While the managers may be anonymous to most fans, they are certainly known and respected within the program.
 
Fans are normally concerned with how the team performs in games. Some people may even wonder how the players perform in practice, but very few people think about what really goes into a practice.
 
Coaches plan practice in a way to help the players get better and understand the game plan that will hopefully lead to winning games. The players are bettering their own game and building team chemistry while they work towards their next victory.
 
But that doesn't happen without the help of the student manager crew.
 
"On a typical day we try to get there an hour early and set up practice," said student manager Matt Erps. "We make sure water bottles are filled, towels, balls and pads are out on the floor. If players need somebody to rebound shots for them before practice starts, we go out there and rebound."
 
A manager's responsibilities are not finished once practice starts though. "During practice we just make sure we do whatever the coaches ask us to do. Sometimes we hop into drills. Sometimes practices are more laid back and we only have to keep stats," Erps said.
 
The Winthrop Eagles practice almost everyday, which means the managers are working almost every day as well. "As a whole, we're a very hardworking group."
 
The managers are also are in charge of packing the team's uniforms and equipment for road trips and working behind the bench with water bottles, towels and a marker board for coach during the games. Some managers also work with the video software that helps coaches scout future opponents.
 
It's not just Erps who thinks that the managers are hardworking. Players and coaches alike recognize the managers as very important parts of the program. Freshman guard Bjorn Broman is new to Winthrop this year, but is very appreciative of what the managers do for him and his teammates.
 
"The managers do a lot of work behind the scenes. They are a big part of our success whether people know it or not. They do stuff during practice that makes my job easier," he said.
 
Managers try to make practice run as smoothly as they can. "They help us progress faster and be as great as we can be during the season. They really help enhance my experience as a student athlete," Rod Perkins, a junior guard, said.
 
The coaches benefit from the managers too.  Director of Basketball Operations Mike Howland said the managers have made his job easier in his first year as well. "The managers here at Winthrop have been an unbelievable help in my transition. Any question I have, they have the solution. Our managers know the ins and outs of our program and that has made my life a whole lot easier," Howland said.
 
The managers make jobs easier for players and coaches, but that's partially due to the coaches and players themselves. They all share a strong and understanding relationship. It's a relationship that is part of the culture at Winthrop.
 
"It's very important that the managers and players have a great relationship," Erps said. "I feel like since we do have a great relationship it makes it easier for us to do our job. The players are more comfortable asking us to help them with anything they need. They're more likely to ask us because we're friends and they understand the hard work we do."
 
The managers are more than hard workers. Perkins says they are part of the team and considers them part of the brotherhood that the players have among themselves. "I treat the managers the same way I do the rest of the team. They're part of the family and we're there for them the same way they're there for us," Perkins said.
 
The managers at Winthrop are volunteers, but they're still a very dedicated group. They arrive to practice early everyday and stay late as well, rarely receiving credit for all of the time they put in, but the coaching staff never forgets to show its gratitude when the chance arises.
 
"I don't think anyone in the program would trade our managers for any other manager crew in the country," Howland said.  "That says a lot because they work the hardest, and get the least credit at the end of the day when we have success."
 
Erps is willing to work hard for the team because he knows it is everybody's goal to win a conference championship. "My main goal as a manager everyday is to just help guys get better. Whatever needs to be done, I'm willing to do it," he said.
 
The best part about the Winthrop managers is how they go above and beyond their call of duty. The least significant things are sometimes never thought about and usually wouldn't be missed if nobody did them, but the managers at Winthrop are always trying to seek out those little things to make the program better.
 
"One of the managers once brought me over a cup of water during practice when I was shouting out numbers because he was concerned I was parched," Howland said. "It was a smart move, but I definitely wasn't expecting it."
 
Being a student manager does come with benefits. The managers get to hang out with the players and coaches every day. They get to be around a game they love. They can utilize the experience to build strong resumes and career connections.
 
Even with the benefits, it still takes one thing to be a good manager and that is passion.
 
"The managers here are invested in the team," Howland said.
 
The best way to put that passion and investment into words is easy for Erps. "I just don't like being a manager. I love being a manager."