And then for games, travel, different things, like getting the bus loaded, making sure everything, like coaches have clipboards, extra jerseys, just kind of a variety of stuff, honestly, and then laundry.”
Watkins is a transfer student from Richland. When he came to Millikin, he knew he wanted to be involved in sports without actually playing a sport. After talking with the basketball coach, he offered Watkins the title of manager.
“I was just going to do one year, but then I just had so much fun with it that I came back to do my senior year,” Watkins said.
Being the basketball team manager seems like it wouldn’t require much work. Fans only get to see the players, how they play, and whether they win or lose. But they are forgetting about the backbone of the team: the manager. Watkins is a student himself, and he does much more than fans think he would.
Watkins not only helps with practices and home games, but he also travels with the team during the season.
“There’s a lot of stuff that goes in with traveling, especially at a D3 school; every player has an extra jersey and shorts if something happens,” Watkins said. “They get snacks just in case, like fruit snacks, you name it, just a little something. We pack a cooler with Gatorade and waters for after, or they can have them before. And then, [there’s the] jerseys, there’s coaches clipboard, [and] there’s a stool for timeouts.”
Traveling takes a lot of time, but Watkins also has to prioritize attending practices. Being the manager takes as much time as being a student-athlete.
“When practices start, like [in] October, it’s almost every night, and then when games start up, they have games twice a week,” Watkins said.
Watkins also works at the Decatur Indoor Sports Center (DISC), so that only adds to the list of organizations he is a part of. Although being the basketball manager is time-consuming, especially while being a student and employed, Watkins doesn’t care. He’s simply doing what he is passionate about.
“I want to work in sports, so that’s kind of like a passion of mine,” Watkins said. “So that kind of helps when it’s something you really want to do.”
Being a sports team manager in college is not just a fun after-school activity; it is a task that someone must invest in. Watkins invests in Millikin’s basketball team. Hopefully, he gets the recognition that he deserves.
