Even though the starters get the most attention, they’re not the only ones who capture the essence of basketball. The coaches, waterboys, managers, fans and most importantly, the benchwarmers, truly change the game.
When the bench gets the chance to play, they always give it their all. During senior Mitchell Figueroa’s 12 minutes of play in a game, he achieved 6 assists: however, he also had 8 turnovers and 5 fouls. In warm-ups, benchwarmers usually average 10 points and 2 dunks. Throughout the game the intensity really gets to the benchwarmers; each goes through approximately three waters.
Figueroa recounts Bryk whispering to him on the bench, “I haven’t been watching the game; I’ve just been staring at the cheerleaders.”
Senior Nick Buontempo said: “It’s tough to do our job, you know? We are so elite at our craft. I just kinda wish I had more teammates like Bryk who are more dedicated to being on the bench. We most likely would’ve won a few more games.”
Every day, the benchwarmers put in tons of unnoticed effort to impress the crowd. Bryk said: “Having to look flee every game—hair game on point—it’s really the crowd that is on our minds when we are warming up. That’s the whole reason why we are even in the gym. It’s all about #ballislife.”