Princeton Names Mitch Henderson New Basketball Coach

Princeton has named Mitch Henderson its next head men’s basketball coach.

Henderson, a 1998 Princeton alumnus, replaces Sydney Johnson, who recently led the Tigers to a share of the Ivy League championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers finished with a 25-7 mark this year and were 66-53 during Johnson’s four-year tenure. Johnson accepted the head coaching position at Fairfield earlier this month.

“I’m so excited about the opportunity to coach here,” Henderson said. “I’m eager to get going with growing on what Sydney has been able to do here the last four years.”

Henderson joins the Princeton program after a long stint at Northwestern. He had spent the last 11 seasons there as an assistant under Bill Carmody, Henderson’s former Tigers coach.

He was a four-year starter at Princeton from 1994-98, playing under Carmody in his final two seasons. Henderson helped the Tigers reach the NCAA Tournament three times and win two tourney games.

“This is an exciting segue in the great tradition of Princeton basketball,” said Princeton athletics director Gary Walters. “We look forward to the future with a heightened sense of anticipation and excitement. Mitch played on some of Princeton’s best teams with passion, energy and integrity, values that also reflect his approach to coaching.”