ABOUT US
OUR MISSION
As a 501(c)(3) non-profit, Grow The Game provides college basketball student managers with free resources and opportunities in professional development and networking to kickstart their careers.
OUR STORY
Student managers are the backbone of college basketball programs across the country, doing everything from laundry, to driving players to class, to working out players, to helping prepare scouting reports.
However, many do this for little to no pay.
In the early stages of the pandemic, when the world was shutting down, Clemson Men’s Basketball Manager Jake Cerota and Kansas Men’s Basketball Manager Ashton Hopp saw a chance to make a positive impact amongst their peers. They collaborated to connect current and former student managers with a vision to give hardworking student managers free professional development and networking opportunities.
Cerota and Hopp came together to host weekly zoom meetings hosted by a former student basketball manager that were designed to teach current managers more about the game of basketball and the all-encompassing business. Following the presentation, attendees joined breakout rooms to connect 1-on-1 with other attendees. The backgrounds of our guests ranged from coaches, to scouts, to athletic administration, to media personnel. Grow the Game’s webinar series became a fast success, impacting hundreds of student managers and receiving countless positive reviews for the quality of guests, such as notable ESPN personality, Jay Bilas. See the full list of guests here.
In that first summer, we saw a real belief in student managers as the future of basketball. We were inspired to create a legitimate space to continue to exchange ideas.
Since 2020, we have grown to be established as an official 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. While we continue to host zoom webinars, we have grown to include a mentorship program, summer development cohorts, GA Pathway and job fairs, events at the men’s and women’s final fours. Find more about our programming here.
Since Grow the Game’s inception, we have provided over $40,000 in scholarships all in thanks to our generous donors.
What started as an idea over text message between two student basketball managers has grown into an established non-profit making a positive impact on hundreds of student managers’ lives. As we continue our mission into 2025, we invite you to Grow the Game with us.
Grow the Game’s 4 Pillars
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Grow the Game hosts several professional development cohorts including the DOBO Bootcamp, Coaches Cohort, Film/Analytics Cohort, and more!
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Through “The Manager Connection”, student managers and graduate assistants build genuine relationships with mentors each month.
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Graduating seniors can participate in Grow the Game’s Graduate Assistant Pathway program to become a GA or find entry level roles around basketball.
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Scholarship opportunities for student managers to participate in the NABC Convention and for selected applicants, hotel accommodations.
BOARD MEMBERS
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JAKE CEROTA
CEO
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MEGAN BLACK
COO
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ASHTON HOPP
PRESIDENT OF WOMEN’S BASKETBALL OPERATIONS
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ADAM HOWARD
PRESIDENT OF MEN’S BASKETBALL OPERATIONS
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HARRIS ADLER
BOARD MEMBER
GROW THE GAME AWARD RECIPIENTS
MANAGER OF THE YEAR
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Drew Evenson: University of Minnesota Men’s Basketball
Cali Mercer: Oklahoma State Women’s Basketball
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University of Virginia Men’s Basketball
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Indiana University Men’s Basketball
MANAGER ALL-AMERICA TEAM
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MEN’S:
Drew Evenson, Minnesota
Ellis Spar, USC
Ben Platt, Vermont
Matt Suguitan, Washington
Samantha Dotson, Utah Tech
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MEN’S
Will Corbin, Cal
Drew Evenson, Minnesota
Bennett Munds, Indiana
Na’im Briggs, Howard
Dillon Carson, Louisville
WOMEN’S
Tyler Lowder, Indiana
Tamya Cann, UMKC
Margaret Martin, Georgia
Clary Pederson, Clemson
Julia Bonasso, Alabama
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Griffin Myers, Wisconsin
David Siemer, St. Louis
Nick Booth, Cincinnati
Sheldan Christmas, Bellarmine
Sam Back, Valaparaiso
Mollie Patmore, Delaware
Gabe Samangy, St. John’s
Donte Johnson, Loyola Chicago
Ethan Paff, Butler
Peyton Mattingly, Lipscomb