Head Coach, Princeton Men’s Basketball
Mitch Henderson: Biography at a Glance
- Mitch Henderson is the third-winningest coach in program history as head coach of Princeton men’s basketball.
- Henderson led Princeton to the Sweet Sixteen in 2022-23, becoming just the fourth No. 15 seed in history to do so, along with the Ivy Tournament and Ivy Regular Season Championships, and has seen ten Princeton alumni go on to professional careers.
- A self-described introvert, Coach Henderson forces himself out of his comfort zone every day to lead his team and demonstrates the importance of vulnerability - a leader’s greatest strength - and connection.
- On stage, Coach Henderson shares the key lessons he has learned throughout his leadership journey, discussing the obstacles he has overcome and the mistakes he has made along the way.
- A sought-after speaker on leadership, he stresses that teams are merely a reflection of their leader and explains how to lead by example, removing yourself from an island and showing your team you are in it with them.
- With his unique insight into Gen Z and the future workforce, Coach Henderson leaves audiences with valuable tools to lead in any industry.
Videos
Biography
Mitch Henderson is the third-winningest coach in Princeton Men’s Basketball history program history. Under Henderson's tutelage, ten Princeton alumni have gone on to professional careers, including Devin Cannady '20 who played eight games for the Orlando Magic in the 2020-21 season and was the NBA G League Finals MVP with the Lakeland Magic.
A two-time NABC District 13 Coach of the Year, Henderson led Princeton to the Sweet Sixteen in 2022-23, becoming just the fourth No. 15 seed in history to do so, along with the Ivy Tournament and Ivy Regular Season Championships. With Henderson leading the way, the Tigers defeated a pair of nationally-ranked opponents (No. 8 Arizona & No. 23 Missouri), became the 11th No. 15 seed to beat a No. 2 seed after taking down Arizona 58-55 in the NCAA Tournament Round of 64, and earned the largest ever margin of victory for a No. 15 seed thanks to a 78-63 victory over Mizzou in the Round of 32. In addition, Henderson recorded his 200th career victory as a head coach in 2022-23 and became just the eighth men’s basketball head coach to record 100 Ivy League victories. Princeton also set a new program record for most points (2,416), won the London Basketball Classic, ranked fourth in the nation in rebounds per game (28.84), 15th in rebound margin (6.0) and 16th in rebounds per game (39.00).
Henderson guided the Tigers to the outright Ivy League Championship in 2021-22. Along with defeating a pair of power five programs, South Carolina and Oregon State, the Tigers set four team records; most points in a season (2395), most points per game in a season (79.8), most field goals made in a season (910), and most three-point field goals made in a season (327). Additionally, the Tigers ranked fourth in the nation in Effective field goal percentage (56.7%), fifth in three-point field goals per game (10.9), fifth in three-point field goal percentage (38.7%), ninth in assist/turnover ratio (1.53), 11th in scoring offense (79.8), and 14th in total three-point field goals made (327).
In 2017, Henderson led the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament and a first-round near-upset of 14th-ranked and fifth-seeded Notre Dame, which just five days earlier played in the ACC Tournament final against Duke. The Tigers took the Irish to the final possession before a 60-58 defeat. That followed Princeton winning 19 games in a row, tied for the second-longest streak in program history, including the program's sixth 14-0 season and capturing the inaugural Ivy League Tournament. The 2017 season saw Henderson win Ivy League Coach of the Year honors for the first time in the third year of the award.
Along with being selected as the NABC District 13 Coach of the Year in 2017, he was a finalist for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year award.
Henderson has coached 26 All-Ivy League honorees in 11 seasons, including 2013 Ivy League Player of the Year and two-time first-team All-Ivy League honoree Ian Hummer, an AP honorable mention All-America, 2014 Ivy League Rookie of the Year, 2023 Ivy League Rookie of the Year Caden Pierce, 2017 Player of the Year Spencer Weisz, 2021 Ivy League Player of the Year Tosan Evbuomwan, 2017 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year Myles Stephens, and 2018 Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year Amir Bell. In 2017, Princeton had three first-team All-Ivy League honorees for the first time since 1968 in Weisz, Steven Cook and Stephens.
While maintaining Princeton’s place as an annual contender in the Ivy League, Henderson has challenged the team out-of-conference, playing teams such as against Duke, Syracuse, North Carolina State, Florida State, Pittsburgh, Maryland, Miami, USC, Arizona State, Indiana, South Carolina and Minnesota. In those games and others, Henderson’s teams beat 17th-ranked Arizona State in Tempe, outlasted Florida State in a triple-overtime game in Tallahassee, beat eventual Pac-12 Tournament finalist USC in Los Angeles, defeated in-state rival Rutgers on two out of three opportunities during Henderson's tenure, and took down South Carolina at the Asheville Championship.
Topics
Leading with Vulnerability and Connection
A self-described introvert, Coach Mitch Henderson forces himself out of his comfort zone every day to lead his team. Day in and day out, he demonstrates the importance of vulnerability - a leader’s greatest strength - and connection. In this talk, Coach Henderson shares the key lessons he has learned throughout his leadership journey, discussing the obstacles he has overcome and the mistakes he has made along the way.
Stressing that teams are merely a reflection of their leader, Coach Henderson explains how to lead by example, removing yourself from an island and showing your team you are in it with them. With his unique insight into Gen Z and the future workforce, Coach Henderson leaves audiences with valuable tools to lead in any industry.
Leadership Workshop: Backstage Pass Experience
In this 1-on-1 immersive experience, Coach Henderson invites you to spend a half-day with him and his team. After meeting with Coach Henderson and attending team practice, you will not only learn from him as a leader but also see his techniques in action.
This all-access opportunity allows you to witness firsthand his routines, how he prepares his team and staff, and how he evaluates the competition. You’ll learn the keys to leading, communicating with, and inspiring your own team to reach peak performance and walk away with tips on how to conduct effective meetings, push your team past their existing limits, build connection throughout your organization, and more.
