Men's & Women's Basketball Benefit From Career Mentorship Program

PRINCETON, N.J. – While the Princeton University men's & women's basketball teams devote significant time to being the best versions of themselves on the court, they also spend ample time to being the best version of themselves off of it with help from a career mentorship program ran by Frank Sowinski '78.

Sowinski has been running the program since 2008 and has gotten over 100 alums to put their hands up and help impart their knowledge of the professional world on the current members of both Tiger programs.

Alums assist in three different ways; the first being an information resource, talking to current student-athletes about what they do and why they chose their career. The second is pointing current student-athletes to opportunities in the sector and the third is offering them jobs or internships, provided they have the skill-set and are qualified for the positions.

One of those alums who has raised their hand to assist has been Jim Lane '92, former President of the Friends of Princeton Basketball.

"I just help out because I think it is the right thing to do," said Lane. "A big part of my success as an adult has been related to simple conversations with adults who had experience in various fields. I just see the program as an opportunity to be a sounding board for student-athletes who are attempting excellence in the classroom, in athletics, and potentially in future careers."

The impact of the program is appreciated by the Princeton basketball family.

"The mentor program has positively impacted each of our guys in their four years at Princeton," said Franklin C. Cappon-Edward C. Green '40 Head Coach Mitch Henderson. "It is clear how much the mentors care and invest in the development of the whole student-athlete. We see so much growth in each of our guys and that is squarely attributed to the work by Frank and the other alums."

Junior Carlie Littlefield has worked closely with Sowinski and has learned a lot from from the program.

"Frank has been so supportive throughout my time at Princeton in figuring out what I want to do after my basketball career is over," said Littlefield. "From the importance of a firm handshake to how to craft the perfect elevator pitch, Frank has invested so much time into my development as a young adult, as well as the development of the players on both the men and women's basketball programs at Princeton. On behalf of myself and my teammates, I cannot thank Frank enough for his continued support of our growth on and off the court."

With workshops held each fall and spring, Sowinski aims to equip the members of both teams with the tools they'll need to thrive in the professional world.

"We try to make it very simple, if you talk to any players you can ask them the three questions," explained Sowinski. "The answers need to be concise, they have to be informative and they have to be less than 60 seconds. The first is tell me about yourself? Two, tell me what you're interested in and three, I have a room full of Ivy League student-athletes, why should I pick you?"

Despite not being able to meet in-person for the time being, Sowinski has been looking for creative ways to continue the program. He recently emailed all 100 mentors to try and come up with virtual internships or projects for current student-athletes. Sowinski is also organizing webcasts with alums on the various industries they work in along with zoom sessions or phone calls with current student-athletes on areas they are interested in.

While times are changing, one thing has not; Princeton men's and women's basketball is a family that takes care of itself and strives to be the best both on and off the court. The career mentorship program is just another example of this.

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