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Deaf UNCW basketball manager setting example | StarNewsOnline.com
Players collide, fall to the floor during a UNCW men's basketball practice. A redheaded student-manager carrying a white towel sprints to the spot and wipes the sweat off the Trask Coliseum floor. All the players say thanks.
When guard Tanner Milson needs work on his jump shot, he sends Dan Larkin a text message. Larkin, who the players call Thunder, meets him in Trask at any time of day. He collects rebounds and offers encouragement as Milson fires away.
After working out, a player might discard his sweaty shorts, socks and shirt on the floor in the Rountree-Jones Locker Room.
Milson said it's not unusual for Larkin to wash and fold the gear, leave it on the bench in front of the players locker, going beyond what other managers might do.
Larkin, a sophomore, is one of 10 student-managers for the UNCW men's basketball team. When he arrived on campus, he struggled to find the men's basketball office. Now, he spends most free hours in and around the Trask complex – preparing the court for practice, setting up video equipment, cleaning the locker room, or hanging out with other managers or players.
"These guys are so great that I want to do whatever I can to help them succeed," Larkin said. "That's kind of why I do it."
Larkin doesn't hear every instruction from coach Buzz Peterson or every request from a player. But it doesn't matter. He's already met their needs.
"He's, by far, the hardest working person in this program," Milson said. "Dan will do anything for anyone, just to see them smile."
No explanation
Larkin is deaf in his right ear and has 50 percent hearing in his left ear, a result of a life-threatening illness when he was two years old.
The Larkins lived in New York at the time. Cousins visited for a sleepover and Dan woke up feeling ill. His mother, Linda, took him to their pediatrician, who diagnosed Dan with a stomach virus.
They returned home, but Dan's condition didn't improve. He couldn't keep liquids down, was very lethargic. The next day he woke up, climbed out of his bed and ran across the room. He asked for his daddy and crashed to the floor, falling into a coma.
His father, Kevin, raced home from business in North Carolina to be with his wife and son, who remained in ICU for one week. Doctors tapped Dan's spine and diagnosed him with bacterial meningitis, a rare disease that's fatal to 10 percent of children who contract it in their first two years.
For one week, he remained in the coma.
"It was touch and go there for a while," Kevin remembers. "Terribly frightening."
Then, one day in the hospital, Dan awoke and asked for juice.
He spent a total of one month in the hospital. After being discharged, he underwent physical therapy for two months to regain strength in his legs, and sharpen his motor skills. His parents never fully understood how he contracted the disease. He was up to date on all immunizations.
"We're blessed that he survived," Kevin said. "What we understand is that the prompt care he received at the hospital, the early diagnosis, the treatment with steroids, helped him survive."
When Dan was six years old, his parents noticed he always put the phone up to his left ear when he answered it. They asked him why. He told them, matter of factly, that he could not hear out of his right ear.
A good listener
What others might view as a handicap, Dan never used as an excuse.
"The way I think about it, is I'm here," he said. "I'm happy and thankful."
Something he heard while attending Davidson coach Bob McKillop's summer basketball camp taught him how this handicap could be helpful.
"He used to say, everybody's got two ears. Everybody can hear. But the one thing that people don't really do when they can hear is, not everybody listens," Larkin said. "The one thing I try to do is listen and pay attention. Staying attentive keeps me ahead of the game."
He began losing hearing in his left ear during his sophomore year of high school, the result of an autoimmune disorder that may or may not be a residual effect of the meningitis. Around this time, he was offered assistance with notetaking in the classroom, but refused it, his mom said, laughing while she described her son as stubborn.
During his playing career at Charlotte Catholic High School, he was a pass-first guard. His helpful, selfless spirit, combined with a love for basketball, make him the ideal student-manager for any college coach.
"He's very energetic," UNCW coach Peterson said. "Takes a lot of pride and passion in the job. I respect that a lot because these kids aren't getting hardly anything."
Managers receive $1,500 for the entire school year.
"They're doing it out of their own free time," Peterson added. "They've got schoolwork to do. Those guys are so important, and he goes the extra mile."
Peterson creates a family environment within his program. Players and managers eat dinner and play video games together. Players thank managers for performing the menial tasks that make the program run smoothly from day-to-day.
Unsure of his major, Larkin knows he wants to coach basketball after he graduates. By observing Peterson, he's learned the complex nature of the job at the highest level.
"He's a basketball guy, he's a business guy, he's a family guy," Larkin said. "I didn't understand that there were so many different parts of the game. It's not just knowing basketball. You have to know people and have a personality where you can get people to come in and play for you."
Right man for the job
Dan Larkin's attention to detail merits respect from every coach, player and manager in the UNCW program.
His father respects his son's judgment and decision-making, how that innate stubbornness allows him to uphold his values. Dan's sense of humor about his deafness makes others comfortable. He wears a hearing aid and reads lips, but isn't afraid to make a joke at his own expense. Large crowds or social situations where multiple people are talking can be a challenge. He doesn't let his frustration show.
Can a manager be a leader? What impact can someone make on a basketball team when they'll never score a basket, block a shot or grab a rebound?
"He's definitely an inspiration to me," Milson said. "He represents humility better than anybody. He creates a higher standard for everyone on the team. Sets a good example for all the other managers and for the players, off the court."
