MIT Sloan Men’s Team Wins Business School Basketball Invitational Again

In 2023, the MIT Sloan men’s team beat Harvard Business School 43-39 to win the HBS Hoops Invitational in Cambridge.

This year they did it again, but with an even bigger winning margin of 13 points.

“This tournament is set up by Harvard. They have a beautiful gym, and the games are on their home court, so they’re favored to win,” says team fan Bill Aulet, SF ’94 (Ethernet Inventors Professor of the Practice; Managing Director, Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship). “You would think that MIT wouldn’t do as well, but they’re there to play. They practice at least twice a week. They’re just a great group of people.”

Members of the MIT Sloan Basketball Club, which declares its commitment to “developing principled ballers to compete against the world’s top MBA talent” on its website, served as coaches and players for the men’s and women’s teams at the 2024 HBS Hoops Invitational.

“It feels amazing to be able to represent MIT with some of your best friends and come out on top,” says MBA candidate, coach, and player Zachary Lynn Wang. “The support we get from the school has been nothing short of amazing. So many of our classmates came to watch our games, and Bill Aulet’s energy is infectious.”

From Club Fest to contest

Every fall, the MIT Sloan Student Life Office hosts Club Fest, an open house where new and returning students can learn about student clubs and organizations from current members.

That’s where, in 2022, MBA candidate and current co-president Mohamed Abdalla first met then-co-president Clyde-Blaise Niba, MBA ’23. The pair immediately bonded over their love of basketball, joking about their respective skills and challenging each other to a pickup game.

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Credit: Gabe Uva

“I thought I was a decent defender at the time, then he scored eight baskets on me in a row,” Abdalla recalls. “I realized then that the club was serious about hoops and business.”

Abdalla did not take part in MIT Sloan’s 2023 win during his first year in the club, but he did serve as a coach and a player for this year’s winning team.

He credits Niba and fellow club alumni Adam Jurko, SB ’19, MBA ’23, and Bruce Crawford, MBA ’23, for paving the way for the 2024 team’s success, and for making him and his classmates feel welcome at MIT Sloan. Abdalla also thanks fellow Class of 2024 members Wang and Diego Carrasquillo; Class of 2025 members Gabon Williams, Blake Blaze, CC Obi-Gwacham, and Jonathan Klinner; and Will Stewart for their contributions.

“Winning the invitational this year was an incredible and surreal experience. It’s a gratifying feeling watching a group of people come together with the goal of winning against the odds and succeeding in that goal,” he says. “The performance was stupendous and was a great representation of the ‘mens et manus’ approach MIT champions.”

All people, all skills

Though the MIT Sloan Basketball Club caters specifically to students, the group does not require all interested parties to be seasoned professional or amateur players. In fact, they encourage all Sloanies (and their significant others), regardless of talent, to join.

“We welcome all people of all skill levels, and we believe in being inclusive and fostering an environment for all to come together and hone their skillsets or just play for fun,” says Abdalla. “I’ve had the privilege of getting to play basketball alongside people I now consider some of my best friends. The club has given us the opportunity to share our cultures and build character.”

Wang, who also joined the club in 2022 but played for the first in this year’s invitational, echoes Abdalla’s sentiments.

“I’ve played basketball since I was four years old and have made life-long friends through the sport. The community here at MIT Sloan has been amazing,” he says.