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to prepare the postgame press conference with the coach and players.” And all that before the whistle blows on the first bucket of the game. Mahoney has also spent time with TV producers at the arena, helping them pick locations for their cameras that will not interfere with other UCSB game operations. He has welcomed his counterparts from the other school, making sure they are treated properly. Media relations people don’t get to root for their team; they have to act neutrally and professionally. During the pregame shootaround as players are warming up, Mahoney usually sits with visiting TV people to fill them in on his team and its players. It might seem as if the TV guys have all those stats and info in their heads, but they get a lot of it from media relations people like Mahoney. Mahoney will check in with local media covering the game, especially the hometown newspapers. These are the people in the media he is closest to. Some have been covering the UCSB Gauchos almost as long as Mahoney has been there. They are friends away from the arena, but on game day, the reporters are chasing stories, and Mahoney wants to make sure they get the stories he wants them to get.

10 C areers O ff the F ield • Media Relations