Claudia Fisher Dominates the Game for the Cal Stars EYBL team and the San Jose Cagers
By: Dylan Tehada
Claudia Fisher has built quite the basketball resume at such a young age. As she wraps up her eighth grade year and prepares for high school ball, she seeks to continue elevating her game to the next level and fulfilling her basketball dreams. Her hard work and dedication to the game has paid off immensely and has set her up for success as a new chapter of high school ball looms near.
Fisher has been playing basketball for as long as she can remember. Growing up in New Jersey, she started her basketball journey playing CYO ball and went to camps where she met newly hired Chicago Sky head coach and former WNBA player Teresa Weatherspoon. Fisher and her family moved to the Bay Area in 2017, and as her love for the game grew, she started to play on more competitive club teams. She first joined the San Jose Cagers, directed by the legendary Archbishop Mitty women’s basketball head coach, Sue Phillips. After playing for Phillips and the Cagers for a couple of years, she then joined Cal Stars, directed by Kelly Sopak, and has been playing for both club teams simultaneously ever since.
Her ability to work on her craft and play for two teams at once is a testament to her dedication to the game and her drive to continue improving. Through the guidance of helpful coaches, such as Sue Phillips, and role models, like Teresa Weatherspoon, Fisher has learned a great deal about how to pave a successful basketball career. Her biggest lesson: let her game speak for itself.
“When I make a mistake in basketball, I know there is always a next play to make up for my mistake, which can be on offense or defense. Basketball is not just a physical sport; it's also a mental sport,” Fisher said. “I learned that when there is a lot of pressure, or you're in your head too much, you should take a deep breath and play your game. It doesn't matter what others think of you; it's how you react.”
While attending St. Matthew Catholic School in San Mateo, Fisher was first introduced to the UPB community when Coach Packie Turner hosted a training session at her school. This training session sparked her interest in training at UPB more often and honing her skills. Since then she has been routinely training at the facility, taking part in group training and Coach Packie’s small group training sessions. While training at UPB she has particularly appreciated the attention to detail that has been instilled in her while training various facets of the game from the physical tools to the mental skills.
“[At UPB] I learned that you have to put time and dedication into every single detail to perfect it,” Fisher said.
As Fisher continues her basketball journey, she will have strong support and motivation from her parents to help pursue her dreams. Even though her career is just getting started and big things lie ahead, her parents admire Fisher’s hard work ethic and unconditional love and passion for the game.
“Her work ethic is top notch. She wants to be better and do better. Her dedication is phenomenal… If training is an hour, she's there for an hour and a half,” Renee Fisher, Claudia’s mother, said.
Claudia embodies what it takes to realize one’s unlimited potential and we cannot wait to see what is in store for her as her basketball journey continues to unfold!
