Austin Mudd

            Life experience is something people all enjoy as they learn and grow, each telling a different story than the other. The difference is what makes one person great and the life experience of Justin Saunders was indeed different.

            From the small city of Athens, TX, the 6’3” Saunders excelled in basketball, earning First-Team All-Region honors and being named to the All-Henderson County First Team. Saunders also played in two state all-star basketball games. However, Saunders was not just the typical high school jock. He was named to the Academic All-State Team and graduated as the class Salutatorian in 2006 from LaPoynor High School.

            During his time in high school, Justin also found opportunity in the NBA. The six-foot three inch Saunders worked as a ball boy for the Dallas Mavericks and was part of the organization during its championship run in 2006. “Players at the level were professional,” Saunders said. “They performed at a level I knew I could never reach, but it was cool to meet so many people during my time there.”

            Saunders met numerous Mavericks players during his time in Dallas, including small forward Shawn Marion. “Yeah, Marion was cool guy, and like many of the guys he had his hobbies,” said Saunders. “I remember he liked to DJ actually.”             During his time on the NBA sidelines, Saunders mingled with some of world’s most talented athletes. Saunders even helped in preparing the Eastern Conference All-Star team for the all star game in Dallas in 2010. “It was incredible,” Saunders said. “The all star game gave me an opportunity to meet players like Lebron James.” Saunders spoke of crushing defeats and glorious triumphs as he chronicled his expediencies in the NBA.

“It was weird to see the reaction of some of the players after the 2006 NBA finals,” Saunders said. “Those guys were grown men and it was weird to see them break down and cry when they played at the level they are playing at, but at the same time it was important to them. The NBA final was the pinnacle of the sport.”

Saunders also met other celebrities, such as Lil Wayne and Usher, through his job with the Dallas Mavericks, but the star struck feeling of meeting all these famous faces eventually faded with time. “I eventually got used to it.” Saunders said. “You eventually realize they are just normal people like us, except a little taller.”

In 2006, Saunders graduated from high school and received a scholarship to play basketball at LeTourneau University in Longview. However, in his sophomore year Saunders transferred to Stephen F. Austin State to pursue a degree in economics. During his time at SFA Saunders was very active. “I really enjoyed getting involved,” Saunders said. “Whether it was with the fraternity, Jack Walkers, or whatever, I always wanted to be involved on campus.” Justin joined Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity, was part of the Driving Jacks Review board, and also received the Presidential Volunteer Service Award in 2009. And in 2010 he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.

            However, Saunders was not done learning. Following graduation, he was accepted into Masters of Business Administration programs at the University of Mississippi and Tulane University. However, Saunders declined and instead continued his education at SFA. “I was content here at SFA and I knew I could get a good education here as well,” Saunders said. “So I decided to pursue my education further right here in Nac.”

            Saunders is in the final semester of his MBA program at SFA and will graduate in December 2012 to eventually pursue a career in finance.

Megan Chase

            From growing up on a farm, to being an all-star basketball player in high school, to working for the Dallas Mavericks, Justin Saunders has done it all.

            Saunders grew up in the small down of Athens and graduated as the salutatorian in 2006 from LaPoynor High School. He was the all-star basketball player for the high school team earning many titles and even played in two state all-star basketball games. Saunders was offered a scholarship to LeTourneau University in Longview, to play college basketball his freshman year of college, and ended up transferring to Stephen F. Austin State University his sophomore year.

            “I just didn’t like it. It LeTourneau wasn’t for me,” said Saunders.

Upon arriving at SFA Saunders became very involved on campus. He was awarded the Presidential Volunteer Service Award in 2009, was on the Driving Jacks Review Board, a sophomore homecoming nominee, a Jack Walker, and an active member of his fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

            On the outside Saunders looked like a normal tall, good-looking, brunette student, but not a lot of people knew that he had pretty tight connections with the Dallas Mavericks. Saunders helped work basketball camps during the summers of his high school years and in 2003 his boss offered him a job working with the Dallas Mavericks.

            “He knew my work ethic, and that I was responsible and trustworthy. I was going to be a good candidate for the job, “ Saunders said.

            Saunders was a part of the Mavericks Street Marketing Team.

            “We were fan entertainers. We set up dunk pits, shooting games, and other stuff like that. But we also had to wipe up sweat and make sure that the court was clear at all times,” said Saunders.

            It was a fun job for him, but it was also quite hard balancing work, high school and some college courses all at once. He would go to school during the day, do homework, go to college evening class and then have to drive an hour and a half from Athens to Dallas for the Mavericks game at night.

            “It was hard at times balancing everything, but in the end, looking back in it, it really has prepared me for the real world and for future jobs,” said Saunders.

            Over the ten years that Saunders has worked for the Dallas Mavericks he has had the privilege of meeting and getting to know many people. He was able to hold the American flag as Gretchen Wilson sang the National Anthem at one game. One time his locker room was next to Shakira’s dressing room and he joked saying she was literally five feet tall. During the play-offs last year Lil Wayne and Young Money were at all of the games courtside. Saunders has also become friends with some of the Mavericks players even getting an exclusive invite to one of the player’s birthday parties. But, he is not letting all of this hype get to his head.

            “It’s weird to say, but you almost become numb to seeing famous people after awhile. You see them so much while working with them that it’s really not that big of a deal anymore,” said Saunders.

