Murphy Donohue is majoring in political science and history and minoring in Spanish. This Florida native has been a manager for various UNC-Chapel Hill men’s basketball teams for the past three years. In the spirit of March Madness, Her Campus decided to interview Donohue about being a manager and about being a Tar Heel.
Her Campus: How did you get involved with basketball managing?
Murphy Donohue: There is a camp that the basketball team has every summer for young boys, so the summer before my freshman year, someone recommended to me that I should apply to work there. So I worked the camp, and from the camp, they picked the pool of managers. So my freshman year Coach Haase sent me an email and asked me if I was interested in helping the freshman team, and I said of course. And it’s been great ever since then. I’ve managed for Coach Haase, Coach McGrath and Coach Davis.
HC: What are some of your favorite parts about managing?
MD: One of my favorite parts about managing is when we have pickup games against the managers of other ACC teams. After a video of our team against Duke ended up on ESPN, a lot of other schools have been trying to do that, too. I just love every minute that I’m at the Smith Center. Practices are so awesome. Some of the J.V. players are some of the funniest guys on the planet. This year, me and Coach Davis joked around a lot. I get to spend my days around Carolina basketball, the nitty-gritty, everything. It’s wonderful.
HC: If you played basketball, which position would you be and why?
MD: I would be a power forward. Defense is like my key. I am good at defense. Even though I’m small, I can still take on people larger than I am, and you need to do that if you’re a power forward.
HC: What’s the next thing on your Carolina bucket list?
MD: Go and take a bunch of UNC group photos in our shirts around the Duke campus
HC: If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you bring with you?
MD: A Kindle that had all of the books in the world and that never ran out of power, some kind of weapon that way I can hunt for food (like a sword or a spear, not a gun because you’d run out of bullets, maybe a machete), and one of my dogs.
HC: What song can you not help but dance to?
MD: Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners
HC: Who is one of your inspirations?
MD: My mom: She’s a very strong person, and she sacrifices her entire life for her children.
HC: Whenever you’re home in Florida, what do you miss the most from UNC?
MD: My friends and just the general atmosphere of UNC. It’s such a small town feel. Orlando is so hustling and bustling. Whenever I come back to UNC before school it’s kind of like a pause in my life.
HC: What makes you proud to be a Tar Heel?
MD: All of the amazing people that I know. Not even just the people I know, but being a Tar Heel is being part of a community of people who share such an amazing love for a school.
Photos courtesy of Murphy Donohue