Ivy League hoopsters are Division I athletes on the court and exceptionally accomplished and eclectic humans off it. Ivy Hoops Online presents a new series, Off the Bench, that takes fans inside the stories that you might not otherwise know from the stands or through your screen.
Next up is Sebastian Whitfield ’29, a rising sophomore guard/forward for Princeton men’s basketball, from Virginia Beach, Va. A likely economics major, Whitfield is also keeping all options on the table as he navigates Princeton alongside an older sibling. Whitfield’s story shows the joy of a shared connection that leaves plenty of room for improvisation.
With his freshman year at Princeton winding to a close, Sebastian Whitfield recognizes that his college experience is “definitely very rare.” What is unusual is that he has been able to manage the daily ups and downs with his brother Tristan, a rising senior on the Princeton men’s volleyball team, just a stone’s throw away.
“It’s nice having someone who has been through it here, and knows what’s going on,” Whitfield said. “I can always text him or give him a call.”
He says Tristan “usually” gets back to him, whether it’s about advice for a class, or campus life more generally.
When he visited Princeton as a prospect, Whitfield saw firsthand one of the defining features of a Princeton student-athlete experience: Tristan indicated to him he wouldn’t live with his teammates during his first year, since Princeton puts varsity athletes in the same random housing assignments as everyone else in their class.
Whitfield likes being thrown into the mix. In Butler College (the residential college where he will live as a sophomore, too), he lived with a men’s water polo player and two students who aren’t athletes at all.
“It’s good to diversify who you talk to, and it’s always it’s always good to meet new people,” Whitfield said.
The 6-foot-6 forward from Virginia Beach has taken seriously the opportunity to be part of a vibrant campus and a dynamic network.
“My brother did a good job of showing me that of course I would hang out with my team a lot, but I could also reach out a lot further,” Whitfield said.
Whitfield sees clearly that, at some point, basketball will be over. He plans to play basketball professionally, while Tristan will move directly into a business career post-college.
The younger Whitfield intends to have strong career connections in place when the time comes, even if that’s long way off. He is getting ahead of the curve relative to his roommates when it comes to networking.
Having an older brother on campus does not mean following an exact blueprint, however. Whitfield is likely to choose economics – the same major as his brother—when he declares in the coming year. But he isn’t 100% set on it yet.
“I’m glad Princeton gives us the time to consider changing our mind,” Whitfield said. “I could go in another direction for sure.”
Consistent with his approach to life, Whitfield keeps his mind open to academic possibilities he may still discover.
Whitfield knew that basketball and volleyball cultures are “two different vibes” before he got to Princeton, because he used to play both sports. Both are “very tight,” he says, but he describes the difference with a little laugh.
“In volleyball, if you score a point or you lose a point, either way, everyone gets together in a circle with a lot of positivity. That is not happening on a basketball court,” Whitfield said.
Differences aside, Sebastian and Tristan go to each other’s games whenever they can and bring their teammates along as fans. The former particularly recalls the comfort he felt in his first home game, seeing the latter and his teammates in the Jadwin stands.
Sebastian and his teammates show up consistently to the music-blaring volleyball games at Dillon Gym.
“And I’ve been able to meet so many juniors and seniors that I wouldn’t have met without my brother,” the younger sibling added.
Whitfield is mindful that at Princeton, “Everybody is so interesting and has their own story.” He is hungry to soak up the stories. Even more, he is grateful that basketball does not stand in the way of any academic pursuit he might choose going forward.
“My friends who play at other schools can’t take certain majors, they fit their class schedules around practice, and don’t take certain classes because they would be too hard with travel,” he said. “They don’t go out into the community; they are limited. We are not.”
One of his most meaningful community engagements has been his team’s mentorship program at Christina Seix Academy in nearby Trenton. The Tigers basketball team visits and writes letters back and forth with students there, reinforcing the academy’s value proposition: “TRENT,” which stands for Tenacious, Responsible, Enlightened, Noble and Truthful.
Another connection Whitfield made this year is with the Princeton alumni who support his team as mentors. When Whitfield’s team visited NFL headquarters with Hans Schroeder ’96, he was impressed by the number of Tigers who are now in leadership roles there, and in other professional sports organizations.
Working at Princeton Reunions this spring, former players told Whitfield and his teammates, “You guys can reach out whenever you want, if you need anything, let us know.” He knows they mean it, so he’s getting his contacts lined up, with a long-term career plan forming in real time.
“I think I’m going to become a lawyer,” he said.
Stepping back into his home community this summer, Whitfield has secured an internship through the Summer Social Impact Fund, via Princeton’s Center for Career Development. He will assist former NBA G League and Australian professional basketball player Lance Hurdle in running the nonprofit Excel Basketball Academy, a player development outlet for youth to collegiate levels.
Tristan has a mergers and acquisitions internship in New York City with global business and technology consulting company West Monroe.
When the Whitfield brothers move back onto the Princeton campus this fall, they will resume now-familiar routines. They will show up for each other. They will connect across rigorous academic and competitive schedules. They’ll meet at the Princeton Alliance Church, or at the The Ivy Club.
And then they each will go their own way.