            Saunders also said that working for famous people is also not as glamorous as it may seem. Besides wiping up basketball players’ sweat he had to pick up a spit-covered mouthpiece and sweat-covered bands from the court.

            Through everything that Saunders has been through over the past ten years he would not take back or re-do anything. Working for the Dallas Mavericks Street Marketing Team has prepared him for the real world. After graduation he plans to move to Dallas and work his way into the oil field industry.

Kaylee Hodge

“Working for a professional team is not as glamorous as it looks,” said graduate student Justin Saunders who worked for the Dallas Mavericks after graduating high school.

            Saunders grew up in Athens, Texas, a town about an hour southeast of Dallas.  He graduated from LaPoynor High School in 2006 where he was a very accomplished student as well as athlete.  He played in two state all-star basketball teams, named First Team All-Henderson County, First Team All-Region, and All-East Basketball teams. In addition to his athletic accomplishments, Saunders was also named to the Academic All-State Team as a senior and the salutatorian of his class.

            After high school Saunders played basketball at LeTourneau University in Longview. “I just didn’t like it. LeTourneau wasn’t for me,” Saunders said. He transferred to Stephen F. Austin State University his sophomore year where he graduated with his Bachelors of Arts in Economics and decided to stay to continue his education. 

            At SFA, Saunders was awarded the Presidential Volunteer Service Award, and he was an active member in Sigma Alpha Epsilon and numerous other organizations.

            As well as going to school full-time Saunders also worked for the Dallas Mavericks where he coached about 20 basketball camps a year as part of the Mavericks out reach programs, and a member of the Mavericks Street Marketing Team that set up fan experience events.

             “Through doing that I met a lot of players, had a lot of really cool experiences, got to work the NBA all-star game in 2010, and went to two NBA finals,” said Saunders

            While working with the Mavericks, Saunders had the opportunity to meet many famous celebrities such as Eva Longoria, Shakira, Usher, Gretchen Wilson, Lil Wayne, as well as many professional basketball players. He even became friends with a few of the Mavericks players he would see at work.

            During the All-Star game, Saunders was called in to work for the entire all-star weekend which included slam dunk contest, 3-point contest, rookie/sophomore game, and the celebrity game. He was at half-court during the slam dunk contest, and was also a rebounder for the players during the 3-point contest.

            He also remembers seeing big name basketball players like LeBron James, and Dwight Howard. During one of the practices Howard set a record and Saunders remembers all the news cameras that were there to capture the moment that Saunders was there to witness first-hand.

He recalled at the All-Star game Usher was one of the artists to perform and at the beginning of his performance he was supposed to throw out a basketball into the crowd and begin his song. Saunders said that Usher was in all black and wanted to basketball to be black as well, and Saunders was told to make it happen. So he raced around Cowboys stadium to find enough Sharpies to color the entire basketball black for Usher to throw out into the crowd. 

            He also remembers being invited to Erick Dampier’s birthday party. “But it sounded kind of sketchy, so I didn’t end up going,” said Saunders.

            Saunders remembers his experience with the Mavericks and all the celebrities as almost becoming numb to all the celebrities because he saw them so often that it just was any other day to him. But Saunders holds the most respect for the players and their dedication to the game.

“On one hand these guys have all the money in the world, but on the other hand they work so hard to get it and they work so hard to get to where they are now,” Saunders said.

Casey Yetter

Interview 2

Casey Yetter

From playing basket throughout his childhood to working for the Dallas Mavericks Justin Saunders has done a lot.

Saunders grew up in Athens, a small east Texas town about an hour and a half southeast of Dallas. In 2003, during high school, Saunders played basketball and became very decorated. As a senior he was named to the Academic All State Team, played in two state all star basketball games, was named First Team All-Henderson Country, First-Team All-Region, and All-East Texas basketball teams. During high school Saunders also started working for the Dallas Mavericks as a ball boy and doing other miscellaneous jobs, anything from mopping up sweat from the court to rebounding balls.

After graduating from LaPoynor High School in 2006 Saunders knew the person who was in charge of the Mavericks Basketball Camps and got offered a job coaching. Two weeks after graduation he was working his first camp.

Saunders accepted a scholarship to play basketball at Letourneau University in Longview. “When I graduated I actually got a scholarship to play basketball in a small division three school in Longview,” he said. “I went there and played my first year and didn’t really like it that much so I started looking for an exit strategy. I’m from east Texas and my hometown is probably about an hour from Nacogdoches so it was like a perfect match. I could go home any time I wanted to but it’s far enough to where my parents weren’t bombarding me all the time.” Saunders ended up transferring to Stephen F. Austin State University.

Saunders continued to work for the Dallas Mavericks throughout college and got to experience a lot of things including two NBA final games. Through the years that Saunders worked for the Mavericks he had made connections to the mascot, who was in charge of the Mavericks Street Marketing team. On game days they would go out and set up fan experiences like dunk pits or shooting games at sponsor locations to get the fans involved.

When Saunders was a senior in college he got called to work the NBA All Star game in Dallas at the Cowboys stadium. He took off school and went to Dallas for a week and got to work in a lot of the events. He was on the court during the slam-dunk contest and rebounded balls during the three-point contest.

Throughout his work with the Dallas Mavericks Saunders met and worked with a lot of the players. He said, “It’s not like we were best friends or anything but there have been some players throughout the years that I have gotten to know really well. Erick Dampier I knew him pretty well, Matt Carroll who plays for the Charlotte Bobcats now. I knew him pretty well too. I’m trying to think, A lot of the guys in know aren’t on this team anymore. But I did get to know some of them mostly through camps.”

