Women’s Basketball hosts practice with professors

By Annie Renz

Stonehill College faculty showed off their athletic abilities outside of the classroom at the inaugural “Invite a Professor to Practice Day.” 

The event, hosted by the women’s basketball team, is something Head Coach Trish Brown has wanted to put on for many years.  

The idea was brought to life on Monday when 12 professors tied up their laces and practiced alongside the team. 

“All of the faculty will be welcome to compete in our end of practice shooting drill so hopefully there are no pulled muscles that come out of the event,” said Brown. 

After breaking a sweat, professors joined players and coaching staff for some pizza and salad.  

The team posted flyers around campus to get the word out to faculty about the event. Some professors said they were personally invited by students who play for the Skyhawks.  

Toni Ruscio, from the Communications department, said Sydney McLaughlin, a sophomore on the team, personally invited her to the event.  

“I definitely go every semester to at least one sporting event,” said Ruscio. “I try to go every semester if I have students in the class. Syd is now in my interpersonal communications class. I love going to their games, and Sydney invited me to the event they’re having on Monday.” 

Director of Ethnic Studies Stanley Thangaraj had the flyer sitting in the middle of his desk. 

“The reason I have this,” he said, pointing to the flyer, “is because I was invited by a student athlete. It’s a chance for me to show student athletes that there are some faculty and staff who can ball.” 

Brown said the goal of the event is to give Stonehill faculty a sense of what the athletic classroom is about.  

“We want this event to be a thank you to the faculty for the support and understanding of the commitment of our student athletes,” she said. “We also hope it can provide a different sense of what the athletic classroom is all about.” 

Some professors say attending sporting events on campus is important to build strong relationships with their students.  

Communications Professor Xuejian Yu said he attended the women’s basketball event and athletic contests to fulfill his side of what he calls a “mutually motivated relationship.” 

“By being there, the athletes not only feel good about the kind of recognition they receive from people who are teaching their classes, and they’re building a relationship in which they’re willing to reciprocate,” he said. “I did not disappoint them as a supporter, so they don’t want to disappoint me as a student.”  

Ruscio said there’s power in a strong, connected community that forms when faculty attend athletic events because it gets students excited.  

“I want my students to know that I support them,” she said. “I feel like they get excited and motivated when they know that professors care enough to go outside of class.” 

Hosting “Practice with Professors” is a way for the women’s basketball coaching staff to merge their community with the faculty community.  

“It’s a great opportunity for all of us to get to know faculty members outside of the classroom,” said Brown. “Also, while most professors are very understanding of the demands of student-athletes, it’s always fun to let them have a glimpse into our athletic classroom.” 

Other teams are also encouraging staff and faculty to get involved. Recently, the women’s hockey team invited college members to attend a home game in Bridgewater. 

Thangaraj recognizes the demands of being a Division I athlete, but he also said there’s an importance of setting high standards in the classroom.  

“I’m also a former high school and college coach. For me, I’ve seen how some of my brightest students were student athletes, but they didn’t always recognize that until I pulled them aside and said, ‘If you can read a playbook and translate it that quickly on the field, you got to be able to do more work in my class.’” 

Yu incorporates sports into his classroom by telling his students that he watched their games, or he’ll send an email congratulating them on a win.  

“They show up because – and I joke when I tell them – if I ever catch you showing up for your practice and you’re not coming to class, they’re going to be in deep trouble,” said Yu. “They’re student athletes. Student first, athlete second.”  

Yu and Thangaraj hope  this event will spark more teams on campus to involve Stonehill faculty in the athletic realm.  

“Individual faculty members or staff members make their own effort, but I don’t see that as a widespread college-wide effort,” said Yu. 

“I think we should offer a much more systematic calendar of sporting events that come as email reminders or something like that,” said Thangaraj. “It’s also absolutely vital for student athletes to attend events outside of sport.”  

Ruscio said that Stonehill provided faculty and administration with a multi-sports pass in 2024.  

“It got you into games and you could bring a guest. I haven’t seen it since, but I think it was to act as a bridge between academics and sport,” she said.