Major: Sport Studies
Andrew Marden has been the UNH Women’s Basketball Manager since his freshman year and has his sights set on becoming a Division I college basketball coach.
Ever since he was in high school, Marden has known that he wants to be a coach. So naturally, when he began looking at colleges, there were a few factors that played a role in his application process.
“I started applying to schools that had sports studies programs and Division I athletics because I knew if I wanted to work at a high level, I needed to gain experience at a high level and I could only get that at a DI school.”
Just about 10 days into his freshman year at UNH, Marden got an email that would allow him to explore his passion.
“The UNH Women’s Basketball team sent an email out to sport studies majors and that was how I became aware of the opportunity that turned out to be one of the greatest opportunities that I’ve been able to have in my life.”
Marden jumped on the opportunity and has not looked back since. He immediately accepted the offer and has played an important role on the team, which has seen great success over the past several seasons.
“I basically do everything that the coaches need me to do. My job is to make their job easier. I help with practice, equipment, passing, rebounding, etc. I take care of some logistical stuff, food orders for home games, video stuff for home and away games, and I help out when other teams show up and have needs.”
In addition to the practical experience that Marden has gained from being the manager of the team, he has also taken many sport studies classes that have helped him tremendously.
“I have definitely taken all of the coaching classes that are available. I’ve taken Principles of Coaching, Theory of Coaching Basketball, Advanced Topics in Coaching, Sports Psychology, Social Issues in Sports, etc. Those have all been of tremendous value to me in developing my coaching and leadership skills.”
Marden also has had the opportunity to be a Teacher’s Assistant (TA) for Principles of Coaching, which has given him an amazing opportunity to further his knowledge on the subject.
During his time at UNH, Marden has built great relationships with many faculty members in the department. He believes that they have helped a great deal, as they all have industry experience and have been able to provide guidance through the murky waters of college coaching.
“It’s a tricky industry because there is no set path to success. They have been great mentors to guide me through that. They always have their doors open and are all experienced in their fields. They all have practical and professional experience. If you have questions, they are willing to answer.”
Even though sport studies is not the most traditional major according to some people, Marden would encourage anyone who is interested in the subject to try it out as a major.
“There are going to people out there that suggest that you go with a more traditional major, but if you are doing what you love, it is your passion that people are going to buy into, not your major, so do what makes you happy.”