Saunders seemed to have the utmost respect for the work and effort these guys have to put in the game. “They have more money than you would ever spend in your lifetime,,” he said. “But at the same time they are in the position that they are because of hard work, when I think of an NBA athlete a lot of people out there have the skills to be a professional athlete but only a small amount of them actually put in the time and effort to take what they have from good to excellent. On one hand they have a lot of money but they work so hard to get to where they are now.”

Saunders said during the off season some of the guys use their money for hobbies such as buying and fixing cars, exotic trips and even being a DJ.

Saunders plans to graduate with his MBA this December but said he doesn’t want to continue work with the Mavericks. “Working for a professional sports teams is not as glamorous as it looks,” he said.  He said he hopes to get a job for the oil company he interned for last summer.

Devin Way

A small town high school basketball star began working for the Mavericks then came to SFA. Justin Saunders was just a sophomore at LaPoyner High School when he began working for the Mavericks in 2003.

 He said, “I started out working as a ball boy.” Justin worked on the court during games and would rebound for the players on game days. However, when he wasn’t putting his time into serving professional athletes, Justin was busy having an athletic career of his own. His senior year in high school he was named to the Academic All-State team.

He said, “I played in two state all-star basketball games, was named First Team All-Henderson County, First-Team All-Region, and All-East Texas basketball teams.” Justin graduated high school in 2006 as a very decorated basketball player as well as salutatorian of his class.

Justin knew the guy who was over the Maverick’s summer basketball camps and after graduation was offered a job coaching at one of them. After his first summer coaching summer camps, Justin accepted a scholarship and began his collegiate basketball career at LeTourneau University in Longview.

During this time period of his life, Justin befriended MavMan, the mascot for the Mavericks. That led to him become a part of their street marketing team. He said, “We would do parades and a lot of public events, working with our sponsors.” Justin has been apart of the maverick team for almost ten years.

Justin came to Stephen F. Austin his sophomore year in college after deciding that he didn’t really enjoy LeTourneau University as much as he thought he would. Once at Stephen F. Austin, Justin became very involved. He said, “ I was very active at SFA.” In 2009 Justin received the Presidential Volunteer Service Award. He was granted many other awards during his time at SFA as well. He was active in Texas Phi Chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, named a member of the 1923 Society, Quality Enhancement Plan Design Team and its marketing subcommittee, Driving Jacks Review Board, a sophomore homecoming nominee, Jack Walkers, and the Safe Ride Programs United Committee.

In 2010 Justin graduated from SFA with his Bachelor of Arts in Economics. He was accepted into Master of Business Administration programs at Ole Miss and Tulane University, however, he decided to stay at Stephen F. Austin and continue his education.

During his time in college, Justin continued working summer camps for the Mavericks and remained an active member of their street marketing team. He built many relationships with the players during that time in his life.

He said, “One funny story, probably two or three years ago, when Eric Dampier was still playing on the team. He was an old guy, he was turning probably like 35 and that’s old in the NBA. Anyways, he invited me to his birthday party but it sounded kind of sketchy so I didn’t end up going. But yeah, I got to know some of the guys pretty well.”

Justin believes that NBA players work extremely hard to be where they are. He said that they have more money than a person can spend in a lifetime but worked really hard to get it.

Justin was able to be at many of the half time shows that featured celebrities such as Usher and Shakera and many times was mere feet away from them.  He said, “I actually got to be on the court wile a slam dunk contest was happening in front of me.” Justin said that the coolest thing he got to do was work the practices of the east games where he met Lebron James and Dwaine Wade.

Currently, Justin is in his final semester of the MBA program at SFA and is planning to graduate next month, December, 2012.

Crystal Villarreal

Smiling and standing at 6 feet 3 inches tall, Justin Saunders stood at a small wooden podium and began to speak. He looked relaxed as he spoke about his life growing up in Athens, a really small town near Dallas. He attended and graduated from LaPoynor High School in the year 2006. Justin Saunders was one of the best basketball players on his team; in fact his senior year he was a part of the Academic All-State Team. During this time he won several awards.

As a teenager, Justin worked for the Dallas Mavericks basketball team in the year 2003. “I started out working as a ball boy,” he said. “So during games I would come in and rebound for players during their warm-ups. I worked on the court.” His other tasks included cleaning up after the players and removing and cleaning sweat or dangerous objects from the basketball court.

When he graduated high school in 2006, Justin became even more so involved with the Mavericks. He said, “I was a big athlete in high school and I knew the guy who was in charge of their basketball camps. So they do probably around 20 basketball camps a year all throughout Dallas. So he offered me a job actually coaching at these basketball camps.” He said that through out his experience he got to know a lot of different people including the players and the team’s mascot.

After high school graduation, Justin balanced his job with attending Letourneau University in Longview. He was offered a basketball scholarship there, but said,  “I played my first year but I didn’t really like it that much so I started looking for an exit strategy.” After his sophomore year Justin transferred to Stephen F. Austin State University. “It was a perfect match,” he said. “I could go home any time I wanted to if I needed it. It’s far enough away that my parents aren’t bombarding me with visits all the time.”

Justin started a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at S.F.A. but his time with the Dallas Mavericks continued. Justin got to know some of the basketball players on a personal level. He said he was even invited to one of their birthday parties! He didn’t attend as he felt it was a bit “sketchy.” Throughout his time there he said he was exposed various times to celebrities. As glamorous as it was in the beginning, Justin said he was later dulled to the experience.

