By Harry Minium
FRISCO, Texas - The routine is largely the same on Senior Night at hundreds of colleges and universities across the country.
The spotlight is saved for the senior players, who walk to mid court just before tip-off with their parents and family, are given flowers and plaques and cheered by the hometown fans.
Mangers and other support staff often are honored hastily during timeouts.
However, the Old Dominion University women's basketball senior festivities last month broke that mold. Senior players Taylor Edwards and Ashley Scott headed onto the court with their families, but so did managers Isaiah Fernandez and Dahkel Darling.
The players and their families got plaques and flowers. And so did Fernandez and Darling. The players got a standing ovation from the crowd. And so did the managers.
Fernandez and Darling are far more than just managers. In addition to taking care of uniforms, balls, equipment, water bottles and who knows what else, they also practice with the Monarchs nearly every day.
ODU has a practice team composed largely of male players to compete against in practice. And Fernandez and Darling are the heart of that team.
ODU's practice squad has eight males and a female. They go toe-to-toe with the Monarchs during practice and the guys are not afraid to get physical with their female compatriots.
Having a male practice squad is a little-known part of big-time women's college basketball. Every major program from UConn to South Carolina to Louisville and all points in between practice against men.
Women's basketball players are often better at fundamentals than men. But when it comes to speed and jumping ability, guys are usually a little more gifted.
"It's across the board," said ODU coach Nikki McCray-Penson, whose Monarchs begin play Thursday in the Conference USA tournament.
"We practiced against men every day when I was at Tennessee. Playing against guys gives us a different look The speed of the game is faster.
"Guys make you find solutions because they defend, they're longer, they're athletic. They expose your weaknesses.
"We like to play fast. And if we can with them, we can play fast."
Fernandez and Darling joined students Konnor Gambrell (the team's only female), Micah Kelley, Bryce Mickles, Mylz Speed, Sean Johnson and Willie Phillips on the practice squad.
All made the team after a rigorous trying process in which some players are cut.
"This isn't something you just do for fun," Fernandez said. "It's hard work and not everyone wants to work hard."
Even without lending a hand on the practice court, managers of all sports teams are unsung heroes. They set out the uniforms, gear, water bottles and everything else the players will use in practice.
Fernandez and Darling are often there hours before practice and hours after.
They travel with the team and when they do, they pack up all the equipment and unpack it when they arrive for the game. They miss class just like the players, go to study hall just like the players and exult with every victory and suffer with every loss.
Fernandez and Darling are considered teammates by ODU's players. They're considered equals.
They joke and laugh and occasionally talk trash to each other.
"We spend a lot of time together and we care a lot about them," Edwards said. "Those guys, they give us all they have."
Of Senior Night, she said, "they deserved that. I was happy for them."
Fernandez says he and Darling consider the players "our little sisters."
And like all brothers and sisters, sometimes they disagree, especially if things get physical in practice.
"There have been days when we've gone hard against them and we've gotten into arguments," Fernandez said.
"That's OK. When you're playing basketball, you're going to be competitive. "We don't take it lightly on them at all. We go full speed."
Darling says that's because if the guys slack up against the girls, they won't get better.
"We're here to help them succeed," he said. "We're here to make them better."
Many of the practice players joined Fernandez and Darling on the ODU bench for home games. They all pick up chairs and moved them to the court during timeouts.
Fernandez and Darling handle things by themselves on the road.
"Anytime they need us, we're there," Fernandez said. "That's the thing about our job. You've got to be dependable. You've got to be on time. They have to be able to rely on you."
Both managers are from the same area. Darling is from Petersburg and Fernandez is from nearby Hopewell, although they didn't know each other until they met at ODU.
Both are seniors majoring in sport management and both want to be coaches. They usually sit in on film sessions not only to learn about the team whose tactics they will mirror in practice, but also to learn about the game. They listen to McCray at practice and at times she will coach them.
"She doesn't let her players slack off," Darling said. "And she doesn't let us slack off."
While they aren't playing college basketball, they say being a manager is the next best thing.
"We've learned so much about how a basketball program runs and about basketball itself," Darling said.
For Fernandez, Senior Night at ODU replaced the Senior Night he never had at Hopewell High, where he missed his senior season with a foot injury.
"I wasn't able to walk out that night," he said. "But I was able to walk out here and that meant the world to me.
"It means so much to both of us that our coaches and players think so much of us."
Contact Minium: hminium@odu.edu
Minium: To ODU Women’s Basketball Players, Isaiah Fernandez and Dahkel Darling Aren’t Just Managers, They're Teammates
