USA Basketball Executives Provide One-On-One Mentorships and More

The USA Basketball Foundation has selected AAMU senior marketing major Ashley Alexander as a member of its 2023-24 Torch Leadership cohort. Torch Leadership allows minority students to be mentored by USA Basketball executive staff to empower the next generation of Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) leaders in sports.

“I heard about this opportunity on LinkedIn in July and actually applied on the last day after connecting with a student who was part of last year's cohort,” said Alexander. “USA Basketball contacted me two weeks ago for an interview and they recently called to say I was in.”

The Torch Leadership progam, now in its second year, introduces fellows to executive leaders at USA Basketball and provides virtual one-on-one mentoring from senior staff. Students also hear from other industry leaders and have additional in-person learning opportunities over the duration of the program, which runs from Sept. 2023 to May 2024.

“The application process was extremely competitive with 130 students applying to be a part of this special program," said Jennifer Lynne Williams, USA Basketball Foundation chief development officer. "The 120 percent increase in applications is a direct testament to the importance and value of Torch. I look forward to working with each student as they develop their leadership skills and learn more about the business of sport.” 

This Fall, Alexander is also interning at the Huntsville Sports Commission and with professional soccer team Huntsville City FC.

“What I'm looking forward to the most is connecting with other students in the program and gaining more experience in the sports industry because that's really the career I want to get into,” says Alexander.  

The 2023-24 Torch Leadership cohort also includes:

Ashley Alexander, Alabama A&M University 
Assata Allah-Shabazz, Morgan State University
Sydney Bellamy, Florida A&M University 
Na’Im Briggs, Howard University 
Taylor Crosland, North Carolina A&T State University
Allen Donegan, Morehouse College 
Zaria Gabriel, North Carolina A&T State University 
Donovan Ruble, Dillard University 
Li Su, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff 

For more: https://usabfoundation.org/torch/