Dyson Dechant, a 6-foot, 4-inch basketball player, begins his pregame routine by stretching and listening to his favorite music in the locker room. Following an intense warm-up on the court, the towering sophomore and his teammates return to the locker room for some last-minute motivation from head coach Sean Dooley and a prayer led by a senior team captain.

The crowd roars as the team runs back on the court. When the starting lineup is announced, Dechant’s name isn’t called. In fact, there is a chance he might not play at all. Dechant has a different role on the team.

“My role as a non-starter is to cheer on my teammates who play and to give them high fives when they sub out of the game,” Dechant said. “Us benchwarmers bring the energy game-in and game-out. We change up our seats on the bench if we are doing bad on the court to change up the mojo.”

Jamie Stanclift, head softball coach and assistant volleyball coach, said that being a non-starter, or “role-player,” is one of the most difficult things to do in athletics.

“Role players put in just as much work and want it just as badly as the players on the court or field, but do not always get the reward of playing time,” Stanclift said. “The important things a role player can do to help their team is always encourage their teammates, eliminate any negative body language or comments, and be mentally and physically prepared to help their team when their opportunity comes.”

Freshman football player Logan Schenck also knows what it feels like to be a backup player. He said it was difficult transitioning from being a key player on his high school team to coming to Baker and just being on the scout team. Schenck uses this as motivation.

“The guys out there right now are better than me, and I know my place on the team,” Schenck said. “Seeing everyone cheer for them on Saturdays and knowing that one day I might be a starter and get to experience that gets me very motivated.”

Dechant said it can sometimes be difficult accepting that he will not play as much as his teammates, but he still enjoys basketball and continues to encourage his team.

“It is tough to go from being the go-to guy in high school to being a benchwarmer, but you just have to embrace it,” Dechant said. “I love the game. I love seeing my friends play and do good.”

Stanclift thinks that backup players are an important asset to every athletic team.

“A team can only be as good as its weakest link,” Stanclift said. “Every team needs bench players. Otherwise, we would only carry five on a basketball roster, 10 for baseball and softball, six for volleyball …”

Stanclift said that many athletes have a false understanding of how a coach decides who to play and added that many role players may eventually be rewarded.

“The coach may fill out the lineup card, but the players decide the lineup with the choices they make every day in practice,” Stanclift said. “Give me a player who consistently chooses to give maximum effort, have a positive attitude, be a good teammate, and go the extra mile, and I will find opportunities to put them on the field to help their team.”