By River Mitchell
@rivermitchell27
Colin Norred, a senior in the sport management program and a goalkeeper on the Springfield College men’s lacrosse team, recently served as one of two head supervisors for the Hoophall Classic from Jan. 16-20. Set to graduate in the spring, Norred and other Head Supervisor Tyler Walter were responsible for a variety of things, from communications with Residence Life to getting food vouchers and creating schedules for the other members of the staff. Norred also received the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Scholarship of $2,500 during the final day of the event because of his strong GPA.
The Student: How did you become a head supervisor for Hoophall?
Norred: It started off with an application process with the sport management program. I had to submit a resume and cover letter on why I wanted the role. Once I got the role in the middle of October, [I] just had to hit the ground running. They [Sport Management Professors Heather Gilmore and Daigo Yazawa] gave us a to-do list on what we had to do.
The Student: What did a day in the life look like as a head supervisor?
Norred: A lot of walking around. I walked about 10 miles a day in dress shoes. It was kind of just walking around, checking in on everybody, and kind of just making sure morale was good. [If] any issues come up, we would get notified on the radio. Montverde [Academy] brought their JV team that we weren’t expecting, so just kind of dealing with last-second issues like that. [Also] making sure we’re getting teams on their buses on time. There definitely were times where it felt like there was a lot going on, and sometimes where it was definitely kind of at a lull.
The Student: Who was the coolest person you got to interact with?
Norred: Definitely Carmelo [Anthony]. He was really cool to chat with a little bit, making sure everything he needed was good. While it is really cool to have all these guys come to Hoophall, it’s also important to let them sit down and enjoy the event. Obviously, Carmelo is coming to watch his son play, so you don’t want to be annoying. We kept a good area clear for him for security reasons [and] made sure he had water when he wanted it.
The Student: What was your favorite part about Hoophall?
Norred: The environment. It was so cool. When Bryce James was playing, Blake Arena was completely packed. You couldn’t even walk around, it was crazy. But honestly, the environment on the first day was insane. That Pope Francis [and] Holyoke game was, wow. The environment when Pope Francis’s [Sam Bringham] hit that step-back three to go to the second overtime was [awesome].
The Student: How would you say this experience has helped you grow?
Norred: Being a head supervisor definitely taught me so many lessons. It definitely helped with thinking on my feet. There’s a bunch of small issues that come up that you have to be able to deal with. But also, being able to work with the Hall of Fame and Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Working with those outside groups was definitely something that was a new experience for me. I wasn’t able to work the event last year due to our lacrosse team going to Italy, so just being back for this year and being able to have the opportunity to be a head supervisor was definitely very special.
The Student: You won the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Scholarship. What did that mean to you?
Norred: It was definitely an awesome feeling. It was definitely one of my career moments so far. It’s very awesome and special, and I can’t thank the Hall of Fame enough for that. It shows all that hard work I put in [and] all those long hours, it paid off at the end. Even though I received the money and the scholarship, I couldn’t do it without my staff. I helped them, but they also helped me at the same time.
Photo courtesy of Springfield College