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Purpose Over Points: Life After Basketball & Leadership

Purpose Over Points: Life After Basketball & Leadership

By: Nick Crossan
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The game of basketball doesn’t last forever, but the lessons do. Hosted by Nick Crossan, owner of EBC Training Centers, Purpose Over Points goes beyond traditional basketball podcasts by blending coaching education, athlete development, mentorship, storytelling, and community connection. Filmed inside Washington’s premier training center, each episode explores life after basketball—the moment when the points stop adding up and the real scoreboard becomes your character, leadership, purpose, and growth.Nick Crossan Basketball
Episodes
  • 4. Why Purpose Always Outlasts Points with Allen Tate
    Jan 20 2026

    Basketball didn’t define Allen Tate, character did.

    In this episode, Nick sits down with one of the pillars of EBC—trainer, mentor, and brother Allen Tate—for a raw conversation about identity, accountability, and what truly lasts beyond the game.

    Allen reflects on his journey from Hobbs, New Mexico to the Pacific Northwest, winning a state championship, navigating college basketball, and ultimately finding his purpose in developing people—not just players. From losing his father at a young age to becoming a present father himself, Allen shares how loyalty, fundamentals, faith, and service have shaped the way he coaches and lives.


    In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

    • How Allen’s upbringing shaped his loyalty, work ethic, and leadership style
    • Why real development requires patience, fundamentals, and consistency
    • The dangers of chasing exposure instead of growth
    • How coaches can teach accountability and resilience
    • What athletes gain when basketball is no longer the centerpiece
    • Why Allen believes being present for family is the ultimate win
    • Advice for trainers and athletes who want to build something that lasts
    • How to respond to failure and adversity the right way


    Connect with Nick:

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachnick_ebc/

    EBC Training Centers: https://www.ebconefamily.com/

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    49 mins
  • 3. Beyond Basketball: Identity, Pressure & Purpose with Aaron Nettles
    Dec 9 2025

    What happens when the game that defined you… suddenly ends?

    For many athletes, that moment is terrifying. For Aaron Nettles, it became the start of the most important chapter of his life.

    In this episode, Nick sits down with someone who has been part of his world since childhood—Seattle Prep legend, former Division I guard, and now a leader at EBC Training Centers: Aaron Nettles.

    Aaron opens up about the pressure of being "the kid with the gym," the reality of growing up biracial in Sammamish, the discipline that shaped him, and the injury that unexpectedly ended his basketball career. But more importantly, he shares how he rebuilt his identity, healed from years of silent struggles, and stepped into his true purpose: developing people, not just players.

    This is one of the most honest conversations ever shared on Purpose Over Points—and a must-listen for athletes, parents, coaches, and anyone navigating who they are beyond performance.


    In this episode:

    • Growing up in Sammamish and navigating what it meant to feel “different” in every room

    • The real grind behind a D1 path—early mornings, late nights, pressure, and discipline

    • The injury and surgery that cut his career short, and why he now sees it as a pivotal turning point

    • Letting go of achievement-based identity and learning who he is outside of basketball

    • Stepping into leadership at EBC and pouring into the next generation

    • The simple habits that keep his mind, body, and emotions grounded today

    • What “Purpose Over Points” truly means to him now


    Connect with Aaron:

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaronnettless/


    Connect with us:

    Website: https://www.ebconefamily.com

    EBC's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ebconefamily/

    Nick's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachnick_ebc/

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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • 2. The Confidence Code with Romell Witherspoon
    Nov 25 2025

    When the ball stops bouncing, who are you?

    In this powerful episode, Nick sits down with actor, inspirational speaker, mentor, and Bellevue High School Girls Basketball Head Coach Romell Witherspoon a man whose life work sits at the intersection of leadership, faith, purpose, and community.

    From his days as a two-time state champion at Rainier Beach to serving as Team Chaplain and Player Manager for the Los Angeles Lakers during their 2020 championship run, Romell has lived the highs, lows, and quiet in-between spaces of life after sport.

    And the lessons? They’re bigger than basketball.


    This conversation goes deep into:

    What really happens when the scoreboard shuts off and the athlete identity fades

    How to rebuild confidence from the inside out — and why no one can give it or take it away

    The “Confidence Code” and the mindset tools he uses with high-level athletes and everyday leaders

    Why the small, unseen reps will take you farther than talent ever will

    How to win the scoreboard in life, not just in the game

    The difference between teaching basketball and teaching life through basketball

    What it means to be famous in your own home


    Romell’s journey, from competing against Washington’s greatest, to acting in New York, to standing in NBA locker rooms with LeBron James and Anthony Davis, to shaping the next generation of leaders in Seattle, is a masterclass in purpose, resilience, and becoming.

    If you’re an athlete, a parent, a coach, or anyone navigating a transition…this episode will shift something in you.


    Romell Witherspoon is an actor, inspirational speaker, mentorship director for the City of Seattle under Mayor Bruce Harrell, and Head Girls Basketball Coach at Bellevue High School. A former Rainier Beach standout and collegiate athlete, Romell later spent four years with the Los Angeles Lakers providing player mentorship and chaplain support — culminating in a 2020 NBA Championship. His work centers on leadership, confidence, community, and helping people become who they were created to be.


    Connect with Romell:

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/romell_witherspoon/


    Connect with us:

    Website: https://www.ebconefamily.com

    EBC's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ebconefamily/

    Nick's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachnick_ebc/

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    51 mins
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