Zach Janner with former NBA star Carmelo Anthony, who attended the elite basketball tournament in Kansas City to watch his son, Kiyan, compete against the best high school basketball players in the nation.
When Zach Janner (CS ’27) looked across the gym floor, he saw LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and other NBA legends in the stands. They were to see their sons play in an exclusive basketball tournament at the Hy-Vee Arena in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Zach was helping run the tournament as part of his summer internship with Synergy Sports, a New York-based organization that hosts elite athletic events across the United States.
A sophomore sports management major with a digital communications minor, Zach discovered the opportunity on Indeed.com. He said he loves basketball and keeping stats for games, so he went through the rigorous application process and was ultimately selected for this experience.
The tournament attracted some of America’s top high school players, including A.J. Dybansta, Cameron and Cayden Boozer, Tyran Stokes, Myles Herro, Kiyan Anthony, Bryce James, and many others. Many of their fathers attended the games, as well as current NBA players Christian Braun and Josh Smith and collegiate stars like Hunter Dickenson and Tyon Grant-Foster were there.
Zach admitted to being a little star-struck during the tournament, but he quickly turned his attention to the task at hand: recording statistics for a total of 27 games.
The experience opened Zach’s eyes to future opportunities in sports management.
“It really showed me how much work is needed behind the scenes to perfect an event of this caliber,” he said. “I could definitely see myself doing this—whether that means being at the scorer’s table or photographing the event. There is always a need for help in many roles.”
Zach said this event will look good on his resume, especially happening so early in his college experience. “Getting to work with people who have similar interests was amazing!” he added. “Working in sports seemed like a dream to me. Now I feel like I could work almost anywhere in the sports-management field.”
