Jackson Vertucci has starred on the State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team for the past two seasons, appearing in 20 games during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. Along with being a member of the Hawks, he is also involved in various organizations and has volunteered his time with numerous community service initiatives.
 
Vertucci has been a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) since fall 2019, and served as a member of the SAAC Diversity and Inclusion subcommittee that was established this past year. Through SAAC, Vertucci participated in community service events such as the annual Leaf Rake, Elting Library Book Fair and Special Olympics Basketball Tournament. Vertucci especially enjoyed volunteering at the SAAC Special Olympics Basketball Tournament, able to volunteer as a referee, while also participating and playing alongside Special Olympics athletes as well. 
 
"To see how much fun they have, and how much of a positive impact New Paltz athletes have is unimaginable," Vertucci said. "Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 virus, I will have to wait till next year for the event I was very much looking forward to."
 
"The SUNY New Paltz SAAC Diversity and Inclusions Subcommittee also offers new perspectives and appreciation," Vertucci added. "Diversity and Inclusions is not just a relevant topic on our campus, but around the world. I have learned a lot about diversity and inclusions specifically at New Paltz, and I use the knowledge when observing the world around me. Why do certain people have this perspective? How can I make it known to this person I accept them for who they are? These are questions I ask myself every day in hopes to improve New Paltz and maybe one day our world as a whole."
 
Additionally, Vertucci was a part of SUNY New Paltz Management Association (MA), which is a group on campus that focuses on business management and related topics, holding workshops and various networking events. A business management major, Vertucci joined after Business professor George Chris Napolitano, who runs the association, suggested he join.
 
"When I first showed up I thought I was going to simply learn more about my major. I was wrong," Vertucci said. "I learned valuable skills I will use once I graduate and enter the work force. These skills include networking, proper usage of online profiles and work place decision making."
 
Vertucci has also volunteered within his community, as he coaches at Team Steady Buckets in New York City, which is the first and only free seven-day youth basketball training clinic in New York City, helping kids of all financial backgrounds have the opportunity to play and learn basketball for free. Run by Steady Buckets and Macky Bergman, Vertucci was a former player and now has become a coach in the program.

"The most impactful and humbling part of the experience is seeing kids from all different neighborhoods, financial backgrounds, races, genders, and religions interact in one place," Vertucci said. "Most do not realize, but they are learning diversity and inclusion as they interact. They learn to accept, understand, and respect others from different backgrounds with the common love of basketball.
 
"The program also instills hard work into youth at a very young age," he continued. "I sometimes see 6-and 7-year olds doing close to 100 pushups in one workout. This motivates me when I step on the court. There is not a lot of practices and games that go by and I do not think about the kids back home working hard to achieve their goals. Even during the at-home isolation during the virus, the program is still running through zoom. Upward of 300 players at a time gather on zoom because the hard work does not stop."

Vertucci took the time to sit and answer more questions about his time as a coach and player at Steady Buckets, his involvement within SAAC and MA, while balancing all of that with being a student-athlete. Read the full Q&A below:
 

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How has being a member of SAAC changed your prospective as a student-athlete? What are some of the most memorable community service initiatives you have been a part of through SAAC?
 
Being a member of SAAC has greatly changed my perspective as a student athlete. While playing a college sport, it is easy to forget about everything that goes on behind the scenes. Having a busy schedule, numerous responsibilities, and focusing on my craft led me to neglect the many other people who work so hard to make my experience possible. I became one of the background helpers for certain teams through SAAC. This made me more appreciative of everyone who works so I can have the best experience possible. Every time I step onto the court I vow to myself to give my best effort knowing others are doing the same.
 
The most memorable community service initiative I participate in through SAAC is the Special Olympics. While my first experience with the event this year was short lived due to the COVID-19 virus, it was enough to impact me in a very positive way. Seeing how much fun the Special Olympics players have playing during their practices is unimaginable. I was looking forward to participating in the actual event this year, but I will have to wait until next year.

 
Why did you want to be a part of the SAAC diversity and inclusion committee? What initiatives have you talked about as a group that you have worked on or are hoping to roll out next year?
 
I wanted to be a part of the SAAC diversity and inclusion committee because I desire to make a positive impact in that department on our campus. I see the issues we experience as humans with it around the world, and how we experience these same issues in our campus community. While I am not yet nearly qualified to make an impact around our world, I had a chance with our campus community.
 
Our committee's main initiative is to open up discussion between various student groups on campus. We believe open communication and discussion will strengthen diversity and inclusion on the SUNY New Paltz campus. This was our first academic calendar year as a group, and we have already made progress in opening up these discussions. The progress is a long way from finish, but growing pains are expected. Issues with diversity and inclusion are so deep rooted in to our culture that the process of healing them is more complicated than what meets the eye.

 
What different events or workshops have you been involved with through the SUNY New Paltz Management Association? How much have they helped you gain experience in your field?
 
I have been a part of various workshops with the SUNY New Paltz Management Association, but unfortunately no events due to time constraints with basketball and now the COVID-19 virus. The workshops, however, included LinkedIn setup, workplace decision making, and a lecture from guest speaker Tony DiMarco. These all provided me with business and workplace skills I would not have learned about in the classroom. Everything from decision making, proper business etiquette, and networking are vital skills that may not be taught in the classroom.

 
Do you feel as though MA has solidified your decision to pursue a field in business management? Would you suggest others to be a part of the program as well?
 
