University of North Carolina Athletics
Behind the Scenes Work Gladly Done by Stoen
June 21, 1999 | Men's Basketball
February 11, 1999
By Kevin Best
Assistant Media Relations Director
With all due respect to seniors Ademola Okulaja, Scott Williams and Brad Frederick, most Tar Heel basketball fans didn't notice the one other person on the Carolina basketball team who decided to come back for his senior year.
Certainly everyone remembers those two days last Spring when Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter announced they were leaving school to follow their dreams in the NBA. Carter and Jamison now make millions for the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors. But what about fifth-year senior Christopher Stoen?
Who, you may ask, is Christopher Stoen?
Stoen is one of UNC's eight varsity basketball managers that are often overlooked by the casual fan, but are just as important to Carolina's hardwood success.
"They mean everything to this team," says Okulaja. "In some respects they are the backbone to this team. They keep us organized, keep us going on the road and help us prepare for games."
There isn't enough space on this page to describe the numerous duties a manager must perform. However, a brief job description might read like this:
Wanted: UNC Basketball Manager. Duties include, but are not limited to: prepare arena for practice, pack equipment for road games, make equipment readily available at practices and games, take player ticket requests, chart practice statistics, handle expenses on the road and travel with team to road games; job requires missed class time, extreme time commitment, few holidays off; approximately 5 to 6 hours a day during the season, plus working the UNC basketball camp.
"They do so much work behind the scenes," says Assistant Coach Pat Sullivan. "We could not operate without them. They are just as much a part of the team as anyone and the guys on the team make them feel that way."
Because of that camaraderie and the chance to be a part of a special group, there are no shortages of candidates for the yearly positions. Stoen, a life-long Carolina basketball fan, typifies the normal rise to varsity manager level.
"All I ever wanted to do was contribute," he says. "I watched Carolina games as a fan in high school and saw those people helping out with the team on the sidelines. I decided that would be a great way to contribute. I didn't know then how much work would be involved, but I also didn't realize the mutual respect and appreciation the players and staff have for the managers."
Stoen, who is believed to be just the third fourth-year varsity manager in school history, actually has the title of general manager. No, he's not bidding on free agents in the offseason or looking to make trades. Instead, Stoen heads a group of six who actually work day in and day out with the team. Those six consist of seniors Kristin Hinshaw, Cori Brown, Blake Fromen and juniors Marsha Moore and Chad Webb. Additionally, Carolina employs autograph managers Leslie Cogdill and Kathy Burks to work in the basketball office. Each of the eight varsity managers worked at least a year as a junior varsity manager.
Hinshaw and Brown hold the title of Co-Head Managers and have been a member of the staff for at least three years.
Brown, who was friends with Vince Carter in high school, may not have the height of the next NBA star, but realized early that he wanted to be a part of the UNC tradition.
"These are my dream days," says Brown, "I've gotten to travel to some great places and I get to watch the nation's best basketball program everyday. Even working the practices and doing the daily stuff before practice is worth it. I get to see the guys on the team develop and become better people and players."
A class-clown type, Brown was an integral part of the pre-game routine last season as the players refused to run out onto the court until Brown performed his pregame dance.
"The guys like to get a laugh out of a lot of things I say and do," Brown admits. "The first game of last season, I was so excited and I started dancing around, cutting loose and jumping up and down. The guys got a kick out of it and said it pumped them up before the game. From that point on, the guys wouldn't run out of the tunnel until I did that.
"This year I'm going with an individual approach and saving the dance until Florida and hopefully the Final Four.
As part of the team, Brown and the other managers receive a varsity letter each season. Managers also receive rings, T-shirts and other rewards when the Tar Heels win an ACC title or go to the Final Four.
"Those material things are nice, " says Stoen, "but the most rewarding part of working with the team are the personal relationships I've developed with everyone. Fans and people outside the program know what great players like Antawn and Vince are, but I've had the unique chance to get to know them on a personal level."
Hinshaw, who is enrolled in the UNC Pharmacy School, says her time as a manager has been an incredible learning experience.
"It's taught me discipline, time management, punctuality and integrity," she says. "Those are things you will always need when you go to work in the real world."
As for the real world, Stoen, an exercise and sports science major, must take that leap after this season. He has thoughts of following Carter and Jamison to the NBA, where he would like to work in a team's front office.
But for someone whose last five years have included no spring break and very few holidays, Stoen confesses, "I won't know what to do once this year is over."