Players collide, fall to the floor during a UNCW men's basketball practice. A redheaded student-manager carrying a white towel sprints to the spot and wipes the sweat off the Trask Coliseum floor. All the players say thanks.
When guard Tanner Milson needs work on his jump shot, he sends Dan Larkin a text message. Larkin, who the players call Thunder, meets him in Trask at any time of day. He collects rebounds and offers encouragement as Milson fires away.
After working out, a player might discard his sweaty shorts, socks and shirt on the floor in the Rountree-Jones Locker Room.
Milson said it's not unusual for Larkin to wash and fold the gear, leave it on the bench in front of the players locker, going beyond what other managers might do.
Larkin, a sophomore, is one of 10 student-managers for the UNCW men's basketball team. When he arrived on campus, he struggled to find the men's basketball office. Now, he spends most free hours in and around the Trask complex – preparing the court for practice, setting up video equipment, cleaning the locker room, or hanging out with other managers or players.
"These guys are so great that I want to do whatever I can to help them succeed," Larkin said. "That's kind of why I do it."
Larkin doesn't hear every instruction from coach Buzz Peterson or every request from a player. But it doesn't matter. He's already met their needs.
"He's, by far, the hardest working person in this program," Milson said. "Dan will do anything for anyone, just to see them smile."
No explanation
Larkin is deaf in his right ear and has 50 percent hearing in his left ear, a result of a life-threatening illness when he was two years old.
The Larkins lived in New York at the time. Cousins visited for a sleepover and Dan woke up feeling ill. His mother, Linda, took him to their pediatrician, who diagnosed Dan with a stomach virus.
They returned home, but Dan's condition didn't improve. He couldn't keep liquids down, was very lethargic. The next day he woke up, climbed out of his bed and ran across the room. He asked for his daddy and crashed to the floor, falling into a coma.
His father, Kevin, raced home from business in North Carolina to be with his wife and son, who remained in ICU for one week. Doctors tapped Dan's spine and diagnosed him with bacterial meningitis, a rare disease that's fatal to 10 percent of children who contract it in their first two years.
For one week, he remained in the coma.
"It was touch and go there for a while," Kevin remembers. "Terribly frightening."
Then, one day in the hospital, Dan awoke and asked for juice.
He spent a total of one month in the hospital. After being discharged, he underwent physical therapy for two months to regain strength in his legs, and sharpen his motor skills. His parents never fully understood how he contracted the disease. He was up to date on all immunizations.
"We're blessed that he survived," Kevin said. "What we understand is that the prompt care he received at the hospital, the early diagnosis, the treatment with steroids, helped him survive."
When Dan was six years old, his parents noticed he always put the phone up to his left ear when he answered it. They asked him why. He told them, matter of factly, that he could not hear out of his right ear.
A good listener
What others might view as a handicap, Dan never used as an excuse.
"The way I think about it, is I'm here," he said. "I'm happy and thankful."
Something he heard while attending Davidson coach Bob McKillop's summer basketball camp taught him how this handicap could be helpful.
"He used to say, everybody's got two ears. Everybody can hear. But the one thing that people don't really do when they can hear is, not everybody listens," Larkin said. "The one thing I try to do is listen and pay attention. Staying attentive keeps me ahead of the game."
He began losing hearing in his left ear during his sophomore year of high school, the result of an autoimmune disorder that may or may not be a residual effect of the meningitis. Around this time, he was offered assistance with notetaking in the classroom, but refused it, his mom said, laughing while she described her son as stubborn.
During his playing career at Charlotte Catholic High School, he was a pass-first guard. His helpful, selfless spirit, combined with a love for basketball, make him the ideal student-manager for any college coach.
"He's very energetic," UNCW coach Peterson said. "Takes a lot of pride and passion in the job. I respect that a lot because these kids aren't getting hardly anything."
Managers receive $1,500 for the entire school year.
"They're doing it out of their own free time," Peterson added. "They've got schoolwork to do. Those guys are so important, and he goes the extra mile."
Peterson creates a family environment within his program. Players and managers eat dinner and play video games together. Players thank managers for performing the menial tasks that make the program run smoothly from day-to-day.
Unsure of his major, Larkin knows he wants to coach basketball after he graduates. By observing Peterson, he's learned the complex nature of the job at the highest level.
"He's a basketball guy, he's a business guy, he's a family guy," Larkin said. "I didn't understand that there were so many different parts of the game. It's not just knowing basketball. You have to know people and have a personality where you can get people to come in and play for you."
Right man for the job
Dan Larkin's attention to detail merits respect from every coach, player and manager in the UNCW program.
His father respects his son's judgment and decision-making, how that innate stubbornness allows him to uphold his values. Dan's sense of humor about his deafness makes others comfortable. He wears a hearing aid and reads lips, but isn't afraid to make a joke at his own expense. Large crowds or social situations where multiple people are talking can be a challenge. He doesn't let his frustration show.
Can a manager be a leader? What impact can someone make on a basketball team when they'll never score a basket, block a shot or grab a rebound?
"He's definitely an inspiration to me," Milson said. "He represents humility better than anybody. He creates a higher standard for everyone on the team. Sets a good example for all the other managers and for the players, off the court."