‘Tis the Season of Giving at UPB’s Holiday Drive

By: Dylan Tehada

The holiday season is right around the corner and in the spirit of joy and giving, UPB will be hosting a Holiday Drive event on December 15th at 3:30-4:30PM. During this event, athletes from grades 6th-8th will form teams of three to four to compete in a 3v3 Tournament. In addition to the competition, all participants will be required to bring a toy to donate to a local Bay Area fire station toy drive. This event will be a great culmination of the spirit holidays and a celebration of the UPB community and its love and passion for the game of basketball.

Matthew Eck, Senior at Junipero High School and UPBYCF’s Operations Intern, will be leading the charge in putting on this event. Eck hosted a similar event during the holidays last year where he hosted a handful of 3v3 teams at the UPB facility and coordinated a tournament for athletes to compete in. This year he is taking the success of last year’s tournament to the next level by implementing a community aspect. By donating toys, Eck hopes to make a heartfelt impact on the local youth in the Bay Area during this season of giving.

“I'm blessed to be in a good position in life, and I could never imagine not [having the] access to play basketball, so it feels good to know that I can make a difference in the community by sharing [this] opportunity,” Eck said.

One common thread between the holidays and basketball is a sense of community and togetherness. Just like a team or a fanbase relies on strength in numbers and brings people together in strong, profound ways, so do the holidays. Through this Holiday Drive event, Eck hopes to bring all members of the UPB community together to share their love for basketball and make a difference in their local communities. He recognizes the connection of community between hoops and the holidays and seeks to make this the primary thematic of the upcoming Holiday Drive.

“[The similarity between basketball and the holidays] is the team aspect of both. You're on a team, you're competing for something, you're working together for a certain goal and that brings people together to bond,” Eck said.

We are so excited to be hosting this event on Sunday, December 15th from 3:30-4:30PM and cannot wait to see the UPB community spread their love and joy for the game of basketball! For any 6th-8th graders interested in participating in this event, make sure every team member has a UPB Mindbody account and email the team info to info@upbtraining.com.