As a student Justin was very involved and very dedicated to several jobs and organizations.  He was a part of Greek life on campus, specifically in the Texas Phi Chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. He was also involved with Driving Jacks. Justin also served as a tour guide for the university, a Jack Walker. During his time on campus he received the Presidential Volunteer Service Award in 2009.

In the year 2010 he graduated from S.F.A. with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. He was offered acceptance into prestigious master’s programs in universities such as Ole Miss and Tulane University but respectfully declined and decided to stay in east Texas to earn a Masters degree. He will graduate in December 2012 with an MBA. He is very ambitious and plans to get a job in finance with an oil and gas company. 

Jason Switlik

Justin Saunders is an Economics Master’s student at Stephen F. Austin State University, where he first obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Economics. Justin grew up in a small east Texas town named Athens where he developed a love for the game of basketball, which eventually led him to Stephen F. Austin where he was involved with many organizations on campus.

Saunders graduated from LaPoynor High School in 2006 as the Salutatorian of his class. Saunders not only made an academic impact but also made a name for himself playing basketball as a 6 foot 3 inch post position at LaPoynor, “ I was a very decorated basketball player and as a senior was named to the Academic All-State Team, played in two state all-star basketball games, was named First Team All-Henderson County, First Team All-Region, and All-East Texas basketball teams.” Saunders then said he accepted a scholarship for basketball to LeTourneau University located in Longview but transferred his sophomore year to Stephen F. Austin.

During his high school and college tenure he was able to land a part time job with the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks where he said he started as a ball boy but worked his way to the floor team.

“Paul Pierce dropped his mouth guard on the ground one time and I had to pick it up, it was pretty gross” he said.

 Saunders was able to witness 2 NBA finals that the Mavericks played in, and the second one that the Mavericks actually won. He also was able to meet many famous people working for the Mavs, as famous as rapper Lil Wayne and his group.

“It was funny every time one of them got up they had 10 security guards with them” Saunders said.

 Saunders also worked the entire NBA All Star Weekend when it came to Dallas in 2010 where he was a rebounder during the 3:Point Contest and also got to be on the court during the infamous Slam Dunk Contest.

Usher was performing there one night in all black clothing and the lights in the whole stadium would be shut off and Usher would throw a basketball into the stands and then start performing. Saunders said he remembers he got to the stadium an hour early to help out and Usher was doing his walk about on stage when one of Ushers assistants came up to Saunders and asked him to find a way to make the basketball black. So Saunders literally ran around Cowboys Stadium looking for sharpies to color this basketball and spent that whole hour before coloring the basketball that would only be used for about 2 seconds when Ushers show started.

Saunders also saw Shakira and Gretchen Wilson perform during All Star Weekend but mainly worked the practices for the NBA East team.

When talking about his work for the Mavericks, Saunders was also asked if he ever got close with any of the players on the Mavericks team. He went on to say that he never really got close with any of them but was able to hang out quite a bit of players like Erick Dampier. Saunders was invited to one of the player’s birthday parties once but said “it was kind of sketchy so I decided not to go” Saunders was also asked if he ever thought he could have been playing along with those guys, as he laughed and said not a chance because of the size difference.

While Saunders was an undergrad at Stephen F. Austin he was involved in many organizations such as Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Quality Enhancement Plan Design Team, Driving Jacks Review Board, and the Safe Ride Programs United Committee. Saunders also received quite a few awards such as the Presidential Volunteer Service Award in 2009, and was also a sophomore homecoming nominee.

When asked about his plans after college, he said he would like to move back to Dallas and work for an oil and gas company in a finance or accounting department. He was then asked why he wouldn’t try working for the Mavericks and said those guys put in a lot of hours and receive little pay.

Saunders plans to graduate December 2012.

Mack Stripling

Mack Stripling

November 28, 2012

Working with the Dallas Mavericks, All-Star high school athlete and academic scholar, sounds like the life, right?

Justin Saunders, Stephen F. Austin senior, has lived a colorful life that has been rotated around a basketball. At 6’3” with a slender athletic build, basketball has been his highpoint throughout his life.  Growing up in the small town of Athens, TX, Saunders became a very successful basketball player. During his years at LaPoynor High School, he was named to the Academic All-state Team, Participated in two state all-star basketball games, named first-team all-region, first team All-Henderson County, and All-East Texas basketball teams.  He graduated in May of 2006 as the salutatorian of his class.

Saunders was accepted into Texas Tech his senior year, but at the last minute, he got a scholarship and played basketball for LeTourneau University then transferred after his sophomore year to attend SFA.

Saunders started working with Dallas Mavericks in 2003 as a ball boy (swept up moisture on the floor, picked up thrown headbands, even mouthpieces). He met a quite a few Mavericks players and got to know them fairly well because of the camps that he worked at that they also attended. While working, he said he saw a lot of Cowboy players such as Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith. Once, Erick Dampier invited him to a birthday party but he said, “It sounded kind of sketchy,” and ended up not going. 

In 2006, the Mavericks were playing the Heat in the NBA Finals and the Mavs were up three games to one and the Heat came back to win it. Saunders described what he saw: “It’s weird that you don’t see grown men, especially large guys, 6’10 – 250, you don’t see them just breaking down crying all the time, especially at that high of a level of sports.”

