As the USA Basketball Women’s National Team, en route to the Paris Olympic Games 2024, took on Team WNBA, the weekend’s atmosphere was bigger, louder, crackling with excitement, like the game itself had reached a new stage.
For Sarah Schock, the head of events & entertainment, Phoenix Suns, Mercury & Mortgage Matchup Center, who stood amid the orchestrated frenzy of the night’s operations, watching the moment unfold in real time became one of the defining highlights of her career.
“It was a culmination of time, effort, excitement, passion and the growth of the game,” Schock said.
She admitted the night was pure chaos on her end, in the best way.
“It was a cool moment for Diana Taurasi and for USA Basketball going off to the Olympics. It was a magical moment of lots coming together.”
Schock has spent 19 years learning the rhythms of event nights, mastering the details behind the scenes and being ready when the stage grows bigger. Meeting the moment has become part of the job she fell in love with from her very first day on site.