Charles Nailen/The Hoya Georgetown captain and manager Ryan Growney, center, is relied upon by the men’s basketball team as another assistant coach. Here, he talks with Strength and Conditioning Coach Ed Spriggs.

The captain of the basketball team is a 6-foot senior from Las Vegas, Nev., recruited from Bishop Gorman High School by legendary Hoya coach John Thompson.

The captain of the men’s basketball team spends more than 35 hours a week in the gym, always first to arrive, always last to leave.

The captain of the Georgetown men’s basketball team has been with the Hoyas longer than all but one player, from the first round NIT loss to Princeton in 1999 to the NCAA Sweet 16 run in 2001, and the young team will look to him for inspiration and guidance as this season unfolds.

Ryan Growney dribbles with two hands and bricks free throws like Shaq. He has scored exactly zero points in four years. Head Coach Craig Esherick calls his jump shot “terrible.” Spike Lee would say that he got no game. He has played as many minutes in his collegiate career as you have in yours.

And yet, Growney, neither shooting guard, nor power forward, nor sixth man, is the first Hoya at his position – head manager – ever to be named captain.

He is manager captain. Or, better yet, Captain Manager, like some caped superhero. But if the Hoyas are to return to the spotlight, they will need Ryan Growney.

Seriously.

“I want to affect the team as a leader,” Growney said. “I want to be someone to look up to.”

Growney has all the qualities that define a captain and a leader: commitment, poise, enthusiasm, motivation and reliability. He has an open rapport with each player. He understands the coaches’ goals and what they expect on and off the court. He remains composed when a bad call or missed shot flusters or angers the coaches and players.

“He’s constantly asking for feedback on his job,” Esherick said. “He takes criticism well.[and] he handles high-pressured situations. I’ve tried to rattle him [in practice], and I’ve had trouble doing it.”

But Esherick named Growney captain at last year’s season-ending banquet not necessarily for his communicative skills, not for his knowledge of the game and not for his calm demeanor. Rather, Esherick bestowed the same title on Growney as Thompson had conferred on the likes of Ewing, Mutombo and Mourning, because of the respect Growney commands from his teammates.

“It was an easy decision,” Esherick said. “The players decided it by the respect they gave him. It’s more difficult for a manager to get that respect.”

And how does he gain that respect?

“He’s willing to spend as much time as he has to to get his job done,” Esherick said. “I’ve never sensed that he’s in a hurry to get out of practice.”

Growney’s dedication is unparalleled.

He arrives at McDonough at 3:30 p.m. every afternoon during the season and does not leave till 8:30. With the help of junior assistant managers Wyatt Harris and Mike Gilroy, he prepares player equipment, sets up rebounding dummies, checks uniforms and fills the players’ water bottles, each with Gatorade or water and the prescribed amount of ice. He monitors the placement of towels and extra jerseys. He locks the gym for the closed practice. He tapes the cracks between the doors so enemy Orange cannot spy on the Blue and Gray.

He referees scrimmages, rebounds during shoot-around and holds up offensive and defensive play cards for drills. He sweeps the floor and removes trash when practice ends. He cooperates with workers in the Georgetown equipment cage to ensure that the laundry is done and that the basketballs, mats and other equipment are stored in precise locations and in precise arrangements.

“You have to have patience,” Growney said. “There are a lot of small details you have to worry about.”

Growney’s duties extend well beyond the gym. During the preseason, he unloads boxes, scrutinizes the size and condition of every uniform, warm-up suit and sneaker that arrives and maintains packing slips for all gear. He acts as the liaison between players and trainer Lorry Michel and between the players and Office Manager Trina Bowman, tracking down each player when they need to talk to them about conditioning or registration.

Growney’s organization and multi-task ability is unparalleled.

“I know what to do, when to do it, how to do it and I do it well,” Growney said.

That quiet confidence facilitates Growney’s communication between the players and the coaching staff. From such minutiae as what movies the team will watch on the bus to larger issues such as a problem with the coach, Growney relays the messages that affect the daily atmosphere and morale of the team. He keeps his composure in the presence of his superiors and his teammates.

“You need sensible people who will act sensibly when the coaches aren’t around,” Esherick said.

Since Growney cannot run the break or dribble the point on the court, his primary influence manifests itself in the locker room, during halftime, in the social realm and on the sidelines. He cannot stride to center court to meet the opponent’s captains before tip-off, so he must find other ways to make his presence felt.

“I’m limited to what I can do on the court, but I watch a game like a coach,” Growney said.

He scribbles notes during the games, gives advice to Braswell on how to adjust during halftime and possesses the intelligence and authority to speak and keep players in line when needed.

“I have confidence in him,” Esherick said.

In high school, Growney played football and volleyball and was the valedictorian of his graduating class. He met Coach Thompson through a friend and later received a call asking if he would like to interview with Thompson. After lunch wi th the coach and then with Mary Fenlon, the academic advisor under Thompson, Growney received a letter in the mail offering him an athletic scholarship to become manager.

Three years later with thousands of hours of sizing uniforms, filing packing slips and taping doors shut on his resume, head manager Ryan Growney joins senior guard Kevin Braswell and junior forward Courtland Freeman as the outstanding leaders of the latest chapter of Georgetown’s storied program.

“It’s kind of nice being recognized for the work I’ve put in,” Growney said. “It’s the greatest honor I’ve ever received.”