Who says you can’t do it all your freshman year of college? Not recent Wylie alumnus Drew Penney, who just finished his freshman year of college at Oklahoma State University. Penney took on college life with an all-in approach, and not only filled his time with academics and learning to “adult” but also the role of a student athletics manager and his own weekly podcast.
The Freshman Take
Penney selected Oklahoma State as his home for the next four years because it felt, well, like home. “The campus is beautiful, and you are always greeted with a smile,” he said. “It’s a really great place with an amazing community.”
Located 352 miles from home, jumping in the car for a quick trip to see his family wasn’t an option, but Penney says living five hours away grew him in ways he didn’t expect.
“While it is hard being so far from home, I have grown so much as a person and in my faith. I have learned so much about managing school, social life, money and many other things.”
Clocking Time
In high school, Penney was busy with activities like football, track, Wylie’s Production Crew and church; however, serving as a student manager for a Big 12 basketball team introduced a different kind of busy.
Penney, along with 11 others, supported the players through games, regular daily practices as well extra shooting practice. Penney said helping rebound balls during extra shooting practice was based on student manager’s schedule and availability.
Student managers started at 8 a.m. (an hour before the team arrived) to prep the gym for daily practice and then afterwards transferred all equipment back into the equipment room. If morning classes conflicted with practices, they would leave and return once class was over, if possible.
On game days, they arrived at the arena seven hours before tipoff for the team’s shootaround and pregame meal.
“Shootaround runs like a practice, so we set up and take down the equipment. We then prepare the jerseys and the game day equipment as well as stock both locker rooms with Gatorade and snacks,” Penney explained. “During the game we supply our players with whatever they need, and we wipe the floor to ensure safety. After the game, we are tasked with washing all jerseys and towels that were used during the game.”
Everyone knows washing your own laundry is one thing, but to wash a team’s sweaty laundry is a whole other experience, but Penney took on the task.
“It definitely took some getting used to; it’s a lot different than my common laundry,” said Penney. “I had to wear gloves the first few times!”
Bouncing Back
Penney knew he wanted to participate in collegiate football from the time he placed his Bulldog sticker on his varsity helmet, even if it looked different than being on the team. Serving as a student manager for basketball came after learning the same opportunity for OSU Football wasn’t in the cards due to summer commitments. However, Penney would tell you God often opens doors after closing others. Now, not only was he part of Cowboy basketball, but also back in the familiar setting of sports broadcasting. Penney and a fellow student manager aired their first Backcourt Basketball podcast in February.
“My buddy, David, and I just had the idea at one of our practices. We both love college basketball exponentially, and we wanted to showcase our love, talents and opinions on the sport,” shared Penney. “Backcourt Basketball takes everything you would want to know about college basketball from scores, standings, players and coaches, NIL and everything in between. It is a great place to stay up to date on all-things college basketball.”
The duo takes advantage of the free podcast studio, which is in the campus library and houses all the equipment needed – equipment Penney is very familiar with thanks to the audio/visual broadcasting program at Wylie High School – to bring their passion to life.
“All the equipment used in the studio, Wylie has! I have worked with the ‘rodecaster’…while I was broadcasting basketball and baseball games… and with Audacity…from the pregame segment and halftime reports we would record for Wylie football games,” said Penney.
His new podcast, which can be found on Spotify and the Backcourt Basketball Instagram page, takes about an hour to produce each week.
Stepping Out of Bounds
As Penney’s first year in college comes to an end, he shared how being a freshman can seem daunting initially, but stepping out and trusting who you are in the process is well worth your energy.
“My freshman year has been amazing. From finding a church home, friend groups, being a manager and everything that comes along with it, it’s been an awesome experience so far,” said Penney. “I have grown so far just by being on my own.” He advises new Wylie graduates to not lose sight of what is important. “Stay true to yourself. There are going to be a lot of changes, and a lot of things pulling for your attention. If you are grounded in yourself and what you believe in, you will be just fine! Also make sure to call your mom!”
By Kristen Johnson