63 year-old Jim Sweeney both captivates and inspires audiences with unexpected stories derived from his experiences as a masters’ age basketball player.
A decorated 5-time World Champion, 2-time Pan Am Champion and 8-time USA National Champion, Sweeney is a Masters Basketball USA Hall of Fame inductee and has competed in 100+ masters’ basketball tournaments in both the USA and across the globe.
Gleaning from his extensive international travel playing masters’ hoops, Sweeney has crafted presentations ranging from Creating Your Healthy and Happy Lifestyle to Seeing the World Through Your Own Lens.
Sweeney shares liberally from his 2020 published book - Old School Hoops: Stories of an Aging Baller. His stories compel listeners to discover their own purpose and fulfillment in their lives.
Peppering his talks with humor, the self-deprecating Sweeney credits masters’ basketball for enabling him to travel globally with friends as well as still play the game he loves – slowly!
Born and raised in Trenton, NJ, Sweeney grew up with a passion for sports and fun. He also had a love for words and considered the Dictionary one of his favorite books.
Sweeney attended the prestigious Lawrenceville School in New Jersey, where he served as Sports Editor of the school newspaper. During his senior year, he was named 1st Team All-State in soccer, baseball and basketball.
Following high school, Sweeney enrolled at Boston College and started all four years as the team’s point guard.
Sweeney served as captain of the Eagles basketball team from 1977 – 1980. During his senior year, he was named MVP of New England College Basketball and also received the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award as the nation’s top NCAA basketball player under six feet tall. The university also nominated him for a Rhodes Scholarship.
Sports fans may recognize Sweeney for his unexpected brush with organized crime in the late 70’s. His compelling story has been chronicled over the years in books, magazine and newspaper articles, podcasts and a 2014 ESPN 30 for 30 film.
Following college graduation, Jim played basketball professionally in Europe before returning home to marry his wife Maura and move to Florida in 1983.
Sweeney worked in Eckerd Drug Corporation where he rose to Merchandise Manager and Import Manager in the corporation’s electronics and health care categories.
After leaving Eckerd, Jim flourished as an independent rep in the computer industries, first with an established firm and later founding a firm of his own.
With his wife Maura, he founded New Vision Entertainment with a mission to positively impact culture.
At New Vision, Sweeney developed a unique cartoon sports character named MIKE that he expects will become a sports and cultural icon.
Sweeney believes that MIKE™ is destined to become the Spongebob or Bart Simpson of Sports and is seeking to align with a major media company to license the character
