The success of the Quinnipiac men’s basketball team has not gone unnoticed, as it is developing a strong name in its first season in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. But behind the players and the coaching staff led by Tom Moore is a group of four individuals who have been just as important in the team’s success.

These men are the managers of the team that have been chosen by Moore and his staff in order to help make their jobs easier.

“They’re part of us; they’re just like a player,” Moore said. “They’re integral in our success, they’re integral in our improvement and they’re integral in our performance too. They sacrifice just as much as the players do in all phases of the program. They love basketball. They love being a part of the team.”

Seniors Stephen Sumakis and Shane Doyle along with juniors Zach Zealor and Luke Glockenberg are with the team every day, whether it’s helping out at practice, working the game or doing office work. They may not have a Quinnipiac jersey but that does not mean they are not part of the team.

“They’re just like these guys,” Moore said. “They’re up here on school vacations, they’re up here on weekends, they give up a ton of their personal time to be a part of a team and they do  everything they can to improve it.”

These guys love the sport of basketball, which is why they wanted to get involved with the team. It’s a route many before them have taken.

Director of Basketball Operations Mike Papale was a manager with the Bobcats from 2007-11 and learned a lot from his time to get his current position with the team.

Papale serves as a source of inspiration for those who hope to go into coaching as well, like Sumakis.

“A big reason that I wanted to pursue it is I hope to follow in the footsteps of Coach  Papale and soon to be a coach and pursue that profession,” Sumakis said.

Papale knew when he was in those shoes, too, what he hoped for his career.

“It meant a lot, when I was a manager it was one of my goals to get this position if it ever opened and the timing was right,” Papale said. “When I was here I put in a lot of hours and tried to get the trust from the coaching staff so that if the position did open and they thought of me.”

Both Moore and Papale emphasized that trust is huge in order to be a manager for this team.

“These kids, when they give their word that they’re going to do something, they do it,” Moore said. “I don’t have to follow up and ask two or three times. I can trust that when they say they’re going to do something, whatever detail it is, I can trust they’re going to get it done.”

Each of these managers has many duties on a daily basis whether it’s in the office, at practice or getting ready for a game, either at home or on the road. It’s no easy task with the amount of work that goes into it.

“The biggest thing is the flow of practice. They prepare practices, shut down practices and then just during practice, they’re really good at making sure the flow of practice goes really well,” Moore said.

Although there’s a number of tasks the managers must take care of, Doyle said the hardest part is balancing basketball and school.

“I still have five classes a semester,” Doyle said. “I try to build my schedule around practice and there’s obviously missing classes too. You just have to make sure you’re on top of your work and everything all the time. You can’t really slack off in school because when you’re here you’ve got to be into it.”

While Sumakis, Doyle and Zealor sit behind the bench at games, Glockenberg is up top filming for the team. At the end of every game, he is put under pressure to get the coaches the video as soon as possible.

“When I’m filming, right after the game I have to burn DVDs, go find the other team’s manager or if SNY or MSG is doing a MAAC game, I have to find them as well and get the DVDs as quickly as I can to the coaches so when we’re on the bus ride home or later that night if it’s a home game so they are able to watch it,” Glockenberg said.

Former managers have gone on to many successful careers whether it’s coaching like Papale and others have gone on to be policemen, college recruiters and others, according to Moore.

“People can joke around all the time that we’re not really on the team, but you’re never going to tell me that I’m not a part of this team and I haven’t made an impact on this team just as  much as any player on that bench,” Zealor said.

Moore feels that it is only right to help set the managers up to find jobs once they graduate in order to thank them for their service to the program.

“The best thing I can do and we can do for these guys to pay them back is to try to help them get jobs once they leave here,” Moore said. “It’s something that is going to make their résumé look a little different than most of the résumés that might come across that person’s desk.”

These managers put in the hours each week for both home and away games. No matter what, they are a part of a sport they all like.

Even though the managers for the basketball team don’t wear the Quinnipiac jersey on game day, they are just as much a part of this team.

“People can joke around all the time that we’re not really on the team, but you’re never going to tell me that I’m not a part of this team and I haven’t made an impact on this team just as  much as any player on that bench,” Zealor said.