Chapter 03 · Coaches

Six coaches.One standard.

Every EBC high school team runs the same system, holds the same standard and pushes the same goal: college basketball.

Coaches

High school teams

System

HS Girls

3 TEAMS

Nick Crossan

Owner & Program Director

HS Girls 17U Elite

Playing background

Four-year varsity letterwinner at Skyline High School with All-League honors all four seasons. Graduated as Skyline's all-time leading scorer with 1,135 career points. 2009 McDonald's All-American nominee.

Coaching background

Owner and Program Director of EBC Training Centers and varsity head boys coach at Eastlake High School. As head assistant at Issaquah High School, helped lead the program to a 6th-place state finish (2015), a 4th-place state finish and its first KingCo Championship (2016). As varsity head girls coach at Bellevue High School, won the 2019 KingCo Championship. Has helped more than 50 athletes reach the college level.

Coaching style

Passionate, high-energy and person first. Practices are competitive and intentional, built on accountability, strong fundamentals and winning habits. Coach Nick lives by W.I.N. (What's Important Now) and challenges athletes to own the details that lead to success on and off the court.

Allen Tate

Coach & Trainer

HS Girls 17U Blue

Playing background

From Hobbs, New Mexico. Won the 2008 state championship at Hobbs High School. Played two seasons at Lamar Community College and won a Region IX championship as a sophomore. Finished his career at Seattle University in Division I.

Coaching background

12 years coaching and training athletes at EBC Training Centers.

Coaching style

Coach Allen develops the person as much as the player. He teaches discipline, confidence, leadership, accountability, teamwork and the value of hard work, on the court and beyond it.

Kendall Knotz

Assistant Director of Basketball

HS Girls 16U Elite

Playing background

Won the 2010 OSAA 6A State Championship at Southridge High School (OR) under Michael Meek, now head coach at the University of Portland. Meek built her foundation of excellence, accountability and doing things the right way. A torn ACL before her senior year turned her focus to coaching and player development.

Coaching background

Eight years with Oregon State Women's Basketball under Scott Rueck, part of 3 Pac-12 Championships, 7 NCAA Tournament appearances and the 2016 Final Four. Has developed athletes at the youth and college levels. Now Assistant Director of Basketball at EBC Training Centers.

Coaching style

Coach hard. Love harder. Character over talent. Practices are high-energy, competitive and intentional, built on fundamentals, basketball IQ and decision-making. Coach Kendall demands effort, accountability, toughness and a team-first mindset, and pushes players past their comfort zone to build confidence and reach their potential.

Tyler Mendezona

Assistant Coach

HS Girls

Playing background

Played college basketball at Northwest University.

Coaching background

Started his coaching career at King's Schools. Joined The Bear Creek School in Redmond in 2014, where he serves as boys varsity head coach and physical education teacher.

Coaching style

Accountability, teamwork, resilience and character come first. Coach Mendo builds strong relationships and a competitive gym where players push to improve, embrace adversity and become great teammates. He sees basketball as preparation for success beyond the game.

HS Boys

2 TEAMS

Aaron Nettles

HS Boys Program Lead

HS Boys 17U Elite

Playing background

Four seasons of Division I basketball at Seattle University, with more than 100 games played. Started every game as a senior, averaged 10.1 points and earned NABC Honors Court recognition for academics. Received the Elgin Baylor Inspiration Award at the 2022 Rudy's. Before that, a four-year varsity starter at Seattle Prep with All-Metro honors as a sophomore, junior and senior. Scored 1,300 career points, sixth on Seattle Prep's all-time list, passing Spencer Hawes along the way.

Coaching background

Grew up inside EBC, the family business founded in 2009, and started coaching in 2017 as a senior at Seattle Prep. Nearly a decade of coaching and training players from youth AAU through high school. Now leads the HS Boys program onto the Puma NXTPRO circuit and works as a private trainer.

Coaching style

Organized and intentional: timed segments, a heavy dose of motion and defensive habits, and competitive live play to finish. High accountability and a high standard, delivered with an immense amount of love. Coach Aaron pours confidence into his players and builds a gym where it's safe to fail, so they stay aggressive and stack small wins every week. Above all, the game is played with joy.

Romell Witherspoon

Assistant Coach

HS Boys 17U Elite

Coaching background

Varsity head girls coach at Bellevue High School since 2022 and a coach at EBC Training Centers. Led Bellevue to a 25-7 record in 2024-25 and a 26-4 record in 2025-26, winning the Sea-King District Championship and finishing as the 2026 WIAA 3A State Runner-Up. Known for building competitive programs, developing talent and a culture of accountability and excellence.

Coaching style

Passionate, competitive and demanding. Coach Romell emphasizes discipline, accountability and confident leaders. Practices are high-energy, with a focus on defensive intensity, communication and attention to detail. He challenges players to reach their potential and builds the confidence, work ethic and leadership to succeed on and off the court.

Coach TBDHS Boys 16U Elite

The EBCCoaching Standard

Preparation
Every practice has a plan before you walk in the gym.
Presence
Your coach is locked in on every rep.
Communication
You always know where you stand and what to work on next.
Development
Every player on the roster gets better.
Professionalism
College standards, on and off the court.

Play for this staff.

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Alumni

Six coaches.One standard.

The EBCCoaching Standard

Preparation

Presence

Communication

Development

Professionalism

Play for this staff.