Destiny Ramsey wasn’t the first. Every athlete faces it eventually, a life devoid of practices, games, cheering crowds.
“You’ve been playing that sport your whole life and it just turns off one day,” Ramsey said. “It’s the most harsh, humbling reality. You’re like, ‘OK, I’m a senior, I’m done. What’s next? Do I want to go pro? Do I want to go back home? Do I want to move across the country?’
“It’s the full exploratory process of what’s next.”
The end of Ramsey’s basketball playing days came at Division II University of Illinois-Springfield, where she was a two-time all-conference player.
Prior to that, there were two seasons as a National Junior College Athletic Association All-American at Illinois Central College and a stellar, all-conference career at University High School.
It was a lot to leave behind.
Yet, while Ramsey could no longer grab rebounds and make shots, she could make a difference through basketball. And she could do it in her beloved Bloomington-Normal.
“I just knew I wanted to get back in my community somehow and give back to the community I was raised in and be able to express everything I’ve learned to the kids,” Ramsey said.
“My biggest mission was to be who I needed (as a youth) when it was my turn in the community. I wanted to be who I needed and be the coach that I needed, so I created that program.”
Ramsey started Royalty Hoops Etc. in 2021, initially as a basketball skills training business. Taking advantage of connections made during her playing days, she added travel teams in 2022.
There were five travel teams that year, nine in 2023 and 12 last year. The number is up to 16 this year, including summer and winter competitions.
‘Anybody is welcome’
“I have fourth graders through seniors in high school (on travel teams),” said Ramsey, Royalty Hoops Etc. owner, CEO and girls head coach. “My skills training is third grade though seniors. Anybody is welcome. You don’t have to be on a Royalty team to come train in my gym.
“I just want to help kids get better. That’s my priority. I don't care what school you go to, who you play with. I want to make sure you’re in a gym getting better and I can help you with that.”
Royalty Hoops Etc. is a blend of Ramsey’s love for basketball and a business acumen built through her education. She has a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s in business administration with a human resource management certificate.
Ramsey is doing it all while working full-time at State Farm Insurance as an Agency Opportunity Specialist and serving as the girls junior varsity coach at U-High.
“I’m blessed with a job at State Farm that allows me to coach. I’m basically coaching future agents,” Ramsey said. “I’m coaching in every aspect of my life.”
The long-term goal is for Royalty Hoops Etc. to grow to the point Ramsey could “hang up the corporate life and be my own boss and coach full-time doing what I love the most, which is basketball.”
Ramsey, 29, recently was a “20 under 40” recipient from the McLean County Chamber of Commerce and The Pantagraph, recognizing her as “an outstanding professional and community leader through her commitment to community service and leadership that inspires others across Central Illinois.”
She has found her niche after being a women’s basketball assistant coach for two years at Illinois Central College and one year at Illinois-Springfield.
Ramsey also coached the Parkside Junior High seventh-grade girls in 2022 before becoming U-High’s junior varsity coach in 2024. She is on the staff of head coach Laura Sellers, who coached Ramsey as a player.
“She’s always been driven,” Sellers said. “I didn’t know when she kind of got into coaching how much she enjoyed helping anyone at any age at any ability level. That’s what makes her special.
“There might be kids who come in and work out with her who are never going to play basketball. So it takes some patience. But she’ll work with anybody at any age and they’ll leave a better player.”
Finding a home
Royalty Hoops Etc. does not have a home gym, though that will change in February. Ramsey said she has signed a lease for a halfcourt facility in the Twin Cities.
Currently, the organization holds training and practices at numerous facilities, including the U-High gym and the Eastview Community Center, former site of the YMCA in Bloomington.
“We have some great educators in our program who allow us space in their schools,” Ramsey said. “It (the halfcourt facility) will be a great opportunity for our kids to have a home space to go and just get better. It’s not necessarily the end goal, but it’s a start.”
Ramsey said her human resources certificate has served her well in hiring staff. The emphasis is on employees who “want to coach and mentor kids and give back.” Parents and volunteers also are among the “phenomenal people next to me who make it go,” Ramsey said.
The organization’s website, royaltyhoopsetc.net, lists its core values as positive attitude, empowering others, stronger together, trust & love the process and community service. The program seeks to equip players with the knowledge and skills to play any position on the court. It also includes team bonding and community outreach.
“It’s way beyond basketball,” Ramsey said. “I wanted to create the program I wish I’d had when I was coming up. I didn’t do my first community service project until I got to college. What a humbling experience that was, feeding the homeless, going to different shelters and going caroling for older people during the holiday season.
“We do a lot of things with the Midwest Food Bank and we work closely with the Bloomington Crisis Nursery. We try our best to get in the community and be a presence so people see us more than just basketball.”
The pace is hectic for Ramsey, who admits, “I feel like sometimes I don’t sleep.”
“I know I do. I’m positive that I sleep every night at some point,” she added. “But some days are longer than others for sure. This time of year is crazy with holiday tournaments, practices every day. I have a partner and he has two kids who I’m also helping raise.
“So we’re balancing the coach, mom, business owner, friends, family. We’re balancing a lot. But I love it. It doesn’t feel like work in any of my jobs. I’ve always been told to work so hard that your work doesn’t feel like work and you’ll be happy. And I’m in a spot where I’m happy.”
