By Miriam Garcia
San Fernando, CA
The tall glass windows illuminated the entrance of Jadwin Gym, and hip-hop music thumped in the background as I searched for the coach. In the dome-shaped main gym, lights beamed down, championship flags waved and players thwacked the ball down the court.
This is the second home of Skyelar Ettin, assistant coach for the Princeton University men’s basketball team. Continue reading
By Anterrica Brady
Panther Burn, MS
Scrimmaging with one another, basketball players ferociously dribble the ball against the hardwood floor as their shoes squeak. Although the noisy air conditioner continues to chill the air, the players are still sweating. Meanwhile, one man sits calmly without a single bead of sweat.
Behind the scenes, Skyelar Ettin, a 24-year-old assistant basketball coach at Princeton University, has a huge role to play in his team’s games. As a young man leading other young men, Ettin has proven to be a capable leader, displaying a surprising level of confidence and experience. Although his age is close to his players’, Ettin remains professional. Ettin believes that it’s important to show “the players this is [his] job and [he] takes pride in it.” Continue reading
Mitch Henderson ’98, who won three Ivy League championships as a
player at Princeton, is looking to capture his first Ivy crown as coach.
By Johnny Flores, Jr.
Coachella, Calif.
After finishing 21-9 overall and 8-6 in the Ivy League, Princeton University head basketball coach Mitch Henderson hopes to make his fourth season a winning one.
“The less you’re focused on the littlest of things the better off you are,” he said.
Henderson, clad in basketball shorts and a Princeton University polo shirt, said he’s enjoying his time away from basketball this summer. “August is a pretty good time for us,” he said. “We’re off the road which means we’re not recruiting.” In the off-season, Henderson spends time in the office as well as time with his wife and two children.
While the season doesn’t officially start until November, Henderson is already spending time thinking about the future and setting goals for the upcoming season. “The goal is, we have to be playing together. In sports, life and anything else it’s ‘How do you get people to not think about themselves?’” Continue reading
By Navil Henderson
Thornton, Colo.
Mitch Henderson ’98, who won three Ivy League championships as a player at Princeton, is looking to capture his first Ivy crown as coach. Courtesy of Princeton University Office of Communications.
In March 1998, Princeton men’s basketball player Mitch Henderson ’98 took his college basketball jersey off for the last time. After a brief professional playing career and an assistant coach role at Northwestern University, he eventually found his way back to his alma mater, becoming the 28th head coach of the Princeton Tigers men’s basketball team in 2011.
Back on the Jadwin court with clipboard in hand and whistle in tow, Henderson said he enjoys developing his players and setting strategy for the team.
During the 2012-13 season, Henderson helped the team build momentum that put them in first place and in contention for the Ivy League title entering the final week of the season. That opportunity slipped through their fingers when back-to-back losses to Yale and Brown effectively ended their quest for the title. The team finished with a 17-11 record overall, behind perennial rival Harvard (20-10). Continue reading
By Xavier Husser
New York, N.Y.
The 2013 Ivy League season started strong for the Princeton men’s basketball team, as the Tigers posted a 9-2 league record, before back-to-back road losses to Yale and Brown in early March. Finishing 10-4 in the league, Princeton lost its chance to add to its 26 Ivy League championship titles.
Coach Mitch Henderson ’98 is looking for redemption during the upcoming season. Neither Henderson nor any of the players blame each other for the losses because it was “everybody’s fault. We win as a team and lose as a team,” he said. Continue reading
The Princeton Summer Journal 