ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: SAMANTHA SCHULTZ
Samantha fresh off a championship win with her New Heights 17U squad in 2017 (left), and right after graduating from law school (right).
When Samantha Schultz first joined New Heights, she didn't yet know just how pivotal that final AAU season would be. Her previous program had dissolved, and she arrived at New Heights alongside a teammate, hoping to find a competitive, supportive environment to prepare her for college basketball. What she found was exactly that—“a perfect fit,” as she described it. Under her coach at the time, Coach Rock, and surrounded by a welcoming team, Samantha immediately felt at home. “The coaches were fantastic, and the team was so accepting,” she recalled. What began as an unexpected shift quickly became an experience that shaped her as both an athlete and a person.
During her time with New Heights, Samantha was exposed to some amazing basketball opportunities, as well as others that expanded her perspective far beyond the basketball court. She won a US Junior Nationals championship with her 17U New Heigths team; played alongside girls who would go on to play basketball on the highest level, such as her then-teammate Emily Engstler, who currently plays in the WNBA for the Washington Mystic; and her New Heights squad even got to compete against the Chinese national team in a scrimmage (“I remember me and the other girls were giggling on the bench at halftime, because we were all thinking ‘we have no business being this close in the game right now,’” Samantha shared, recalling the experience).
But sseveral of Samantha’s most memorable experiences expanded her perspective far beyond the basketball court. The exposure to college settings, such as visiting Fordham as a team, gave her and her teammates the chance to ask questions, as well as coaches who knew to ask the questions [Samantha and her teammates] didn’t yet know they should inquire about. New Heights also introduced her to her very first office experience at LinkedIn headquarters—an experience she may not have had otherwise due to her demanding schedule as a student-athlete. And yet some of her fondest memories weren’t on the hardwood or in boardrooms, but during the bus and van rides where her teammates became lifelong friends.
The lessons Samantha learned at New Heights have carried her through every stage of her academic and professional journey. She credits the program with instilling discipline, time management, and the ability to work with people from different backgrounds—skills she now uses daily in the workplace. Traveling 1.5 hours each way from Long Island while balancing AP coursework taught her early on how to manage responsibility. “New Heights was a melting pot,” she shared. “That experience really prepared me for the real world, where everyone comes from different places and has different perspectives.” Even now, she says, “I’m not sitting in the Cavs office right now without having been a student-athlete.”
After graduating high school in 2018, Samantha went on to play Division I basketball at NJIT, where she earned her BA in Law, Technology, & Culture with a minor in Business, later completing her Masters in Management with a concentration in Global Project Management. Her academic achievements paved the way for her next big leap—attending New York Law School in Tribeca, where she pursued her passion for sports law. Along the way, she gained experience working for New York Governor Kathy Hochul and the NFL before recently passing the bar exam. Today, she serves as a Legal Fellow for the Cleveland Cavaliers, supporting the team with sponsorship agreements, NDAs, research, and numerous other projects throughout the NBA season.
Despite her demanding schedule and impressive career trajectory, Samantha remains committed to giving back—a value deeply rooted in the New Heights mission. She responds to every young person who reaches out to her on LinkedIn, offering guidance she once wished she had herself. Along her journey she also found time to coach here and there, sharing with us that she feels it’s important for female student-athletes to have an opportunity to learn from another young woman.
When asked what advice she would give current New Heights athletes, Samantha shared a quote her mom would say to her that has carried her through every chapter: “If you think you can, you can, and if you think you can’t, you can’t.” She encourages young athletes to dream big, take advantage of every opportunity New Heights provides, and remember that the support system around them is strong. She also reminds them, “I am a resource,” embodying the same mentorship that once helped her thrive.
Samantha’s journey—from her single season with New Heights to the Cavaliers front office—is a powerful testament to what can happen when talent, opportunity, and community come together. And as she continues to rise in the world of sports law, New Heights will continue to support her in every way we can.