About NBC Camps
At NBC Camps, our mission is to equip every athlete with the intrinsic tools to overcome adversity and rise above any challenge, both on and off the court. For more than 55 years, we have trained athletes to succeed inside and outside of sports.
Today, we operate basketball, volleyball, and soccer camps across six countries. As we prepare year-round to deliver the world's most impactful camp experience, our team remains deeply guided by our five core values.
FAITH — Our Foundation
We are grounded in Christian faith and values. We seek to honor God in how we lead, serve, and develop people.
SERVICE — People Before Ourselves
We lead by serving. We invest in people, build meaningful relationships, and put the needs and growth of others ahead of ourselves.
EXCELLENCE — Raise the Standard
We pursue excellence in our sport, our work, and ourselves. We prepare well, teach well, and hold ourselves to high standards.
TRANSFORMATION — Better Players. Better People.
We believe people can become more than they are today. We challenge, encourage, and equip people to grow—on the court and in life.
COMMITMENT — Nothing Beats Commitment.
We show up, follow through, persevere, and stay committed to the people and the process. We don't quit when growth gets hard.
To truly understand the heart of NBC Camps, we invite you to watch this video. We believe deeply in the power of story and the importance of seeing every camper as an individual. The following story perfectly captures our mission, purpose, and the lasting impact of our program.
The Heart of a Walk-On: This video shares the journey of an NBC camper who walked on at Gonzaga University and went on to become the very heartbeat of Gonzaga Basketball. His path speaks directly to our core belief in hard work, resilience, and the life-changing power of having people in your corner who encourage you to keep dreaming.
NBC - Nothing Beats Commitment
NBC Camps began as Northwest Basketball Camp in Cusick, Washington in 1971. Coach Fred Crowell had a dream to pair intensive basketball skill development with the importance of encouragement, enthusiasm, self-discipline, and gratitude.
Since 1971, hundreds of thousands of campers have come to camp. Northwest Basketball Camp has become Nothing Beats Commitment Camps focused on helping campers find the courage to be committed to a life of excellence. For 50 years, we have committed to training better players and better people.
What makes NBC Camps so unique?
What defines an excellent life? A life that isn't about perfection or external success as much as it is about the internal qualities of living life with gratitude, mental toughness, the strength of character, grit, and the will to overcome any difficulty with dignity and confidence.
NBC Camps offer intensive training for basketball, volleyball, and soccer.
NBC Camps are unique in the world of sports because we combine world-class sport specific training with psychological and spiritual training. This means skill mastery: emotional intelligence skill development in developing confidence, courage, self-discipline, and integrity.
- We train the total athlete.
- Hard work pays off is a key motto at NBC Camps.
- We coach specifically to the needs of the player.
NBC Camps emphasize the importance of goal setting, gratitude, positive attitude, integrity, forgiveness, leadership, and strong personal faith. Camps are founded on Christian principles including a belief in Jesus Christ. Campers from all faiths attend. Every camper is important, one we value and honor.
Camps typically range from 3-5 days, with a very specific mission.
We teach according to the needs of each athlete.
High School Athletes
Now is your time to stand out. We give you the tools to become a true game-changer whose presence elevates the entire team. By combining elite basketball skill development with character, you will build the transformational leadership coaches are looking for. Your dreams matter—let us help you achieve exactly what you were designed to be.
Focus - Transformational Leadership
Junior High Athletes
You are in the prime position to master the game. This pivotal stage requires a rock-solid foundation paired with an awakening of how to play intelligently. We help you build a habit of wise decisions on and off the court. Junior high is a highly formative milestone; let us help you launch your path in sports and life with confidence.
Focus - Wise Decisions
Elementary Athletes
You are in the most rapid physical skill-building window of your life. The choices you make today shape the athlete and person you become tomorrow. In just five days, we help young athletes establish exceptional habits in both technique and attitude, setting the ultimate baseline for a bright future.
Focus - Life Habits
The NBC Experience: Key Features
Proven Transformational Process: Celebrating 55 years of excellence, we specialize in life-changing growth. Campers consistently credit our programs with helping them achieve profound personal transformation.
Advanced Skill Development: We provide elite, high-level training designed for individuals looking to stand out and excel. Attracting students from around the world, our advanced curriculum prepares participants to reach their ultimate long-term potential.
Intentional Habit Training: Excellence is built on daily routines. We help younger participants establish strong foundational choices, while teaching older students how to identify blind spots and replace bad habits with healthy, lasting routines.
Leadership and Communication Mastery: True leaders elevate everyone around them. We give participants the actionable tools, confidence, and communication frameworks required to lead with impact and collaborate effectively.
Dynamic, Interactive Learning: We believe real learning requires active engagement. All of our curriculum modules and training sessions are fully interactive, ensuring participants learn by doing rather than just listening.
Personalized Assessment and Growth Tools: Growth requires an honest look at where you stand. Our staff provides regular, objective personal evaluations and metrics, giving each participant a clear, actionable roadmap to level up.
Mindset & Mental Training: A leader in attitude and visualization training for 55 years, we teach participants how to cultivate mental resilience, focus, and a positive mindset to overcome any obstacle.
Personal Investment and Support: We believe every participant has a name and a need. Our instructors intentionally invest in knowing each individual’s unique strengths, goals, and dreams to support them on their journey.
NBC Basketball Camps
Unlock your potential with NBC Basketball Camps, a premier global training program operating across 55 years of excellence, 6 countries, and over 50 cities worldwide. Our signature Complete Player Camp combines high-intensity skill training, strategic on-court intelligence, and elite leadership development within a faith-forward, Christian atmosphere. This immersive experience is specifically engineered to deliver comprehensive, end-to-end skill progression while equipping competitive athletes with the mental resilience and character required to excel both on the court and in life. Secure your spot today and experience the NBC difference.
