Ivy League hoopsters are Division I athletes on the court and exceptionally accomplished and eclectic humans off it. Ivy Hoops Online presents the latest edition of our Off the Bench series that takes fans inside the stories that you might not otherwise know from the stands or through your screen.
For Miles Franklin ’29, a political science major from Vienna, Va., and rising sophomore guard for the Columbia men’s basketball team, a disciplined approach to nutrition, sleep and mental health began in childhood. Now the boy who brought homemade pickles to the party is getting the last laugh, powering his basketball career, making music and taking care of business wherever he goes.
“It can’t just be consistency in workouts,” said Franklin, a five-time Ivy League Rookie of the Week in 2025-26 who averaged 9.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. “It has to be consistency in your lifestyle. Staying consistent is the only way to see results.”
For an athlete who has been learning about nutrition since toddlerhood, performance is shaped long before game day—at the grocery store, in the kitchen and in the decision to go to bed earlier than the next guy.
Excellence is reinforced on a ritual phone call he has with his mom, Marina—before every single game. Sometimes he calls first, sometimes she does.
“She tells me to be locked in, focused, that she’s cheering for me,” Franklin said. “If she’s not going to the game, then she lets me know she will be yelling at her TV.”
The conversations Franklin has with his mom and his dad, Dereck, reflect a family culture where caring for the body is non-negotiable. His mother, an immigrant from Ukraine, found that the standard American food and lifestyle was making her feel unwell. She began researching superfoods, and passed the lessons she learned down to her children. In the Franklin household, eating well, eating enough, and sleeping enough are just what you do.
Franklin carries no resentment about the school lunches his mom packed when he was growing up. His lunchbox was filled with vegetables, while Doritos and Cheetos were more common his classmates’ bags. Franklin remembers a classroom party when his mom sent him in with a jar of homemade pickled radishes and cucumbers, a far cry from the usual Dunkin’ Donuts.
“I was the only one that ate them,” Franklin laughed.
Franklin did go through a brief rebellious phase.
“I ran around for a while, trying to get my hands on as much candy as I could,” Franklin said.
That didn’t last long, though. Soon, Franklin was back to consistent, intentional, healthy practices.
“I think it turned out all right,” Franklin said.
Franklin’s food choices these days are less about following family rules and more about recognizing what his body tells him.
“When I don’t eat as well as I should,” Franklin said, “I feel slower.”
This summer in New York City, Franklin is doubling down. His mother continues to send him information, encouragement, and of course, care packages.
“She sends me bone broth that I have to drink every day,” Franklin reported.
Franklin recognizes the benefit of his family’s nutritional discipline.
Campus culture, especially in the Ivy League, often celebrates sleepless, late nights of studying, partying and productivity. But sleep is an area that can unlock a competitive advantage.
“I won’t say I’ve been perfect,” Franklin admitted. “But I try my best to get as much as possible. I might want to watch a show or chill out at night. Except I know I need the rest for the next day.”
Another thing that Franklin wants to do is make music. He plays piano and is teaching himself to make beats. He enjoys experimenting with recording. Franklin is quick to clarify he is just learning to rap. But for him the process is more important than the product.
“I can sit down and do play for hours,” he said. “It takes my mind off everything else.”
Franklin feels that the mental strain of being an Ivy League athlete deserves more attention—that it can be uncomfortable for those trained to solve problems by pushing through pain and exerting more effort, to ask for help. He doesn’t pretend to have all the answers. But Franklin’s self-awareness is strong. “I say, focus on the things you can control,” he advised.
Humble to a fault, Franklin is more apt to model his healthy lifestyle than to lecture anyone about eating right. He walks the walk when coaching at summer basketball camps and talking with young players at community-based workouts. Sometimes that looks like steering a kid away from Gatorade and sweets as the default. Occasionally, it means answering a question from a younger sibling about why he makes a particular choice at the table.
Franklin’s biggest hope is that his two younger siblings—brothers Tristan and Elliot, and sister, Amelia—will rise beyond his considerable accomplishments. They are all the recipients of a constant flow of workouts, videos and instructions from their dad.
“He passes along lessons from his own career,” including a wish that he had understood the power of nutrition earlier, said Franklin, who knows his father wants to make sure that each of them reaches their maximum potential.
While cheering for one other is clearly in this family’s DNA, so too is competition.
“My whole family is kind of obsessed with how high we can jump,” Franklin noted.
Franklin and his family members share videos via group chat that are partly encouragement, with a healthy dose of teasing.
“We are, for sure, competitive,” Franklin said.
Franklin is thriving this summer in a Manhattan-based summer internship exposing him to artificial intelligence, electric vehicles, software and sales. He says working alongside the CEO of a startup has given him a behind-the-scenes look at aspects of business that are new and exciting.
Looking to the season ahead, Franklin’s ambitions are clear. While contributing to a team that he believes has championship potential, he plans to keep refining the habits that have fueled him this far.
Long-term, with sights set on the NBA, he is focused on passing along the knowledge and experience to help others succeed—in basketball, school and life.
“If I can help someone get to the level I’m at, or above,” Franklin said, “I want to do that.”