In 2009, while working with the Mavericks, Saunders was able to get to know Mavs Man, the Mavericks Mascot, really well and was offered a job to begin working for the Mavericks Street Marketing Team. He said that during game days, they would set up “Fan Experience” type things such as interactive fan games set up at different businesses and sponsor locations around the Dallas area so their customers could enjoy and support the team. 

In February 2010, Saunders was called to work at the All-Star Weekend in Dallas. He was able to get out of school for the entire week to attend the event.  Saunders was actually on court (half-court) during the most prestigious events such as the slam-dunk contest and was a rebounder during the 3-point contest.

Also while in Dallas, he said the coolest thing that he was able to do was work the practice with the East team, including NBA superstars such as LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Paul Peirce and Dwight Howard.  He was also involved with the pre-game rituals, including the singing of the National Anthem. “I was actually on the court, holding a flag while Gretchen Wilson and the Canadian man were doing the National Anthem.” 

Another interesting thing that happened during that weekend was that Usher was doing the pregame show. Usher and his team were doing walk-throughs an hour before the show and Usher wanted to throw a basketball into the crowd then start singing. So when Saunders arrived, the stage manager wanted him to make the orange ball black. So he said he had to run around the whole cowboys stadium and find Sharpies to color the basketball black. When he finally found and was able to color the ball black, Usher only need the ball for a short amount of time. “So I did all of this work for about half a second; it was pretty funny,” Saunders said.

In 2010, Saunders graduated from SFA with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. Even though he was accepted into Master of Business Administration Programs at Ole Miss and Tulane University, he decided to continue his education at SFA. Currently, Saunders is in his final semester of the MBA program and will graduate in December 2012.

Ashley Lewis

Stephen F. Austin graduate student, Justin Saunders, spoke about his many accomplishments, and working for the biggest NBA stars of this time happens to be one of them.

Justin Saunders grew up in Athens, Texas, a small town about an hour and a half southeast of Dallas. He graduated from LaPoynor High School in 2006 as the salutatorian of his class. Justin, standing tall at 6’3, was a very decorated basketball player. As a senior, he was thrilled to have been named to the Academic All-State Team.  He was also fortunate, and talented, enough to play in two state all-star basketball games, and named First Team All-Henderson County, First-Team All-Region, and All-East Texas basketball teams. He then accepted a scholarship to LeTourneau University in Longview to play basketball but decided after his sophomore year that he wanted to attend Stephen F. Austin.

Saunders graduated from SFA in 2010 with his Bachelor of Arts in Economics. Despite being accepted into Master of Business Administration programs at Ole Miss and Tulane University, he stayed at Stephen F. Austin to continue his education. He was very active while attending school at SFA and was awarded the Presidential Volunteer Service Award in 2009. He was an active fraternity member of Texas Phi Chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, named a member if the 1923 Society, Quality Enhancement Plan Design Team and its marketing subcommittee, Driving Jacks Review Board, a sophomore homecoming nominee, Jack Walkers, and the Safe Ride Programs United Committee, as well.

Being a very active student and athlete wasn’t all Justin aspired to do. He also worked for the championship winning team, the Dallas Mavericks, for six years.  He recalled that even though the NBA team members got paid substantially, they all worked very hard to be, and stay, in the positions that they are in. “They all work very hard and long hours,” Justin said.

He also disclosed information as to how heartbreaking it was to see the Mavericks lose against the Miami Heat. He said, “It’s not everyday that you see huge, grown men cry on their way to the locker room.” Fortunately, Saunders was also there when the Mavericks won the championship and even came to “know some of the players pretty well.”

Justin gushed about working at the All-Star game in Dallas, in 2010, and said that he was only a few feet from NBA giants such as LeBron James and Dwayne Wade. NBA stars weren’t the only celebrities he happened to come in to contact with, though. He also recalled being around singers Shakira, Usher, and rapper, Lil Wayne.

He shared a funny occurrence in which he spent “an hour coloring a basketball all black with a sharpie” for music artist, Usher. He had to admit that coming in contact with such figures eventually didn’t affect him as much as it initially did but was always a cool thing to have experienced.

Currently, Justin is in the final semester of the MBA program and will be graduating from Stephen F. Austin again this upcoming December. He isn’t positive about what exactly he’ll decide to do post graduate school, but just like his past, his future will be bright and full of accomplishments.

Landon Johnson

Landon Johnson

Most teenagers dream of working for a professional athletic team, seeing all the big stars up close and personal, waiting on them hand and foot. Well, Justin Sanders got the chance to live this dream and he told all about it.

Sanders is from, Athens, a small town southeast of Dallas. He was salutatorian of his class at LaPoyner High School in 2006, but that wasn’t his biggest accomplishment. Sanders had a very decorated career in basketball and won numerous awards his senior year alone. This led to him earning a scholarship to LeTourneau University in Longview,.

Sanders had to work his way into the Mavericks organization. He was asked to work basketball camps that the team had hosted every year by the man who was over them. The man knew that he was a good basketball player in high school so he asked him to come coach at the camps for him. Throughout the camps Justin met a lot of the players and his experiences with them began. “I got to go to the all-star game and work two NBA Finals,” said Sanders, which he thought were two pretty cool experiences. In 2009 he stopped working the camps. By this time he got to know the team’s mascot very well, whom which was in charge of a group called “Street Marketing Team” that set up fan experiences for fans on game day.

