Meet Dylan Tehada: UPB’s Digital Content Writer
Sports and basketball, in particular, have been formative to who I am today. As both an athlete and a fan, sports have given me the most priceless memories and taught me the most valuable lessons. Whether it be playing a casual game of pick up with my friends or watching my very first Golden State Warriors game at Oracle Arena during the “We Believe” era, I have developed a strong passion and love for sports that I seek to share with everyone I encounter.
I grew up in San Jose, California and fell in love with sports from the very early age of four when I played my first little league baseball game at Union Little League. From then on, not a day went by where I didn’t pick up a ball to play catch or shoot hoops or go to a practice for whatever sports season was going on at the time. Playing sports and staying active is still a daily routine to this day, and is an aspect of my life that I will forever treasure and embrace.
My love for playing basketball began in elementary school when I joined my very first NJB team. I had always been passionate about the sport growing up as a Warriors fan and being inspired by athletes like Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry, and Klay Thompson. During middle school, I started to take basketball more seriously playing for my first AAU club team, the San Jose Thunderbirds, making the Los Gatos All Net NJB team, and playing for my middle school team. Basketball progressed from a casual pastime to a transformative sport that taught me a lot about myself and the type of athlete I sought to be.
Even though I did not continue my basketball career all four years in high school at Bellarmine College Preparatory, I found myself still playing the game on a daily basis. In high school, I played varsity baseball from my sophomore year to my senior year and continued to learn and grow as an athlete on and off the field.
After graduating high school in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, I committed to Loyola Marymount University (LMU) in Los Angeles. Even though playing Division I sports was not in the cards for my college career, my love and passion for sports persisted. During my junior year, I stumbled upon an opportunity to be a practice player for the Women’s Basketball team at LMU and practiced with the team on a daily basis throughout the season. Witnessing the commitment college athletes have for their craft at the collegiate level was inspiring to see and being a part of the culture that Coach Aarika Hughes created was a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Even though my path didn’t involve me making an impact on the court as a professional or collegiate athlete, my passion to work in sports grew during my time in college. Throughout my college career, I developed a strong love for data analytics in sports and for working in the front office one day making decisions on how to build out rosters and foster a strong team culture. Throughout my four years in college, I am grateful to have learned technical skills such as marketing tactics and data analysis platforms to couple with my strong love and passion for sports. During my senior year at LMU, I got hired by the LMU Women’s Basketball team to be their Basketball Analytics student manager where I was able to apply the data and analytics skills I have learned in my classes.
An integral part of my early career in sports has been working for UPB as a Social Media intern and Digital Content writer. From day one I have always felt at home with UPB and all of the coaches, athletes, and staff. When I discovered what UPB was, I resonated with the idea of helping athletes of all ages realize their unlimited potential and have made it my mission to spread that message to the UPB community through the blogs posted on the website.
I am so grateful to be part of an organization that constantly innovates new ways of bringing out the best in their athletes and also share their love and passion for the game of basketball. As I enter a new chapter of my life after graduating college, I know I can always count on UPB to reaffirm my love for the game of basketball and I look forward to the many memories to come as a part of the UPB community.
