Everyone knows how important a good starting five is.
If you play basketball, having five individuals who can always do what’s best for the team, you’re always going to have a big advantage.
And that’s one of the reasons the Northeast High School boys basketball team enjoyed such a successful 2025 season.
The Vikings hung tough against the best teams in the Public League and even went on to win a few playoff games.
The Vikings had a great lineup, talented players and coach Steve Novosel always made sure to put his players in the best position to succeed.
But he had help.
He’ll be the first to tell you he had help, and it wasn’t just his players who always did whatever they could to put the Vikings in position to succeed.
It was their other starting five.
The Vikings had five managers: Angel Ann Briones-Manalo, Ariana Smiley, Loviena Louiger, Oreoluwa Adetola and Harmony-Spirit Morrison served as the student managers for the Northeast basketball team. They were around the program for years and according to Novosel, they were the lifeblood of the Vikings team this year.
And they took their job seriously.
“Oreoluwa and I actually had Coach Novosel as our Algebra 2 teacher during sophomore year, and we really enjoyed his class,” said Briones-Manalo, who lives in Olney. “So, by junior year, we thought it’d be cool to help out with the team and become managers.
“It was honestly the best. We each had our own roles, but we always had each other’s backs. We clicked right away, probably from the very first day Oreoluwa and I became a manager. Now we’re the closest group of friends, and I am so grateful for that.”
It showed during games.
It shows even more now that the games are over.
“It was great having five managers because sometimes people couldn’t make it and we always needed extra hands with setting up the gym or like something is wrong with the players or if a jersey ripped, somebody knew how to sew it just came in handy having five managers,” said Smiley, who lives in Northeast Philly. “And yes, we are all very close friends. I honestly don’t know where I’d be without any of these girls. They are a part of my everyday life and I love these girls so much.”
They are so close because of how well they worked together.
And what they did was really work.
The fab five made sure the Vikings had everything they needed to enjoy a successful year. And we’re talking about everything. This wasn’t just keeping a scorebook and keeping the clock. They had all bases covered.
“What was once me and Harmony was so much fun but when done right managing is not a job for just two people,” said Louiger, who lives in Olney. “We needed someone recording, a photographer, a health manager, a scoreboard keeper and a bookkeeper. It worked out amazingly and almost like fate when we formed our managing team. I wholeheartedly believe there’s no team better.
“Managing a sport can be so stressful but thanks to the players, coaches and managers, it was never too strenuous.”
“Having five great managers was actually really great and we all worked cohesively together,” said Adetola, who lives in Northeast Philly. “We brought different strengths to the table, which made our team even more efficient and organized. Love was better with keeping stats and Harmony was better at keeping score. I would do concessions while Angel would record film and Ariana took gameday pictures. Everyone had their own role and it all worked out because we couldn’t have one without the other, if one was missing, it felt like a missing puzzle piece.
“Yes, we are all friends, and working together throughout the last two years has only strengthened our bond. We support each other both on and off the court, and it’s been a wonderful experience to grow with these girls into adults.”
“Having 5 managers worked out perfectly,” said Morrison, who lives in Mayfair/Holmesburg. “Everyone had their role and if we were down a manager it was easily compensated for. Even though I only really knew Love, having the opportunity to become so close to the other managers was the best thing that’s happened in my high school years. Our friendship soared beyond just basketball, it became so genuine. They are the sweetest girls and I can see myself being friends with them for the rest of my life.”
That’s the attitude Novosel loves to see.
It’s also the attitude that turned the Vikings from a struggling program to one that continues to take steps every year.
And it’s why the five girls who didn’t score one point were so important to the success of this year’s team.
“The graduating Northeast basketball managers are a special group of young women whom I’ve had the pleasure to see grow these last few years,” Novosel said. “They have been consistent, dependable and hardworking. They helped with all of the day-to-day things that are necessary and make a coach’s job so much easier. They would sweep the floor, manage the score clock during practice, make sure everyone is hydrating, especially me as the coach.
“They helped plan and coordinate events like student staff games, pep rallies and senior nights. They made bus rides more enjoyable and helped capture moments throughout the season with pictures. The positive energy they brought each was infectious.
“Always cheerful, always smiling and joking around with each other and the team. Gamedays were always a smooth transition from the end of the day phys ed classes to helping set up the chairs, bleachers, score clock, sweeping the floor and having film ready for the game.”
It was hard work, but it was a labor of love.
“My favorite part was how the team felt more like a family,” Briones-Manalo said. “We all bonded so well together, and that includes the amazing coaching staff. It never felt like just an extracurricular, we were genuinely part of something special.
“I will definitely miss the energy, the laughs and just being around everyone. It’s hard to describe how good it felt to be part of such a close and supportive group. I will miss the family vibe the most.”
The ladies might be done working their magic with the Vikings, but all have huge things ahead of them.
In the fall, Briones-Manalo is bound for Community College of Philadelphia to become a dental hygienist.
Smiley is headed to Bucks County Community College to study sonography.
Louiger will work as an assistant teacher.
Adetola will attend college in the fall, though she’s still sorting out where she’ll go, but she does hope to manage a team while there.
And Morrison also will begin her journey to become a teacher.
The future is bright for all five, and they certainly will use what they learned while working together to help them in everything they do.
“I’m so sad that I no longer will be a basketball manager, but I will be showing up to Northeast games to support Mr. Novosel and his new managing team,” Smiley said. “I wouldn’t be pursuing school further if it wasn’t for Mr. Novosel. He really guided me and helped me go after what I really wanted. I thank God every day for this managing team and Mr. Novosel I am truly so blessed to have them in my life.”
“What I will miss most is the daily interaction with the team and the thrill of being part of something bigger than myself,” Adetola said. “We weren’t just a team, but a family. I will miss the pranks, venting sessions, quick trips to Burger King and overall sense of comfort this team brought me.
“The friendships, the tough and deep conversations, the constant laughing until my stomach ached, and memories I’ve made are irreplaceable as these are people I can also confide in outside of basketball as well.”
No matter where they go, they’ll always be close to Novosel.
And that’s probably what means most to the coach.
“I can’t say enough how amazing this group of girls were to this program and how proud I am of all of them,” Novosel said. “I’m so excited for them as they take their next steps in life. I know they are going to make a positive impact wherever they choose to go.”
