The first-ever game played at Allen Arena featured a 65-foot, game-winning shot from Lipscomb’s Clayton Osborn, giving the Bisons a 75-74 victory over North Texas on November 27, 2001.
The memory of that play lives on in a “2001” shot promotion, where a student attempts a heave from the same spot in hopes of winning $2,001 dollars at each Lipscomb home game.
During this season’s opener against Emory, the promotion went awry when an attempt missed the goal and went straight for the Lipscomb team, who had their backs turned to the action.
Who was there to protect the huddle? None other than student manager Zack Olley, who quickly sidestepped a coach and punched the ball out of mid-air and safely away from the team meeting.
Such is the life of a college basketball manager. Olley’s position emphasizes the details that won’t necessarily be recognized or seen by many.
“You have to have a servant’s heart because you’re doing things behind the scenes that are for the good of others,” Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander said of Olley’s manager role. “It’s almost like if you get noticed, you’ve done something wrong.”
The senior does everything from laundry to filling water bottles to rounding up basketballs before and after games and practices. In return, Olley receives a small scholarship and behind-the-scenes access to a Division I basketball program.
The Galloway, New Jersey native has spent the last four years with the Bisons basketball team, working long hours while balancing the job with his school demands. Despite not wearing a uniform, Olley spends so much time with the team that he’s sometimes mistaken for a player.
“Some people don’t even know that I’m a manager,” he said. “They just think I’m a player that never gets in the game and sits on the end of the bench.”
Alexander agreed, saying that Olley is essentially an extension of the Lipscomb roster thanks to his versatility on and off the court.
“He’s a great guy, period,” Alexander said. “The best part about Zack is that he’s as much a part of our team as the players. He’s very valuable because he can be used as a passer or as a defender in practice.”
The 6-foot-2 Olley originally hoped to play college basketball, but when a partial athletic scholarship to Harding University fell through, he decided on getting involved at Lipscomb. A summer phone call to Associate Head Coach Roger Idstrom helped him land his current gig before his freshman year had even started in 2014.
“I played all five positions in high school,” Olley said. “I called (Idstrom) to see if they had any walk-on or manager spots, and he said they needed a manager. I said ‘OK, I’ll take it.’ I wanted to be part of the team one way or another.”
Olley rooms with senior guard Aaron Korn, a Frankton, Indiana, native. In turn, Olley has made acquaintance with some of Korn’s friends from home, including Nicholas Smith, who regularly tweets the ASUN Conference asking it to name Olley as ASUN Manager of the Week.
“It’s ridiculous,” Olley said with a laugh. “(Smith) was tweeting my name to (ESPN analyst) Dick Vitale when we beat Missouri last year. It’s all in good fun.”
Other perks of the job have included meeting country music stars like Luke Bryan, Chris Janson and Dustin Lynch. Olley even helped Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jimmy Butler workout at Allen Arena last September, when the NBA star was in town to film for Bryan’s “Light It Up” music video.
“Butler was working out with his trainer in between (filming) sets,” Olley said. “I thought I’d go watch, and then he asked me to rebound for him, and the next thing I knew he was doing full workout drills.”
Upon graduating in May, Olley plans to begin his career as a financial adviser. (He currently interns at Northwestern Mutual). He didn’t rule out a coaching career but said his focus will be on putting his Business Management degree to use.
That doesn’t mean Olley will be leaving Lipscomb entirely. He recently tried out for the volleyball practice team and will assist Brandon Rosenthal’s squad in that capacity starting this spring.
“I played volleyball in middle school and in some summer leagues throughout high school,” he said. “They asked me to try out, so I’ll stick around and help out this coming season.”
As the Bisons begin their quest for the ASUN championship this week, Olley knows his days on the bench are numbered. After assisting with Lipscomb teams that have combined to go 66-60 over the last four seasons, Olley said he would love nothing more than to cap his college experience with a trip to the Big Dance.
“It would mean the world to me,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to go to the NCAA tournament. I think we have the easier side of the (ASUN) bracket, but that also means we need to be there mentally.”
Photo courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics
Package by Lindsey Nance