NBC Volleyball Camps
Backed by a 55-year legacy of athletic excellence, NBC Volleyball Camps has expanded to premier locations across the United States and Canada. Our high-energy programs are built for athletes who want to separate themselves from the competition by mastering individual skill development, sharp volleyball IQ, and high-intensity training.
At NBC, we don't just build better players, we build leaders. Through our signature transformational leadership curriculum, you will gain the mental resilience and character required to excel both on the court and in life.
Ready to dominate this summer? Spaces fill quickly for our overnight and day camp programs. Find your nearest location and secure your spot today to experience the NBC Camps difference.
NBC International Travel Teams
Since 1977, NBC Camps has been matching athletes with the journey of a lifetime. Our international travel teams give players the rare opportunity to step onto the world stage, compete against international talent, and explore magnificent historic sites across Germany, U.K., Italy, and Spain.
This isn't just a trip,it’s a transformative milestone. Athletes expand their global perspective, build lifelong friendships, and develop the premium leadership skills and independence required to succeed at the next level and in life.
Apply today to join a legacy of global excellence and take your game around the world.
NBC Camps History
Founded in 1971 as Northwest Basketball Camp, NBC Camps began with a single camp in Cusick, Washington, serving 108 campers. Founder Fred Crowell brought an extraordinary vision shaped by his early coaching career. At just 23 years old, he became one of the youngest Division I coaches in America. Under his leadership, the University of Alaska Fairbanks achieved its first winning season in school history.
Crowell later joined Campus Crusade for Christ as the first coach for Athletes in Action—an exhibition program that competed against top 20 NCAA teams throughout the season while sharing a message of community and wholeness. The team went on to become one of the most successful exhibition programs of its time.
Coach Crowell dreamed of a basketball camp that would train athletes to win both on and off the court. He envisioned a program that delivered elite basketball instruction while creating an atmosphere of encouragement, hard work, respect, and compassion. Drawing from his Division I coaching experience and his background in psychology as a former family counselor, Crowell sought to give athletes an edge—physically, mentally, and spiritually—by teaching a disciplined life of excellence.
Many believed his idea of combining athletics, faith, and values was unrealistic. More than 55 years later, Crowell’s dream has become a global reality. What began as a single basketball camp has expanded into multiple sports, with approximately 10,000 athletes participating in NBC Camps programs around the world each year.
Today, NBC Camps is one of the largest overnight basketball and volleyball programs in the world and has also offered instruction in lacrosse, track, football, and soccer as well. Over the past 55 years, NBC has trained hundreds of thousands of athletes at camp locations in the United States, Austria, Canada, the United Kingdom, Thailand, and Italy, and more. NBC Camps remains dedicated to elevating personal excellence on and off the court.
Our goal is to teach athletes to compete with confidence, a high skill level, and intensity. NBC Camps focuses on building the total athlete—mentally, physically, relationally, and spiritually.
NBC Camps Leadership History
Fred Crowell; Founder
Founded in 1971 as Northwest Basketball Camp, NBC Camps began with a single camp in Cusick, Washington, serving 108 campers. Founder Fred Crowell brought a bold vision to life after an impressive early career in coaching. At just 23 years old, he became one of the youngest Division I coaches in America. Under his leadership, the University of Alaska Fairbanks achieved its first winning season in school history.
Crowell later left Alaska to join Campus Crusade for Christ, where he became the first coach for Athletes in Action—an exhibition program that competed against top 20 NCAA teams throughout the season. The team shared a message of community and wholeness while developing into one of the most successful exhibition programs of its time.
Coach Crowell dreamed of a basketball camp that would train athletes to win both on and off the court. He envisioned a program that delivered elite basketball instruction while fostering an environment of encouragement, hard work, respect, and compassion. Drawing from his Division I coaching experience and his background in psychology as a former family counselor, Crowell sought to give athletes a competitive edge—physically, mentally, and spiritually—by teaching a disciplined life of excellence.
Many believed his idea of combining athletics, faith, and values was unrealistic. More than 55 years later, Crowell’s dream has become a global reality. What began as a single basketball camp has grown to include multiple sports, with approximately 10,000 athletes participating in NBC Camps programs around the world each year.
Coach Crowell personally led the organization for over 40 years and remained actively involved until his passing in 2021, following a courageous battle with cancer.
Jennifer (Crowell) Ferch; COO
Fred’s daughter, Jennifer, assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer of NBC Camps in 2014. Having grown up at camp, she spent nearly every summer of her life there—first as a camper, then supporting the family mission behind the scenes. She went on to work at camps throughout the Northwest, eventually serving as a camp director for many years, even while raising her three young daughters.
As a young staff member, Jennifer met her future husband at NBC Camps, Dr. Shann Ferch. A standout college athlete, Shann went on to enjoy a successful career as an overseas professional basketball player and now serves as a Professor of Leadership Studies at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.
With a background in psychology and counseling, Jennifer’s compassionate leadership and dynamic teaching ability helped guide NBC Camps into its sixth decade of operations. She has long been the creative force behind NBC’s content and curriculum and played a key role in sustaining the organization through the global pandemic in 2020. Known for her inspiring speaking, tireless work ethic, and servant-leadership approach, Jennifer consistently puts loving and serving God and others at the forefront of NBC’s mission. Her reach and impact within the NBC Camps community—and beyond—cannot be overstated.
Jennifer carried on her father’s legacy as the leader of NBC Camps through 2025.
If you have questions, we would love to talk with you.
Call us at 1-800-406-3926. Or reach us via email.