When asked about the athletes and their work ethic, Sanders said they are dedicated to their jobs and that they stay focused on what’s in front of them. “ All of them are in the position that they’re in because of hard work, a lot of people out there have the same ability and same skill, but only a small amount of them put in the time and effort to turn their skills from good to excellent,” said Sanders.

He also said that all the money they make comes from hard work and all the time that they put into it. Sanders  said the off-season is when they find the time to relax and take a lot of trips in engage in their own hobbies to pass the time away, relax and just take time away from the game. “One of the players likes to collect cars,” he said. “So during his off-season he buys expensive cars, like Ferrari and Lamborghini for example and he works on cars also.”

Another player, Shawn Marion liked to DJ, said Sanders, so he would go DJ at random clubs to pass the time. “A lot of the players use their own money which is how they are able to carry out a lot of their hobbies,” said Sanders, “but it’s money that they worked hard for and put a lot of work in to get.”

Sanders said one of the most fascinating stories was when Usher put in a request for an all-black basketball to use during his performance. So the stage manager approached Saunders and told him Usher’s request and told him to make it happen. So around he ran looking for black Sharpies to color the ball. Finally after an hour he got the ball done to find out that Usher only managed to use the ball for a few seconds then hurled it out into the crowd.

Thankful for all the experiences Sanders let go of the Mavericks organization to continue with school. After his sophomore year at LeTourneau University he transferred to SFA where he graduated in 2010 but chose to pursue his Master’s Degree and is set to graduate this December.

Willie Jefferson

Willie Jefferson III

From a Dallas Mavericks ball boy to graduating in December of 2012 with a MBA, tall, well-spoken, east Texas native Justin Saunders is in his last few weeks of being a Stephen F. Austin grad student.

 Justin grew up in the city of Athens, TX, an hour and half southeast of Dallas. He graduated from LaPrynor High School where he was an outstanding student-athlete. Receiving multiple awards for his achievements he also played in several all-star games and was placed on several all-state teams. This granted Justin a scholarship to LaTourneau University in Longview, to pursue his basketball aspirations.

After playing for a year Justin decided it was time for a change so he transferred to Stephen F. Austin his sophomore year. Justin graduated from Stephen F. Austin in 2010 with his Bachelors of Arts in Economics. He had offers to attend other universities if he wanted to continue for his master’s but he decided to stay here to continue his education. Justin is a member of the Texas Phi Chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and he also carries many of positions on the campus of Stephen F. Austin

In the midst of high school and college Justin had a hobby of being a ball boy for the Dallas Mavericks. Justin was so lucky that he went to two NBA finals one in which the Mavericks won. Justin said, “They were pumped, they waited their whole lives for this,” 

The time he spent with the Mavericks wasn’t just work he also got to meet and became pretty close with a few of the teams players. Justin said he was pretty close to Eric Dampier. “Eric Dampier asked me to attend his birthday party once, I thought it was kind of sketchy so I didn’t attend,” Justin said.  Justin also got to know the Mavericks’ mascot Mavs Man really well. While knowing Mavs Man he became a member of the street team organization that went around and help setup fan experiences for the people of Dallas.

Justin was also fortunate enough to be around when the NBA hosted the all-star game in the Conway Center. When this happened Justin was the ball boy for a few of the all-star activities being held in the arena. He helped with the slam-dunk contest and he also rebounded the shots in the three point shooting contest.  For the halftime performance Justin was asked to paint a basketball all black to match the outfit that the singer Usher was wearing.  Justin said, “ I ran around the stadium looking for as many Sharpies as I could find and he only held it for half a second and threw it into the crowd,”

Because Justin was so close to so many NBA players and had a chance to get to know them he knew how were they outside of the gym. Justin said, “They have tons of money to spend, more money then you can spend in a lifetime, but they receive it on possession of hard work.”

Justin said he couldn’t imagine stepping on the court even after seeing them play for so many of years: “When I think of NBA I think of a lot of people who have physical skills to be a professional athlete, but only a few can take the time to perfect their skills to get them where they are.”

As he was there when the Mavericks won a championship he was also there when they lost. Justin said, “ You usually don’t see grown men breaking down and crying all the time.”

It was pleasure for the class to hear Justin speak about his life and how fun it was for him to be apart of an NBA teams staff being around people some could only imagine seeing from seats in the stands.

Justin graduates in December with a master’s degree in business.

Dakota Garcia

A small town kid tells about his experience behind the scenes of the extremely famous Dallas Maverick basketball team today. Justin Saunders grew up and went to high school in Athens, Texas a small town southeast of Dallas, Texas.

