From near miss to big win: SDSU student earns elite USA Basketball mentorship

Tyler Stevens’ chance to join USA Basketball’s Torch Leadership program nearly slipped away before it even began. 

When the San Diego State University senior logged into his interview for the program, the meeting link didn't work.

“I was sitting in the video waiting room for 10 minutes, panicking,” said Stevens. Who has been shooting hoops since age 5. “Then I got an email saying I was a no-show and my spot was forfeited. I thought, ‘no way, that can't be right,’ I’m not going to let this happen.”

So Stevens directly emailed the program director, who had happened to have experienced the same technical glitch. “Luckily she still gave me the chance to interview,” he said. “It wasn’t a great start, but once I got through it, I felt confident. I knew this was something worth fighting for.”

Weeks later, during the first week of the fall 2025 semester, Stevens was doing homework when the call came. Of 230 applicants, he was selected as one of just nine students nationwide for the USA Basketball leadership mentorship program.  

“I had no words. It was a big step in making my career goal a reality,” he said.

The Torch Leadership in Sport Mentorship Program selects a small group of qualified, ambitious college students from historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) or Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions (AANAPISIs). It connects students with executive leaders at USA Basketball for the academic year, offering one-on-one meetings with professional sports staff and access to other events and activities. Their mission is to empower “the next generation of impactful leaders of color in sports administration.”  

Personal meaning

For Stevens, a business major within SDSU’s Fowler College of Business, the opportunity holds both professional and personal significance. Growing up as a Filipino American in West Covina, he recalls seeing a lack of Asian representation in sports leadership.

“Being Asian American and being someone who can hopefully shine some light to others is very important for me,” Stevens said. “Representation matters. Not just on the court, but in the front and management offices too.”

When his “playing for a Division I school” goal didn’t materialize, Stevens found another way to stay connected to the sport. During his first year at SDSU, he learned the Aztec women’s basketball team was looking for practice players.

“I thought I'd do it for maybe a year,” he said. “But I fell in love with it. Now, four years later, I'm the team manager, and it’s been one of the best experiences of my life.”

As team manager, Stevens practices with the women’s basketball team about five times a week, where he scouts moves and simulates opponents’ plays and game strategies.

One particular on-court moment stands out for him: “The Mountain West Conference Championship win back in March.”  The triple-overtime victory secured the Aztecs’ women’s basketball team their first conference tournament title in 13 years and earned them an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

“We'd been building toward it for three years. Losing in the semifinals the first year, then in the finals the next year and finally winning it all in 2025,” said Stevens. “Being on the court and holding the trophy was unbelievable. It felt like an out-of-body experience.”

High-level influence

Stevens credits Aztec head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson for teaching him about consistency and leadership, and for writing a recommendation letter that helped him get the mentorship.

“Her consistency taught me that if you show up every day, even when you're tired, eventually consistency leads to something big, a huge win.”

“I'm thrilled for Tyler and he is very deserving to be selected for the mentorship program,” said Terry-Hutson. “He is an extremely hard worker, reliable and his selflessness has played a big part in the recent success of our program.” 

Beyond basketball, Stevens serves as vice president of operations for the Sports Business Initiative of SDSU’s Sports Business Organization. This student-led club also connects students with industry professionals and organizes site visits to sporting companies like Callaway Golf in Carlsbad.

Balancing academics with being a team manager, SBI, his part-time work at SDSU's Aztec Recreation Center, and now the mentorship, is a lot. But for Stevens, “Passion makes the load manageable. I just love what I do,” he said, “Starting my day at practice sets me up with energy and focus for everything else.”

Everything else for Stevens means working toward a career in professional basketball management, ideally with the Boston Celtics. It’s been his favorite team since childhood, even though he saw his first in-person Celtics game just two years ago, after his father won a radio contest that flew them both to Boston for game two of the NBA Finals.

“Being born on St. Patrick's Day, my favorite color was always green,” he said, “I literally picked my favorite teams as a kid based on the color green: The Celtics and the Jets.”

For other students considering an alternate career path while following their passion. Stevens offers this advice.

“Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. You never know where it can take you. For me, it started with joining a club and saying yes to being a practice player. Now it’s led to this incredible career-building opportunity that I never could have imagined.”