RPAC Rundown Spotlight Series: Know Your Role, and Star in it

Role players. Sometimes, role players don't get the credit they deserve. I have always admired how a coach can find a role for each player on their team. I'm even more impressed when an athlete takes that role, and stars in it.

In this article, we focus on an athlete whose role and primary function affect the game beyond scoring.

On each team, there's only one person who can lead the team in scoring, I mean, maybe there is the rare case in which you have a pair of players whose averages are the exact same. Basketball isn't just scoring. There are so many other factors that go into it. Rebounding, assists, steals, blocks, etc.

And the stuff that isn't always kept in the traditional stat categories. Setting great screens, hockey assists, diving for loose balls, being a good leader, and, as simple as it sounds, being a great teammate. Setting aside what you want is critical to the team's betterment.

These are winning categories that are essential to a team's success.

When it clicks for student-athletes that they can affect the game in many ways, it's wonderful.

Let's not kid ourselves, being a great scorer or scoring at a high level is awesome, right? But there is so much more to the game of basketball than that, as previously stated.

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And being a role player is awesome.

We had the chance to sit down with Cambridge senior, Maverick Webb, who knows his role. He's a facilitator on offense and scrappy on defense, and he embraces that.

"I try to find everybody else before I look to score. I mean, obviously, we have Hodge (Raburn), and we have Brady (Ahlemeyer). Both Raburn and Ahlemeyer score about 18 points per game, and Webb understands that for the team to have success, those two need their looks on offense.

"So why would I try to go throw up some random shots if I can help get them their 20 game? You know? And then I also try to just lead the floor. I try to make sure everybody's always on the same page, what defense we're in, what offense we're in. I just try to be a leader on the team," added Webb.

TJ Vacura, first year head-coach of the Trojans, emphasizes what Webb does and the importance of the role that Webb plays. "...(He's) very tenacious, hard working, and does all of the little things we need him to do to be successful, and the vocal leader of the group. He always throws his body in the middle of everything to take charges, get loose balls, and facilitate for others. There’s so many times he will pass up an open shot to get his teammates a better look. He’s the ultimate teammate," said Vacura.

Webb has also learned as a leader how to approach teammates, too. When there's a mistake, when Webb sees something that his teammates can do better, he knows how to approach a teammate. "...sometimes when you're frustrated, you kind of just got to calm down and say, hey, who am I talking to? How am I gonna approach them when I'm mad, just to get them better? Because I know everybody can always do better. It's just, how am I gonna tell them they can do better?"

Webb is a player who you can ask to do what's best for the team, and he's going to do it. He said much of that was ingrained by learning to influence the game in various ways. "...My 7th grade year. I didn't start A-Team, and was super sad. Went home, talked to dad. And he was like, well, if you're not gonna score the ball, you gotta play some defense and start passing the ball. So that's what I did. I started learning defense, watching highlight videos on defensive players, and just kind of grew from there."

And from there, it grew for Maverick: he earned playing time early in his high school career and continued to embrace his role. Now, as a senior, he keeps doing his job.

Webb has battled through injuries in his career, too. From shoulder problems to knee issues, he's dealt with a lot. And he has had the opportunity to help out his team while being injured.

"Helping my team off the field was a huge deal. I always tried to make sure everyone was doing ok physically and mentally. I wanted to make sure that everyone knew that they had someone to talk to about life. I also try to lead my team with my own experiences...spent a lot of time on the bench and sidelines because of injuries, and with me being out, I’d always try to help the team, so with that, I’d always watch hours and hours of film to help them succeed in things that they could accomplish. Once I was healed up, I understood the game more from a coach's side than a player's side, so it helped me see the way defenses would react, or tendencies offenses would have. Also, while I was injured, I had great athletes older than me that I had watched play for numerous seasons ahead of me, so I got to learn the game from them without really having a choice," added Webb.

Here at the RPAC Rundown, we get the opportunity to watch so many student-athletes star in their roles when it comes to the field of competition. Keep up the good work.