Saunders was only a sophomore in high school when he was offered to work for the Dallas Mavericks as a ball boy in 2003. Saunders explains his experience as a ball boy by being someone who would work the courts during the games. Working on the court included getting anything off of the court that would inhibit the players from performing at their best. Saunders himself was a very recognized and polished basketball player during this time. In high school, Saunders played in two state all-star basketball games, he even accepted a scholarship out of high school to play for LeTourneau University. Though he was a tremendous player in his area, he tells today that after working for the Mavericks it became clear to him that he would never play for an NBA team. After Saunders graduated High School in 2006 he started working at the Maverick basketball camps located all through out Dallas. That is where he developed the relationship with the man in charge of the camps who offered him a once in a lifetime opportunity to coach at the camps. Saunders has been working at these camps from 2006 to last year. During Saunders time working for the Mavericks he got to meet a lot of players, worked the all-star game in 2010, and went to two NBA finals. Saunders was also asked to do some out of the ordinary tasks while working for the team. Saunders said that he was asked to do thing such as whipping sweat off of the floor to coloring a basketball with a sharpie for an hour. When Saunders tried to explain the life style of the Maverick Basketball players he started by stating that “they have more money than you could ever spend in your lifetime.” Saunders also goes on to say that, “when I think of an NBA athlete, a lot of people out there have the skills and the physical requirement to be an professional athlete, but only a small amount of them really put in the time and effort to take their skills from good to an excellent level. During the season you won’t see them doing a lot of things because they are so focused on basketball.” During off-season Saunders goes on to explain that the Maverick players “have a lot of hobbies outside of basketball.” Saunders gives two examples of a player that likes to work on and collect cars during off season, and a player who likes to be a disc jockey when he is not playing basketball for the Mavericks. Saunders was not only surrounded by famous athletes but he states that he got to see a lot of famous people that attended Maverick games while he was working for them. Saunders said that the most famous person he ever saw was rapper LiL Wayne and it was so interesting to watch him and his Young Money crew because anytime they left the stand they had at least ten security guards around them at all times. Saunders did not neglect his education during this exciting time in his life. He went to college and graduated from SFA in 2010 with his Bachelor of Arts in Economics and despite acceptance into Master of Business Administration programs at Ole Miss and Tulane University, Saunders decided to stay at SFA and continue his education. After graduating from the MBA program at SFA in December, Saunders said that his future plans are to work for an oil and gas company located in Dallas, Texas in the accounting or finance department. Despite the exciting moments working for the Mavericks, Saunders said that the workers there put in long hours and do not get paid that much. Saunders also states, “working for a professional team is not as glamorous as it looks”.

Britney Freeney

Britney Freeney

Interview II

Picture the excitement of the world’s top athletes playing the sport that you admire within two feet away from you! “It was cool meeting all of the players and helping out at the NBA All Star Game that was in Dallas,” said Justin Saunders.

Saunders grew up in Athens, TX and graduated from LaPoyner High School in 2006. At the age of five Saunders had an interest in basketball but it was not until the first grade when he began playing. “I started playing in the first grade and I have been attending Dallas Maverick’s basketball camps since then.”

During high school Saunders skills showed off during his last year when he was awarded participation in prestigious games. “I was a very decorative basketball player, and as a senior I was named to the First Team All Henderson County, First Team All Region, and All East Texas basketball teams. Saunders was not only an athlete, but he was an academic honorable student as well. He was the salutatorian of his class and also mention in the Academic All State Team.

The summer after graduating high school, Saunders became one of the coaches teaching the youth how to play basketball with the Dallas Mavericks Camps. “I knew the director of the camp very well and because of my skill and focus he asked me if I wanted to be part of the camps.” Saunders was also the ball boy for the Dallas Mavericks. He would clean the floor and rebound for the athletes.

He kept this job with the Mavericks and was offered a scholarship to LeTourneau University in Longview, TX. Saunders said he transferred to Stephen F. Austin because it was still near his hometown but it was far away from his parents. Basketball ball was still an interest to him but he knew that he would only make it to the collegiate level and not the professional level. Focused on his academics Saunders decided to make economics his major at SFA.

During the experience with the Dallas Mavericks, he got to meet the players and have seen their victorious side as well as their defeated side. He said it was overwhelming seeing 7 feet men cry after loosing the NBA Finals to the Miami Heat in 2006. Not only have he meet players but he have meet singers, artist, rappers, and actors as well.  Saunders said he had seen many famous people like Lil Wayne, Eva Longaria, Usher and many more.

According to Saunders, his job was not as cool as it seemed to be. One time Sean Marion mouthpiece fell out “and I had to pick it up,” said Saunders. He also said that during one of Usher’s performances he spent an hour painting a basketball black because usher wanted it black. “Usher only held the ball for a second.  I spent an hour painting the ball with a sharpie just for him to throw it in the stands,” said Saunders.

Saunders learned many things from the Mavericks experience that helped him in college and will help his future. “It taught me how to manage my time, and plan out events ahead of times.” Saunders said that he would have to leave practices early and maintain good grades in college while working with the Mavericks. Saunders also gained community service experience with the Mavericks because they would go to their sponsor’s corporations and set up fun events.

Saunders graduated from SFA in 2010 with a Bachelors of Arts in Economics. He decided to complete the Masters of Business Administration program at SFA. Although he wasn’t playing basketball on the collegiate level, Sanders played intramural basketball all four years at SFA and participated in two championship games.  Also while at SFA, he was awarded the Presidential Volunteer Award, a member of both Texas Phi Chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon and the 1923 Society Quality Enhancement Plan design team. Saunders was also a sophomore homecoming nominee and a member of the driving jacks review board.

Saunders is currently in his final semester of the MBA program and will graduate in December 2012. He recently had an intern with the Pioneer Natural Resources of Dallas, TX. His employment with the Dallas Mavericks is not part of his future. “I enjoyed the experience but I plan to enter the oil and gas industry,” said Saunders. His future plans are to become employed with the company he that offered him the intern.

Simone Evans

A small town ball boy for the Dallas Mavericks basketball team, turned into a successful young man as he worked his way towards finishing his MBA this December.

