Many teenagers watch sports for entertainment, relaxation or procrastination, but one CESJDS alumnus watches sports for a living.

In July 2016, the University of Nevada, Reno named Sam Krosnick (‘10) the Director of Player Development for the men’s basketball team. Krosnick’s role will include helping players and coaches on the court and at practice, as well as helping in the locker room with video analysis.

Krosnick, 24, comes to Reno with ample experience, having worked with video as an intern for the Washington Wizards and then as a video analyst for the Orlando Magic. Nevada cited this video experience when it hired Krosnick, and he will oversee a new NBA-style video room for the school’s team.

Krosnick comes with more than just an NBA background. After JDS, Krosnick went to the University of Maryland, where he majored in Kinesiology and Exercise Science. During college, Krosnick worked as a UMD student manager, and later as an intern with the WNBA’s Washington Mystics. This experience helped Krosnick secure his internship with the Wizards after he graduated in 2014, which in turn helped take him to the Magic in 2015.

Krosnick arrived at Nevada from Orlando after seeing the school rise quickly under what he believes is an impressive coaching staff; last year, the team went from a losing record to win their postseason tournament in Head Coach Eric Musselman’s first season. Krosnick’s previous employer, Magic Head Coach Scott Skiles, quit after the 2015-16 season and his successor brought in his own staff to replace many of Skiles’ assistants, including Krosnick. Going from the NBA to a college program, especially one not in a major athletics conference, was a new experience for Krosnick.

“In the NBA, there is all of the glitz and the glamour,” Krosnick said. “You stay in nice hotels, you have breakfast, lunch and dinner made for you every day by top-notch chefs. It was awesome. Obviously, that aspect is a little different than what you get at a mid-major school.”

Krosnick began his basketball journey at JDS, where he played on successful teams and won three PVAC North Division championships in his four years on the team. It was during this time that Krosnick fell in love with basketball and realized that he wanted his career to be in the sport. Thomas Gutterman (‘10) was one of Krosnick’s teammates at JDS and is not surprised by his success. Gutterman thought of Krosnick as a great teammate who had a unique passion for basketball.

“[Krosnick] was the engine to our team, always led by example, a vocal leader and unified his teammates,” Gutterman said in an email. “Sam was, and is, selfless and goal oriented. It is no surprise to his group of friends how far he’s come. I also have no doubt that this won’t be the last time I reflect on his success.”

Looking forward, Krosnick sees two career paths. He could keep coaching, aiming to be an assistant at a college, or, of more interest to Krosnick, he could go back to the NBA to work in a team’s upper management. Though he is not positive what the his future holds, Krosnick knows that he wants to stay in basketball for a while.

“At the end of the day, if you work hard and you’re willing to work harder than everyone else, you’re gonna get it,” Krosnick said. “That’s the whole basketball connection to life. A lot of people were trying to get the job that I was getting and I realized that if I really wanted this job I was gonna have to push myself harder than everyone else. I think that’s true with everything in life.”