Get to Know UPB’s New Player Development Coach: Garrett Kelly

January 25, 2024

By: Dylan Tehada

Garrett Kelly has come a long way since he first started hooping in sixth grade. After spending two years in middle school learning the game and developing his skills, Kelly fell in love with basketball. His love for the game has grown leaps and bounds since he first started playing and has become an integral part of his life. His dedication and hard work not only helped him find success as a basketball player, but equipped him with valuable skills that he was able to apply both on and off the court.

Garrett Kelly started playing basketball in middle school, and fell in love with the game from the get go. Born and raised in Menlo Park, Garrett played club ball for the Bay Area Commanders and went to high school at Summit Prep where he played basketball for all four years and was the team captain for three years. Throughout his high school career, Garrett found great success leading all of the CCS in points per game and won PSAL First Team All-League during his senior year. 

At Summit Prep, Kelly got a lot of reps as a starter and devoted his time to continue elevating his game and making a name for himself. After an impressive high school tenure, Kelly took his talents to the University of California, Santa Cruz where he played four years of college hoops and just graduated in June of 2023. Looking back on his playing career, Kelly says that his biggest takeaway and lesson learned was the hard work it takes to continue improving as a player.

“Some of the things that I've learned through basketball is just the day-to-day grind of improving and getting one percent better every single day,” Kelly said. “If you can just get a little bit better every single day then over a course of many years, you can improve so much.”

As Kelly begins his next chapter in basketball as a Player Development Coach at UPB, he seeks to share his experience and insight to the next generation of young hoopers. He understands firsthand the importance of the mental side of the game and how a confident mentality is integral to finding success. He admires how UPB athletes focus on attention to detail and hone their skills in all aspects of the game from the physical skill sets to mental practices. As a Player Development Coach, Kelly seeks to instill good mental skills habits in his athletes that can be applied both on and off the court.

“Teaching the right mindset [an athlete] should be in as a player is something that I think kids can use in other parts of their life,” Kelly said.

We are excited to see Kelly’s contribution to the UPB community and are looking forward to seeing him spread his joy and love for the game as the next generation of Bay Area hoopers. Kelly embodies an athlete realizing their unlimited potential and the hard work necessary to continue improving and elevating their game. His key to success on and off the court: a confident mindset.

“[In basketball] there's going to be ups and downs, the same thing happens in your life. There's going to be good moments. There's gonna be bad moments, but it's really controlling what you can control and just enjoying the moment,” Kelly said.