Empowering Futures: Insights from the Fastbreak Mentoring Program

As the higher education partner of the Sacramento Kings NBA team, the Graduate School of Management have teamed up with the Kings Fastbreak Mentoring Program to pair MBAs as mentors for local college students. MENTOR California provided coaching on effective mentorship and Improve Your Tomorrow helped matched mentees with our MBA mentors.

The Kings will also take advantage of UC Davis MBA talent by hiring two students as interns to gain experience in the sports entertainment business.

Stephanie Young-Birkle, Chief of Staff | UC Davis Graduate School of Management

The Fastbreak Mentoring Program has reinforced the need to learn from others, build trust and positive energy, help others to succeed, and inspire others to achieve.

Marcus Strother, President and CEO | Mentor California

Watching young people have a new mentor, be able to lean into what exactly does it mean to be a part of the NBA, but not to be a player, not be a coach.

Learning the behind the scenes, being able to really dive in deep to that has been phenomenal. Be able to now see community partners who can lean in with. The work that IYT is already doing has been absolutely phenomenal. We want to change the narrative of mentoring. We want people to understand that it's not about fixing a young person.

The love and the magic of just being able to say that we're here to connect in a really powerful way is what Mentor California is all about.