About Us

Troy Cicero, Jr. is a Division I student-athlete, entrepreneur, and emerging brand strategist focused on redefining what it means to succeed in both academics and athletics. As the founder and CEO of Books & Ball: Doing Both, Strong, Troy is building a nationally driven platform centered around leadership, performance, personal growth, financial empowerment, and the evolving student-athlete experience in the NIL era.

Currently attending Loyola University Maryland as a Leadership & Management Consulting major with a Marketing minor, Troy has maintained Dean’s List honors while competing and leading at the NCAA Division I level as a member of the Loyola Greyhounds Men’s Basketball program.

Beyond basketball, Troy has been selected to represent student-athlete perspectives on a national level through the NCAA DI Men’s Basketball Student-Athlete Engagement Group and the NCAA DI Men’s Basketball Playing Rules Subcommittee. His leadership experience also includes mentorship initiatives, campus leadership organizations, and community outreach focused on inspiring the next generation of student-athletes.

Driven by faith, family, and a relentless mindset, Troy created Books & Ball to challenge the idea that student-athletes are defined by only one dimension of their lives. Today’s athletes are not just competitors in their sports—we are world leaders, entrepreneurs, creators, professionals, and difference-makers capable of creating impact in every room we step into, from the streets to the suites, and everywhere in between.

Through branding, content creation, athlete storytelling, and apparel, his vision is to build a platform that empowers athletes to pursue greatness in every area of life while creating influence and impact far beyond the game.