Becoming a Better Guard One Rep at a Time

2.5 Minute Read
By: Andrea Aruino

Mateo Dilley has been a part of the UPBasketball community for more than five years now. He grew up with an older brother, Connor, who introduced him to the basics of basketball, something that he would grow to incorporate in his daily life. Before Mateo knew it, he was walking into UPB as a young kid who sat watching his brother practice alongside other players, a path that seemed destined to find him. His journey with basketball began even before he was born, his father Adrian was close friends with Coach Packie’s brother who kept him in touch with the growth of UPB. It was inevitable that Mateo’s basketball journey would first begin at UPB, a place he’d learn to love and grow at. 

At the age of three years old Mateo began playing basketball, it wasn’t short after that when he began attending his own UPB training sessions. His growth from three years old to now, as a seventh grader, didn’t happen over night. Being a two way player who found himself at the shooting guard and point guard position, required speed and agility in order to stand out from other players. Mateo currently plays for an AAU team called the Mavericks where he has a goal of sharpening his ability to finish at any distance. As a shooting guard/point guard, Mateo loves working on using his size to his advantage. Being a smaller scorer allows him to use his speed and agility to pass and finish, something that Coach Corey and Coach Colby have been focusing on during Mateo’s private sessions in order to apply that into his AAU team. 

“Coach Corey and Coach Colby like to add game-like drills into our practices. For example, shooting or dribbling, I can see that in games when I’m able to get by people. Something that I’ve also noticed improvement on are my floaters, something that Coach Corey and I work a lot on,” Mateo said. 

Adrian and his wife, Claudia, have been huge supporters of Mateo’s journey in basketball, bringing him into his private sessions every Monday. Adrian who has been around since the early stages of UPB has seen the growth and admires the ways in which coaches are able to tend to a players different style of play. 

“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. 

Mateo’s commitment to a solid routine has been key to his growth, allowing him to steadily build on his skills and progress with intention. Last year, he recorded a career high of 18 points along with six rebounds. It doesn’t matter if he’s tired, he’s going to keep pushing and the UPB coaches will be right behind him. Working consistently with the same coaches has provided him not only with a strong foundation, but also with the guidance to recognize his strengths and the clarity to continue improving on his weaknesses. It’s the support system and the uplifting environment at UPB that continue to bring him back.

“I just love the vibes. Everyone is so encouraging and I enjoy being able to work with Coach Corey and Colby all the time. My private workouts with them are my favorite part of coming here,” Mateo said. 

It’s the support system and the uplifting environment at UPB that continue to bring him back. Not only has it been a great experience for Mateo but it has also been a wonderful sight for his parents who are able to see his growth in real time, knowing that their son is in the hands of coaches who are eager to help him reach his goals.