SHAWN WILLIAMS is the co-founder of Playing with Purpose. PWP is more than a basketball program and ministry, it’s a safe haven for athletes. The league was started to create opportunities for players to learn basketball fundamentals.
The vision started with two kids, now fast forward twenty years — thousands of players have come through their program and nearly 50 girls have received athletic scholarships between 2016-2020.
Basketball has always been Williams’s true calling. Yeah, he played ball at the University of Tulsa and made it to the Elite Eight with his squad in 2000 but this is bigger than that.
Says Williams, “We’re competitive but we care about developing players skills. It’s not just about winning, it’s about teaching life lessons.”
While the program works with both girl and boy players, Williams has a soft spot for giving back to the girl’s side of hoops. Not to mention, his oldest daughter, Landry Williams is a rising senior and ballplayer who has verbally committed to the University of Missouri — Kansas City. His wife played for Oklahoma State. Indeed, Williams knows a thing or two about girl power.
He believes that girls should have the same opportunities as boys.
Williams is using his platform and athletics to fulfill his purpose of teaching players valuable skills on and off the court.
“Basketball teaches you teamwork, work ethic, and discipline,” said Williams.
CHUCK COBBINS has been around the game for a long time. As a coach for PWP, he takes pride in watching players grow and gain knowledge that can be used on the court, in the classroom, or in the real world.
Says Cobbins, “Coaching girls is a privilege. We’re getting players ready for life. For some of them, this is their way out.”
He began coaching when his oldest daughter showed interest in playing ball. Cobbins felt the need and responsibility to make certain that his daughter was coached the right way. His motto back then was to treat other girl players as if they were his own daughters. These days, his philosophy is still the same.
Cobbins is committed to empowering girls and ensuring that they are holistically ready for their future physically and mentally by helping to build their skills and self-esteem.
“It’s not about the points players score or the tournaments they win, it’s about what they learn from the game and how they apply it to their lives,” said Cobbins.
