Marvin Lui Shares his Daughter’s Experience in UPB’s Little Hoopers Train and Play

By: Dylan Tehada

The Little Hoopers Train and Play clinic has been a major success in the UPB community. The clinic is catered to athletes ages 3 to 5 and equips them with fundamental basketball skills in a fun and engaging way. This clinic takes place on Sundays from 9am to 9:45am and on Tuesdays from 4pm to 4:45pm. Little Hoopers regular Marvin and Kat Lui, and his daughters, Madisyn and Kamryn Lui, have been Little Hoopers regulars since the clinic began at UPB.

Basketball runs in the Lui family as both Marvin and his wife, Kat, have experience playing ball and have maintained their love and passion for the game to this day. Marvin continues to share his knowledge for the game as the varsity coach for San Mateo High School and seeks to instill the same love he has for the game into his daughters. 

“It means a lot [to see Madisyn and Kamryn begin their basketball journeys] because the game of basketball has taught [my wife and I] a lot. My wife and I actually met playing the game of basketball, so seeing how my girls are picking it up and seeing how they are enjoying it means a lot to us,” Lui said.

The Little Hoopers clinic focuses on equipping young hoopers with the fundamental skills of the game in a fun way that instills passion and dedication for the game. Drills include shooting, dribbling, and basic footwork to give young athletes a strong foundation to continue their basketball careers. 

“When you look at Little Hoopers, I think it's unique because a lot of the drills are adjusted for kids at a younger age, but the foundation in terms of teaching them different skills and the different steps that you need are all there,” Lui said. “It sets that foundation for when [young athletes] go on to the next level and gives [the young athletes] a great introduction into the basketball world in terms of all the things that they need to know.”

The lessons the game of basketball has to teach is not reliant on age and experience level. Even the youngest hoopers can learn so much about how to realize their unlimited potential and follow what they are most passionate about. The Little Hoopers clinic is focused on helping these young athletes not only develop their basketball skills, but also learn the intangible skills necessary to take their game to the next level. According to Lui, the key to realizing one’s unlimited potential is simple: have fun.

“Keeping it fun, making it to where little kids can start to enjoy being on the court is the number one thing. Planting those seeds early by making the experience fun, while they're also learning and seeing themselves improving fuels their passion,” Lui said. “That's where Little Hoopers comes in because the kids are very impressionable and providing them a great space and a safe space for them to learn and have fun will lead to them being becoming more passionate [about the game.]”