NC A&T students are accepted into USA’s Basketball Torch Leadership in Sport mentoring program

EAST GREENSBORO, NC (October 16, 2023) – North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University students Taylor Crosland and Zaria Gabriel have been accepted into the second cohort of the USA Basketball Torch Leadership in Sport Mentoring Program.

This fully funded program was created to provide minority students the opportunity to be mentored by USA Basketball leaders with the goal of empowering the next generation of sports leaders by introducing them to opportunities at USA Basketball and other sports-related institutions become.

“The application process was extremely competitive with 130 students applying to participate in this specific program,” said Jennifer Lynne Williams, Chief Development Officer of the USA Basketball Foundation. “The 120% increase in applications is direct evidence of 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 sports.”

Crosland, from Suffolk, Virginia, is studying information systems. Gabriel, from Baltimore County, Maryland, is a liberal arts major with a concentration in pre-law and a minor in professional sales marketing. Both learned about the program during the Black Sports Business Academy in fall 2022 and were encouraged to apply by their colleagues and mentors.

“My mentor spoke briefly about the program and I automatically said, ‘I’ll apply for the next Torch cohort,’” Gabriel said. “I loved that the program was designed to provide real support and mentorship to minority students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and provide opportunities to learn, work on activations and network with leaders at USA Basketball.”

Brandon Daye, a senior studying supply chain management and a 2022 Torch Leadership Scholar graduate, told Crosland about the program.

“He told me, ‘Hey, I think you should apply,’ and based on his description of his experience in the program, I thought, ‘Why don’t you just apply for it?'” Crosland said. “It was crazy because I was actually at the airport and applied for it, which took about two hours.”

Gabriel and Crosland were overjoyed when they learned they were part of the program’s newest cohort.

“I got a call from my mentor about joining the program,” Gabriel said. “I immediately started crying with joy and happiness. When the call ended, I called my mother with excitement and joy.”

“I was really excited when I found out I was accepted into the program because I knew this was an opportunity to enhance my professional and personal development and just work on myself as a person and leader,” Crosland said .

Crosland hopes to use her data analysis skills to create materials that will benefit athletes.

“I hope to develop some sort of image recognition technology tool or even just a robot to improve the game with the power of sports,” she said. “There isn’t a lot of representation in data analytics, data science or sports. That’s why I’m trying to break that barrier and raise awareness that we need a lot more minorities and people of color in these industries.”

Gabriel’s long-term goal is to become an NFL sports agent after earning her Juris Doctor. She founded and serves as president of A&T’s first sports business organization, Minorities in Sports Next. This organization was founded to provide students with resources and opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge in hopes of diversifying the sports industry.

“I enjoy learning about the different careers and opportunities in sports, understanding the industry and being a well-rounded person,” she said. “The USA Basketball Torch in Leadership program allows me to expand my knowledge and network in the sports industry, but can also help me learn more about the operations of one of the leading organizations in sports.”

The program began in September and runs until May 2024.

“We recently completed an Own Your Energy assessment, where we had the opportunity to refine our leadership skills and learn how we can apply them in practice to be successful and develop as leaders,” said Crosland.

The program is committed to creating activities to introduce fellows to leaders at USA Basketball and providing one-on-one mentoring from senior staff.

“Before this program, I didn’t know how important mentoring was to career advancement,” Gabriel said. “However, thanks to this program, I learned that mentorship is the key to success. When you have a strong mentor, success in your professional endeavors is assured.”

In addition to virtual networking with their designated USA Basketball mentor, students will be able to hear from other industry leaders and have additional opportunities for in-person learning.

“Sports are just entertainment unless they provide life lessons and character development,” said retired Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the USA Basketball Board. “That is the vision of the USA Basketball Foundation’s Torch Leadership Program. I encourage our second cohort to take advantage of this opportunity to learn and grow and challenge ourselves to continue to make a positive difference in each other’s lives.”

Gabriel and Crosland intend to do so.

“I would like to thank God for making this all possible and my family for being my support, close friends and mentors,” said Crosland. “A quote I like to live by is: ‘Never shake the desire to climb a tree or run through the sprinkler system.’ I hope my portrayal in this program will inspire other Aggies to climb their “trees” and run through the “sprinklers” in their lives.”