Chris Ebersole speaks quietly and unexcitedly about finally making the Stanford basketball team after spending two years as team manager.

“It’s not that big of a difference from last year,” said the senior. “Now I have a jersey and I get to participate in all of the drills at practice.”

Don’t be fooled by Ebersole’s apparent indifference–being on the Stanford basketball team means a lot to him.

Ebersole has had his sights set on a roster spot ever since he set foot on The Farm as a freshman in 2006. He cared enough to slog through the unrewarding burdens of being the team manager.

Ebersole carried bundles of dirty laundry, filled endless Gatorade bottles with cold water, edited mundane practice film, transported equipment and traveled on the weekends to dim Pac-10 destinations like Pullman, Wash. and Corvallis, Ore. with the team. He did it all, hoping that the light at the end of the tunnel, a roster spot, would one day be his.

Ebersole learned to be patient as a high school basketball player.

His family moved to the west coast of France when Chris was a sophomore in high school. When he returned to San Francisco for his junior year at International High School, Ebersole was excited to play varsity basketball.

International head coach Carl Jacobs had other plans.

“He missed all of summer league, so I had never seen him play,” Jacobs explained. “I decided to put him on the JV team and let him develop as a player.”

“It was really hard,” Ebersole admitted. But instead of quitting, Ebersole, a skinny six-foot-two guard, committed himself to becoming a better shooter and waited for his chance.

“He outworked everybody that year,” Jacobs said. “Chris was the first guy in the gym and the last one out.”

A year later, as a senior, Ebersole started every game and led the varsity team to the Northern California playoffs.

“He became our go-to shooter,” Jacobs said. “It worked out perfectly.”

“I learned how to stay positive,” Ebersole said. “And I realized that if I worked hard, it will all work out.”

Ebersole could have played Division III hoops after his successful senior year, but decided to attend Stanford.

“As a local, I’ve always been a Stanford fan,” Ebersole said. “I went to basketball camp here as a kid and I knew the campus pretty well. My plan was to walk on as a freshman.”

Ebersole was not fazed when he was turned away by Stanford’s then-head coach, Trent Johnson, as a freshman. The team did not have any roster spots available for a walk-on and already had a team manager.

Ebersole could have given up on his lofty basketball dreams and accepted life as a regular Stanford student. He didn’t.

“I just kept knocking on the door of the basketball office asking if they had something for me to do,” Ebersole recalled.

His patience was rewarded as a sophomore when Johnson asked him to be the team manager. As manager, Ebersole was allowed to participate in the occasional drill at practice.

“Being the manager is pretty hectic,” Ebersole explained. “You’re helping everybody out at the same time.”

Ebersole began a jam-packed daily routine in the hope of one day playing for the Cardinal. He would arrive early to practice to set up the equipment and the video camera. Then, during the three-hour practice, he would fill water bottles, move basketballs around, and assist the coaches.

After cleaning up, Ebersole would hop on his bike and head across the street to the Arrillaga Center for Sports and Recreation, where he would play pickup basketball for hours on end.

“I’m a gym rat,” Ebersole admitted. “I don’t mind spending lots of time in the rec center.”

It seems natural to assume that Ebersole must have contemplated quitting at some point during his sophomore and junior years–all those hours working for the team and playing pickup at Arrillaga without anything to show for it.

What makes Chris Ebersole different is that he never did.

“There were definitely times when I was overwhelmed. But I never wanted to quit,” Ebersole said. “I’ve always prided myself on sticking through with what I start.”

Ebersole’s relentless perseverance also emerges in his academic decisions. He is majoring in economics with a minor in East Asian languages.

Regarding his decision to learn Mandarin, Ebersole said, “It’s been very challenging, but I’m glad that I’ve followed through with it.”

Ebersole’s steadfastness was finally rewarded when current head coach Johnny Dawkins offered him a spot on this team this fall.

“It was a dream come true,” Ebersole said. “At the first practice, I was doing all of the drills with the guys. I had a real practice jersey on. It was awesome to have that feeling of really being part of the team.”

Even though Ebersole is finally on the team, casual fans probably haven’t heard of him.

You won’t find him in the official team picture on GoStanford.com and he doesn’t have his name stitched on the back of his jersey.

Ebersole was just happy to make the team, so it was a thrill when Dawkins inserted him into a game against Florida A&M during a 99-69 blowout victory.

“It was the first time I had played a game in front of fans in four years,” Ebersole recalled. “I was nervous, but I got all the butterflies out quickly.”

Ebersole had two assists in only two minutes. Since then, he has entered four more games and added a rebound to his stat box. But the sharp shooter has yet to attempt a shot in a game.

Stanford plays at Oregon State on Saturday before they return for a three-game home stretch to end the season.

Ebersole’s parents and his younger sister have been living in France for the past year, but they will be flying back to watch the Cardinal play Arizona State, Arizona and California at Maples Pavilion.

The Hollywood script would call for Ebersole to enter the game against Cal on Senior Day and knock down a three-pointer in front of the home fans and his parents.

“If I get in, that’s great,” Ebersole said about Senior Day against Cal on Feb. 6. “If not, I’ll be cheering for our guys from the bench.”

Either way, Stanford fans should stand up and applaud. He’s waited long enough.