MA has certainly solidified my decisions to pursue a field in business management, but also inspired to me to pursue my other field of study: Business Analytics. I double major in Business Management and Business Analytics. Managers with more skills are more effective in the work place and provide better leadership. The more I know about what my employees are working on the better I can manage them through building relationships. I chose analytics because I foresee the field becoming vital to businesses in the near future. Everyone is always crunching numbers to deliver the best possible experience for their customers, investors, and other stakeholders.
 
I would highly suggest others be a part of the program as well. You do not have to be a management major or even a business major to be in the association. The skills learned apply not only to business but to adulthood life in general. 
 
What do you remember most about being a player at Steady Buckets? Did you always want to come back and volunteer as a coach?
 
What I remember most about being a player at Steady Buckets is the friends I made while playing. I work, coach, play, and hangout with them still to this day. We would workout every day together. While other kids in middle school were normal, we would head straight to a run-down gym in the middle of the city. The gym was small, had bad lighting, no air conditioning, and smelled horrible. This did not stop us from going every single day. We are all basketball junkies, and almost all of us play in college while some are even professional.
 
The program has grown since then, the gyms used are a lot nicer. When I was playing, there were no volunteer coaches, so I did not look forward to it because it never was a thing. As the program expanded, the opportunity presented itself when I became older. I joined right away. Not only did I get to coach with old friends, but also play with them every day again too. A pretty easy decision.

 
How long have you been volunteering there? Any fun stories to share during your time as a player or a coach?
 
I have been volunteering at Steady Buckets for four years now. The best stories I have are the young female players in our program absolutely showing up the boys. Two specific instances stand out to me and are pretty inspiring. The first is about a pair of twins named Isabella and Sophia. I can say with confidence these two girls are the strongest young female basketball players I have ever seen. During the summertime, once a week Steady Buckets holds a player pushup contest to see who could do the most pushups in a row. The contest involves both female and males competing for the same first place, no separation. There was one specific summer Isabella and Sophia won, every time. At 11 years old, they were winning the contest with 200 pushups. Most of the boys would talk about how they were going to win before it started, and barely made it to 50. 
 
The next story is about 7-year-old Whitney. She did not specialize in pushups, but instead pull-ups. There was one specific day I was doing the pull-up bar with her. Me, a college basketball player at the time, causally working out with Whitney. I could barely keep up. I told her I was going to move on to the next exercise, but she challenged me to do pull-ups. If that is not inspiring, I do not know what is.
 
Other than those stories, being located in the heart of Manhattan attracts celebrities and people of importance you may know. ESPN Analyst Max Kellerman's daughter often attends the program, and has even shouted out Steady Buckets on ESPN's First Take. Alicia Keys' son also attends the program, and talks very highly of the founder Macky Bergman.

 
How much do your players look up to you as a coach, being a former player at Steady Buckets yourself and now a student-athlete, playing DIII basketball? Has any of your players expressed interest in following your same path? 
 
As a coach at Steady Buckets you quickly learn players look up to you in every which way possible. Anything you do, they immediately want to do also. The community fostered makes us coaches older brothers and sister to the younger players. I often get questions about college basketball and what it takes to make it. Not every player at Steady Buckets aspires to play basketball when they are older, but most do. We usually tell them whatever their goal is, they need to put in the work required to meet that goal. For example, if a player says he/she wants to play professional basketball, we push them harder than the others. If a player only comes to Steady Buckets for exercise, we push them less. This allows us to motivate and teach an important life lesson. It is ok to have big dreams, but those big dreams must be met with required work ethic to meet it. Otherwise, you're wasting your time.
 

How does it feel to be able to give back to an organization that helped you as a kid? Do you plan on continuing to coach this summer?
 
It is an honor to give back to Steady Buckets after my time as a kid. With the knowledge I gained through my basketball experiences, giving it to kids at such a young age will only boost their chances of achieving their goals. The group in the program I came up with all share this same appreciation. We played when the program did not have a lot. We paved the way for what it is now so more and more kids could benefit. If you had asked any of us if we believed what Steady Buckets is now was possible, we would've been skeptical. It started as one single gym with a bunch of kids with a dream. Now the program is sponsored by the Brooklyn Nets and is renowned in the most famous city in the world. Coaching again this summer was an option, but now due to the virus the option may be off the table. Even if I am not coaching, I will make sure to support and help any of the young players I can.

 
How do you manage your time between basketball and all the organizations you have been involved with, while also being one of the top students in your class?
 
Managing basketball and organizations, while also receiving high marks in my late high school/early college career was a challenge for myself. There were times in my life were these activities took a back seat. Things were not always simple. Through these tougher times I learned a lot about myself and how important basketball, school, and the organizations were to me. I stopped taking them for granted knowing these opportunities are a blessing rather than a stressful curse. This mindset allows me to focus on all my tasks and do them to best of my ability. This mental management I pair with physical health. I make sure to eat healthy, do yoga, and take care of my body. These simple things give me energy to last throughout my day and keep me healthy. If I get sick or am too tired to get out of bed, doing what I need to do would not be possible. The last ingredient is being relentless. Every challenge throughout my day I meet head on with the expectation it is going to be conquered to the best of my ability, and I do not settle for anything less.

 
How has your experiences outside of basketball influenced you as a student-athlete?
 
My experiences outside of basketball influenced me as a student-athlete by strengthening my purpose. I have met so many people and built so many relationships through my experiences. The common cliché is, "Do it for the haters," but I do it for the people who support and believe in me in my journey. Without my other experiences, I do not know if I would be the person I am today, and for that I am grateful.
 

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