Justin Saunders grew up in Athens, TX, just an hour and a half from southeast of Dallas. In 2003, while just a sophomore in high school, Saunders had the opportunity to become the ball boy for the Dallas Mavericks basketball team.  On game days, Saunders would shoot the basketball with the players during their warms ups. Saunders would also run and sweep the floor anytime a player got hurt or injured to prevent moisture from staying on the floor. Saunders said that they did this so other players wouldn’t slip or injury themselves because of the moisture left on the ground from another player.

 From his ball boy status, Saunders went to work at basketball camps. Saunders said, “When I graduated from high school, I was a big a athletic and knew the man who was in charge of their basketball camps in Dallas. I got a job as a basketball coach. I started doing this in 2006 and kept doing it up until last year.” Saunders said that being a basketball coach opened up many opportunities for him.

Saunders got to go to quite a few All-Star games and MBA Final games.  He grew to have a close bond with the mascot of the Dallas Mavericks who was in charge of a Street Marketing Team.  Saunders said, “So what they do is, on game days they will go and set up, creating kind of like a fan experience. “ Saunders said that they would have a slam dunk area for fans and different interactive games.

, Saunders shared an experience he got to have a few years later while working for the Dallas Mavericks Team.

One experience Saunders shared was working with the R&B singer Usher. Usher was getting ready to perform at a pre-game show and Saunders had arrived to work early that day. Saunders said while Usher was on stage, preparing for his performance, the stage manager approached him and told him that Usher wanted a black basketball for his performance. Saunders said, “The stage manager said that he didn’t care how the ball got black, but Usher needed a black basketball for his performance.”

Less than an hour before Usher’s performance, Saunders ran around the Cowboy Stadium collecting as many black Sharpies as he could find to color the orange basketball black.  Saunders spent an hour coloring the basketball black.  He said, “Usher got on stage and is literally holding the basketball for a half a second and throws it off stage into the crowd.” He chuckled and said, “I did all this work for a half a second. It was pretty funny.”

While as a student at Stephen F. Austin State University, Saunders was involved on campus[LB2] . He was awarded the Presidential Volunteer Award in 2009, along with being a member of the Driving Jacks Review board. Not stopping there, Saunders also added his commitment to the Jack Walkers program, Safe Ride Programs United Committee, along with being an active member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon organization.

Saunders graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in 2010 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Economics. Despite being accepted into the Master of Business Administration program at Ole Miss and Tule University, Saunders decided to continue his education at SFA.

Today, Saunders has achieved a variety of altitudes in a short amount of time. Along with achieving and experiencing life from a ball boy and gaining a journalistic point of view, Saunders is pressing his way through the MBA program at Stephen F. Austin State University. Saunders will graduate in December 2012 and is currently looking for a job in the finance industry.

Crystal Davis

November 28, 2012

Interview 2

Imagine being able to work for a professional basketball team and in the process meet and see famous people from the players themselves to well-known celebrities in the industry. Here at SFA, graduate student, Justin Saunders got that opportunity when he began working for the Dallas Mavericks. For six years Saunders worked for the Mavericks, and during that time had many memorable experiences.

Saunders started working for the Mavericks as a ball boy his sophomore year in high school. He would be the rebounder and get the balls for the players as they shot and pass it back to them. While doing that he also would sweep the floor whenever a player fell . There were also other things that Saunders had to pick up. “ Paul Pierce’s mouth piece fell out and I had to get that, ” said Saunders. Sweatbands also were another hazard that he would pick up too.

Throughout the season the Mavericks would host a number of basketball camps. Saunders was a very skilled basketball player in high school and played in two state all-star games, named First Team All-Henderson County, and named First Team All-Region. Summer 2006 he was offered the opportunity to coach one of the Mavericks basketball camps, and continued that through his college years as well until last year. During that time he met many players and went to two NBA finals. He said, “ I saw people like Tony Romo, Troy Aikman, and Emmitt Smith were all there.”

After that in 2009 he got offered with a job with the Mavericks’ street marketing team. He helped set up the “fan experiences” for the Mavericks games and got the crowd involved in dunk contests and other activities during half time. He worked closely with the Mavericks’ sponsors and went out to their locations and helped put on events for the customers of those sponsors to give back to the community.

Saunders went through many experiences while working with the Mavericks, and has enjoyed every moment. Besides meeting the players at the camps he was able to develop a relationship with them as well. He said, “It’s not like we’re best friends or anything, but I got to know them through the camps, Eric Dane Peter…Matt Carol…”

 Other experiences he went through were during game days. There was a tunnel on the court floor that employees and other “higher class” people will sit and go through to avoid the bigger crowds. One NBA All Star game Lil’ Wayne and Young Money attended and according to Saunders, “They literally had ten security guards around them.”

Another game he got the opportunity to hold the American flag while Gretchen Wilson sang the national anthem. Usher also performed during the NBA Finals, and an hour before the performance during the run through, someone came up with a basketball and said, “Usher wants the basketball in all black, make it happen.” Within that hour Saunders was able to gather enough black sharpies and color the entire basketball black. He said when Usher came on stage and before he started he threw the basketball out to the crowd, and all he could think was, “ I did all this work for just a half second.”

One thing Saunders said that he learned from this experience was, “Many people see these basketball players have all this money, but they really do work for it…like ten hour day practices.”

Saunders’ goals after graduation, however, do not include working with the Mavericks. He said, “I’m trying to work for a gas company and work in finance or accounting.” He graduates December 2012 from the Master of Business Administration program at SFA.