Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Evan Ragland. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Evan, thanks for joining us today. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

It’s unfortunate that legacy begins after you’re gone. It should more commonly practiced to give people their flowers while they’re alive but it rarely happens that way. I’ve never done anything in my own life to purposely reflect my legacy; it’s not something that I actively work on. I pray that the people around me, or anyone for that matter, can look at the things that I’ve done and said, and take something from it that motivates them to be the best version of themselves. I have always chased my dreams and passions because I can’t live with what-ifs. On that journey, I found my purpose and I’ve never looked back.

I hope that when I’m gone, people remember me for my character and not my accomplishments. I hope there is something to learn from the path that I chose. Something that motivates you to push forward even when you can’t see the finish line. Take pride in who you are and believe in yourself. True success comes from within.

Evan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Evan, but most people call me Coach E. I coach high school and middle school basketball in Taylor, MI. Before this, I played professional basketball in Spain and Mexico. Eventually, after both endeavors, I began making music under my name, “Coach E”.

After my rookie season in Spain, I decided I wanted to pursue basketball in a different way. I wanted to give the knowledge that I’ve acquired over the years to the younger generation. There is so much that I learned on the path to overseas that I wish I knew when I was in high school. Whether it be information about college, military, or athletics. So, I began working for I9 sports, which is a beginner level sports program for kids. It was there that I realized I’d like to teach kids a bit older and moved on to coaching in high school. My first year, I was a player development coach which eventually led to assistant coach and head coach in the following years. Having that time with my students gave me purpose that I knew I was missing. We went on to best record in school history 5 years in a row. Easily making my time with them some of my fondest memories. It was my students, who led me into making music. It was my students, who motivated me to pursue another dream of mine; a rap career.

I started playing basketball at 12. I started coaching at 25. Then, I started rapping at 27. In a short time of 3 years, I’ve released 7 albums, 2 eps, and 33 singles. Music has become a release for me; mostly, I rap about mental health, meditation, and personal growth. All things that I feel very strongly about. Without basketball, I really don’t know where I’d be in life. It’s brought me so many new experiences, along with a whole crowd of people that I couldn’t see myself living without. For that, I share my deepest gratitude.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

Coming out of high school, I was not a great basketball player. Truthfully, I started off pretty bad. I could shoot and dribble very well, but I couldn’t put it together yet. I didn’t make the basketball team until my senior year in high school and struggled with walk-on tryouts at multiple colleges. After a couple years in college, I decided that I wanted to pursue basketball much further than recreation. I tried out for multiple ABA teams in Michigan and landed on the Lansing Sting. Lansing is an hour from my home and I would drive there for practice twice a week. After a season of sitting on the bench the same way I did in high school, I started to research exposure camps overseas and landed on Europrobasket in Girona, Spain. So, I save up for the cost of the camp as well as a plane ticket, and off I go. Completely alone in a different country forced me to adapt to a way of living that I wasn’t accustomed to. We would practice twice a day and play against Spainsh pro teams each weekend for one month. This was my only opportunity get a contract without prior experience playing other than high school or semi-pro. My 1st game I dominated and the 2nd game more of the same. After my second game, the program director comes to my hotel room and lets me know that I have a tryout for a pro team in Terrassa, Spain. Apparently, they saw the film of me playing and called for me to come out there. I pack up all my things, and board the train. My tryout was during one of the teams regular practices. Essentially, I’m coming to take one of the locals spots on the team, so I was not greeted with kindness by the players. I’m also not fluent in Spanish, so it was tough to know what to do. A lot of the time, I would just have to fall in line and catch on as it was happening. Fast forward to the end of the practice, the coach lets me know that I made the team and I’ll be moving there the next day. A pro player.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Advice?

Something that I explain to my kids all the time is what it actually takes to be a leader. Every team needs a leader, and that doesn’t mean someone that bosses other people around. What makes a leader, is being able to discern how other people learn best. No two people are the same, and there’s no one way to make something run successfully. Learn your team, find mutual interests. No one wants to be a part of a team where they feel overused or unappreciated.

I’ve learned over the years that everyone plays a role. If you can be the best person in your specific role, you’ll always have a job.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/detroitjcole/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CoachE_