Last season, Ivan Rabb was on another level for the Westchester Knicks. He averaged 16.5 points and 12.1 rebounds and received the Jason Collier Sportsmanship Award for his dominance on the court, and dedication to local communities off-the-court. But getting to that point wasn’t necessarily smooth sailing. On Episode 5 of Mental Buckets, Rabb talks to Packie and Mike about the steps he needed to take to realize his full potential in the NBA.

Five years ago, Jordan Jimenez picked up a point-and-shoot camera out of his mother’s closet. His track and field career had ended due to injury, he wasn’t playing basketball like he used to, and a bout of depression had dominated his early high school years. This week, he’s taking photos of Steph Curry, and is the mastermind behind all the Instagram photos in the UPB feed.

Sabrina Ionescu may be remembered for her accolades, like being the NCAA’s triple-double leader, the first pick in the WNBA draft, and a once-in-a-generation style basketball player. However, these capstone moments don’t tell the whole story.

The numbers only tell half the story. Haley Jones' mental toughness is what truly defines her.

Our third Mental Buckets episode features Dallas Mavericks Director of Mental Skills, Don Kalkstein. He is one of the first ever to break into the “mental training,” or sports psychology world of basketball, and utilize his knowledge to help athletes on and off the court. Kalkstein came to UPB via his co-worker Mike Franco, who is the lead mental skills trainer for the Mavericks’ G-League affiliate in the Texas Legends, and we can’t think of a better veteran in the industry than Kalkstein.

Many could hear such a comment and assume it’s just positivity coming from one of the best coaches in the NBA trying to motivate his players. However, Poole really did go the extra mile this offseason, and was a staple getting up shots in the UPB gym. He’s the first one to admit that improving his shooting stroke will take relentless work, and lots of time.

He touched on this moment in his Mental Buckets conversation with Packie and Mike; “I’m a firm believer that you gotta surround yourself with the right people because once you surround yourself with the right people, people in a different environment, people that have guidance, people that had a vision, it was just contagious for myself.”

Chasson Randle cemented himself in the Bay Area record books as Stanford men’s basketball all-time leading scorer, finishing his Cardinal career with 2,375 points. From Illinois Mr. Basketball to a 2018 EuroLeague Champion, Randle has made his presence felt around the world thanks to the game of basketball. But now he’s got something else in store.

Seth Curry currently has the second-highest three-point percentage in NBA history. Just a touch under Steve Kerr, Curry has converted 44% of his three-pointers. But his success carving out a role as a shooting assassin doesn’t give justice to the mental fortitude it took to get to his current role as a cornerstone of the Dallas Mavericks.

“I knew basketball was something I wanted to pursue my career in one way or another from the very first competitive game I played in 4th grade,” Ruta tells me. “The atmosphere of the game, being apart of the team, the adrenaline that rushed through your body after wins and losses, all of the ups and downs of the workouts, practices, games, injuries and successes, I knew I wanted to be a part of that for the rest of my life either through playing or coaching.”

One of my favorite parts of this transition is that I am able to develop my own learning style. I can take all of my favorite past experiences and tools that helped me along the way and use it to create my own distinctive style. We all know what we like and didn’t like from different coaches, trainers and experiences along the way. I try and use all those experiences to create a program that helped me. At the end of the day my goal for my clients is to help them find joy in the game appreciate the process of working hard at something until you get it.

The reality is that most of your competition is making this same exact mistake, so you have a really cool opportunity to use this as a secret weapon to level up your game and really separate yourself from the pack.

I’d argue that if you truly understood the treasure chest of results on the court that you would be unlocking by eating properly, you would be open to implementing those strategies. By the end of this article, you will have a crystal clear understanding of exactly how fueling properly will allow you to use nutrition as your “secret weapon” and finally achieve the level of athletic performance on the basketball court that has been eluding you for so long.

At UPB, we are committed to being a part of the change to always support and empower female ballers. In February, we hosted an 100% free clinic for local girls and were met with a full gym and 30+ attendees.

UPB partners with The Boys and Girls Club of The Peninsula, Stanford Basketball, others to create a community event in December.

The clinic at UPB was made available to girls of all ages, from Kindergarten through 12th grade, as well as boys. Appearances at the October She Hoops included countless college and pro basketball players include current Stanford superstar and high school player of the year, Haley Jones, former Santa Clara guard Iman Scott as well as the most beloved photographer in the NBA, Cassy Athena. She currently has over 200k followers on Instagram and has shot the likes of LeBron James and Steph Curry. Beyond being an overwhelming hit, She Hoops was also for a worthy cause because 10% of camp proceeds ultimately supported breast cancer research and awareness.

At UPB, there’s an intention behind every step taken with an athlete, regardless of age or level. Whether rolling with a tennis ball, using a resistance band while shooting jumpers, or even practicing on the Vertimax, various basketball as well as physical and mental health professionals weigh in on every decision made. Every athlete we have will be pushed, but a distinction is made between being challenged and overworked.

Ezra Manjon: Manjon will most certainly be a candidate for Big West Rookie of the Year next year as he starts his collegiate career at UC-Davis. Manjon averaged 15.8 points and five assists as a senior at Heritage High School, and concluded his season with a 33 point outburst in the NorCal Regionals. Off the court, Manjon lists Raising Canes and Chick-Fil-A as two of his go-to restaurants. 

During spring workouts with our staff, Hayes worked on improving his soft touch, footwork and the ability to make reads. Off the court, he is a self-proclaimed “Momma’s Boy” and has the swagger of a champion (look no further than his Simpsons themed necklace at the draft). Looking forward to seeing the 1-2 punch with Zion in New Orleans now that Hayes has explored the West Coast and seen his favorite animal, a giraffe, live with Packie.