Between practicing on the court and earning his Master of Science in Accounting and Online Master of Science in Entrepreneurship, Stone Gettings ’20 MSA, OMSE redefines the term ‘student-athlete’.

“I basically have two uniforms,” he says. “My basketball jersey and my suit.”

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Gettings grew up in Malibu, California, where he attended Los Angeles Loyola High School. As a first year, he wasn’t sure which sport he wanted to pursue. He liked basketball but he also enjoyed water polo and baseball.

After growing seven inches during his sophomore year, the decision became apparent. He joined the basketball team and met two future Arizona basketball players, Max Hazzard and Parker Jackson-Cartwright, both of whom would play a role in his decision to eventually transfer to Arizona. But first, Gettings proved he could excel off the court too. He left high school with a 3.97 GPA and after starting an online business selling limited-edition sneakers.

His exceptional academic standing and athletic ability earned him offers at many well-regarded institutions. He chose Cornell, where he played Division 1 basketball for three years, making the All-Ivy League Second Team and becoming a CoSIDA Academic All American. After the season, he decided to graduate a semester early so he could become a “graduate transfer,” a term used to describe a student-athlete who earns their bachelor’s degree before the end of their athletics eligibility and then competes at another school as a graduate student.

As a graduate transfer, he was recruited throughout the Power Five conferences and his decision came down to Stanford and Arizona. Before making his decision, Gettings reached out to his former high school teammate, Jackson-Cartwright.

“I wanted pursue basketball and education at the same time,” he says. “After talking with Parker, I was convinced that Arizona—and Eller specifically—would give me the best of both worlds.”

In January of 2019, he enrolled in the Eller Master of Science in Accounting and Online Master of Science in Entrepreneurship programs and joined the Wildcats, fully aware that it would take hard work to succeed in athletics and academics at the same time. Gettings faced the challenge head on, and didn’t let it stand between him and his goals. As a transfer student, he was required to sit out of NCAA games for a year before he could get off the bench.

“I knew it would be tough,” he says, “But if you can overcome that adversity, it gives you an internal strength that helps you handle any challenge.”

But even when the workload seemed overwhelming and the rewards few and far between, Gettings persisted.

“I think one of my biggest strengths is perseverance,” he says, “I constantly have to remind myself that even when things aren’t going my way, eventually they’ll turn around if I just keep punching the clock.”

And—day by day—things started to turn around. Gettings’s hard work in practice translated to playing time in games. And his focus in the classroom has led to new professional opportunities. He recently completed an internship and works part time with Feinberg Investments, where he works as an investment analyst. In his role, he actively completes bottom-up research on dozens of consumer companies in various industries to evaluate growth and margin trends with a focus on intrinsic value and catalyst-driven trading opportunities.

Gettings is just getting started, but he already feels like he has grown during his time at Eller.

“I think I’m a different person than who I was when I got here,” he says, “I think, overall, I’m more composed. Coming in, I felt like I always needed to be doing something—making moves just for the sake of moving. Through my time at Eller, I’ve learned to be more strategic and patient instead of forcing things when the timing isn’t right.”