Our Mission

For me, basketball was my release...my security blanket…my escape…the place where I felt most normal. Getting in the gym all by myself was my greatest joy in high school and then seeing that hard work pay off was unbelievable to me. I’m afraid that so many players look at their playing careers now as an obligation or something that they have to do instead of remembering what drew them to the game in the first place and embracing every moment…every hardship and every second of elation as a gift.

I have known Stephisha since she was in high school and I recruited her to play for me at Portland State University. As an athlete, Stephisha had tremendous talent but also had the intangibles that every coach desire. She was passionate, energetic and motivated…plus, she was a great teammate!

No one told you there would be weekends spent driving to tourneys. Waking up early for games or practices. Or that your summers would fly by. Your free time is replaced by sleep or hanging out with friends. Your birthday parties became sports themed because that’s all you could talk about.

Playbook is building a bridge to help change Sports culture by grooming generational wealth leaders. This runs deep in changing the narrative of our black communities because we produce nearly 90% of world class athletes. Interestingly we stand for the same ideals at Balls Activating Literacy and Leadership in Africa with the perks of developing not just individuals who will be role models in their community but also reconstructing and developing the Africa's sports and education value chain. Playbook Series has given us a playbook to execute our game plan.

Stephisha’s life has served as a resume for her work ethic and I am excited to match her passion and meet her where she’s at.

I have known Stephisha since she was a player in high school as I coached against her during her club basketball days. I always admired her passion and the enjoyment she played the game with. When I had the opportunity to have her play for me in college, I feel so fortunate she chose to be on my team. Not only was she an all-conference player, but more importantly, she was a leader, mentor and role model to every player that came into our program. Her personality and spirit never wavered, and her competitiveness truly made her great. Ten years later, it still puts a smile on my face to think of her on the court or coming by the office to say hello. She is truly a leader who understands the responsibility of what it means to lead others. Athletes say all the time they want to lead, but Stephisha truly has the skills to do so.