“ A flow state is when someone is totally immersed in a task. This can be triggered when one’s skills are right at the cusp of the challenge at hand. It involves complete absorption into what you are doing, to the point where you’re so focused that nothing distracts you. In flow, time feels altered - like it’s either passing quickly or slowing down. Actions feel effortless, and it usually leads to a deep enjoyment in what you’re doing.”

“When I first got the call for this job, obviously the basketball aspect excited me with having the opportunity to work with some of the best athletes in the world. The first reason why I jumped on this opportunity was it being in a different country and being able to explore the world. That’s the beauty of life and it’s a privilege to be able to have the opportunity to go into a different country and learn how they do things and support what they're doing,” Johnson said.

“It's regular basketball. You get a great workout, but we'll be incorporating mindset into it. That's what makes this unique. We’re not doing mindset performance training on the side, we’re changing our language as we train. Instead of saying, ‘make the shot’ we'll say, ‘trust your shot.’ Trust your shot means we don't even know if it's going to go in or out, let it rip though,” Betchart said. 

“Photography puts me in a lot cooler rooms than I should be. I'm like, ‘There's no reason I should be in here,’” Washington said. “I give a lot of credit to Packie, honestly. He lets me come in and do what I do best, he lets me create. He completely trusts me with what I'm doing and that freedom is something I’m grateful for.”

“Seeing all the kids walk through our doors is always the most rewarding part especially when it's first timers. One of the girls who were in one of the all girls clinics just started doing private lessons with me. So being able to build connections through our clinics and bringing children together from all over the Bay Area is the most rewarding part,” Coach V said.

“UPB really helped me with being more comfortable in my skills. I still struggle with things like dribbling and my mid-range but attending group sessions helps me to see progress in real time. I have also gained more confidence while playing against more skilled players,” Yan said.

 “I’m super thankful to our community for just supporting what we do here at UPB and trusting us to help them with this part of their life. Basketball teaches us so much about life and we are able to teach these kids so much through the game and I am thankful for the parents trusting us with that,” Coach Johnson said.

 “Jayla is a relentless worker. She comes in every session ready to work, ready to learn, and ready to be challenged. She's a competitor and holds herself to a really high standard which is a testament to her work ethics. I’m excited to see all her hard work pay off and just for her to embrace her role on her team this year,” Coach Hannah said.

“One of the things that I want all the kids to take away from UPB is just having confidence,” Toon said. “I want all the kids to walk out with the right mentality and just know that they can accomplish anything that they want if they work hard for it.”

“In order to see myself on the court more, I’ve realized that I need to be more of a defensive asset because of how much the team values that. That’s something that I think I’ve improved on during the short time that I’ve been here. Coming into a team with that background pushes me to be a force that tires out our opponents guards,” Lum said.

“With Coach V in private training, she helps me advance my IQ by making me do drills where I have to go with a certain rule depending on where her hips or her foot is facing. She also helps me be more confident when I play in games,” Carson said. 

“It meant a lot because I am Mexican and Puerto Rican, so playing in these two places and getting to experience the culture out there and the life out there was special. The language barriers were frustrating at times but still being able to be in a place where the language is different was different but beautiful,” Cedeño said.

Young and Gray, who work with Coach Turner, have once again proven why they are a duo whose skills are unbeatable in a way that uplifts their teammates. Three championships in four years not only marks another banner for the city of Las Vegas but it also symbolizes the sustained excellence that this organization has given this generation.

“A brand tour is more than promo; it’s a value check. Navigating a new culture, media market, and schedule sharpens leadership and communication. Players learn to represent themselves and their partners globally—skills that carry onto the court and into the locker room,” Turner said.

“I was really drawn to Coach Hannah’s energy during a group session. You can tell she wants all of the players to improve and I wanted to work with someone who was ready to challenge me. We work on a lot of shooting and quick-release work but she’s also been huge in my mental game. She gave me breathing exercises that help to keep me mentally focused throughout games,” Lin said.

“We’ve been going to UPB for a while now and we’ve seen so many great coaches come in and out. They always come equipped with great tips because they’re all players of the game. For Mateo, he’s still growing but the work he does with Corey really correlates with his specific position which has been huge for Mateo’s skill growth,” Adrian said.

“People are the best learning resources. Everyone has different experiences and being able to talk to people and learn from others is a great way to learn and train as a coach. If coaches can take even 1 thing new that they didn’t know or didn’t think of then to me that’s a success,” Coach Hannah said. 

 “Working at UPB as a Digital Content Writer has opened up avenues for myself that I didn’t even know were possible. As a lifelong Bay Area native and advocate for women’s sports, I had applied to an internship with the Golden State Valkyries which was a goal of mine the day they announced their expansion. I was both shocked and deeply grateful to be accepted to work with them. Once again I was given the opportunity to learn about basketball on a deeper level. The experiences I had, taught me how to represent a brand even further and at the professional level.”

“In the beginning, Packie was running all of the practice sessions with a couple of other trainers. Now we have Hannah, Corey, Colby, and many more working with the kids day in and day out and it feels good to know that I can trust them in creating a positive and uplifting environment,” Bianca Turner said.

“It gives kids a space to be themselves, learn the game and just really have a good time. We  challenge them and push them but we aren’t getting mad at mistakes or missed shots, we encourage it because that’s how you learn and get better so it’s also a place to make mistakes and improve,” Coach Hannah said.