UPB’s Interns Reflect on their Summer Internship at the Facility

August 24, 2023

This summer UPB hired four interns to help out with the various training sessions at the facility in addition to providing them with experience and knowledge of player development operations in the basketball industry. As Danny Gerber, Mari Somvichian, Ryan Miles, and Dylan Tehada all depart for the school in the fall, they seek to apply what they have learned at UPB and embody the value of helping others realize that their potential is unlimited in their future endeavors.

Mari Somvichian is an incoming freshman at Loyola Marymount University where she will be playing for the women’s basketball team. She has been part of the UPB family for as long as she can remember and seeks to impart the same wisdom she has gained from training at the facility to others.

During her internship, she was responsible for assisting during private sessions and leading group training sessions. One group session she led frequently was the K-3rd grade group and found joy teaching the fundamentals of the game to the next generation of hoopers. Somvichian has found a great deal of success throughout her career and strives to be an example of what can be accomplished through hard work and dedication for young girls who are passionate about basketball. She was happy to see more girls getting involved in the group training sessions at UPB this summer, especially at a young age, and enjoyed mentoring these athletes throughout her time interning. 

She learned a great deal about how to connect with different athletes and how to apply different coaching techniques, and seeks to apply these lessons both on and off the court. 

“In the future I definitely want to give back to Oakland. Whether this be basketball related or not I feel like I learned a lot about how to connect with people this summer. Working with kids and people of all age groups will prove helpful as well,” Somvichian said.

Dylan Tehada is an incoming senior at Loyola Marymount University where he will be a practice player for the women’s basketball team. After joining the UPB community for the first time this summer, Tehada has cherished his time with the team and learned a great deal about player development. 

During his time at UPB this summer, Tehada was in charge of social media content and also helped out on court during the summer camps. As a college business student studying marketing, Tehada applied what he learned in the classroom and picked up new skills in video editing and content creation. He embraced his multifaceted role of helping UPB out on both the business side and also on court. He has always loved coaching and mentoring the next generation of athletes and took full advantage of doing so this summer. Although the summer is coming to a close, he is excited to be continuing with UPB throughout the school year and is looking forward to helping spread word about the brand. 

“The most unique thing about UPB is how family oriented it is. Everyone is welcomed with open arms and treated like family. Even though I was new to the UPB community I felt embraced from the first time I walked in the gym and found a lot of joy interacting with the UPB family,” Tehada said.  

Danny Gerber is an incoming junior at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and plays for the men’s basketball team at the school. This summer, Gerber assisted in group sessions, led private sessions, and helped with the summer camps for three weeks. In addition to rediscovering his love and passion for the game of basketball, he found joy connecting with the younger athletes and helping them find their love for the game. He embraces the UPB community and developed many strong friendships with the UPB staff. He gained a lot of experience in player development on a group level and with individual players during private sessions. 

“I really loved making connections with the kids at the summer camp. It was so much fun to see all of them slowly falling in love with basketball,” Gerber said.

Ryan Miles is a rising senior at Clarkson University and plays for the men’s basketball at his school. During the summer, Miles helped with various training sessions and even helped out with the Little Hoopers camp on Sundays. He found fulfillment in helping kids out with their craft and mentoring them to overcome obstacles.

During his time at the facility, he fully embraced the UPB community and took pride in fostering a welcoming environment for kids to work on their craft. As Miles enters his Senior year in college, he will take what he learned at UPB this summer to not only elevate his game on and off the court, but also make an impact on other hoopers as well. He seeks to instill the same passion and dedication to basketball that he has in others and seeks to embody that same love of the sport that is present at UPB.

“My favorite part of working for UPB was definitely just getting the kids better every single day.” Miles said. "It's so rewarding after, you know, you teach them something and [at first] they struggle with it, but eventually through practice and working with them, you know, they figure out what you are trying to teach them."

To learn more about the interns we had this summer and the rest of the UPB staff click thislink!As the summer wraps up we wish all of our UPB interns the best of luck in their future endeavors and are excited to see their impact on and off the court!