In that time of uncertainty for everyone during the pandemic, Randle said he was locked into working on his craft. Randle spent his time in the Bay Area, working out two to three times a day, six days a week, making sure he was prepared as possible for any opportunities coming his way.

In his first game back with the Warriors, Poole showcased his improved talent with a 26-point game against the Suns in Phoenix, shooting over 50%. He went 10-16 from the field and 5-10 from behind the arc. It was his first game of the season scoring 20 points or more, and it did not stop there.

Patel comes to UPB with these experiences in the world of basketball but most importantly a desire to help build self-confidence within all of UPB’s clients. Patel believes in learning basketball in any shape or form because he says “there’s lots of avenues for learning the game of basketball.” He also describes building confidence as a key agenda item regardless of who he is training, and so far that’s ranged from youth to college basketball players.

There’s no other way to put it besides the fact that Mikayla Cowling is a Bay Area staple. Her college career at Cal was filled with highlights, from being named to the PAC-12 All-Freshman Team in 2015 and to being named All-Pac-12 Honorable Mentions and All-Defensive Honorable Mention in 2016 and 2017, Cowling left Berkeley having impacted the area forever. After getting drafted by the Connecticut Sun in 2018, Cowling first headed overseas to develop.

Mari Somvichian started playing basketball in second grade, barely able to see the rim from her small stature. Already though, her competitive juices were flowing. Just a beginner at her new craft, Mari asked her mom to sign her up for three weeks of basketball camp in the summer. Eight years later, and now a sophomore at Oakland Tech, not much has changed: Mari is nothing if not a competitor.

Denver Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon is more than a professional athlete. He was a heralded recruit out of the Bay Area, a star at University of Arizona, and the 4th overall pick in the NBA draft. Through a diligent work ethic, mindfulness, and a strong support system he is leaving a remarkable legacy. A steady self-awareness coupled with an eagerness to always get better allows Gordon to continuously push himself in workouts and as an activist. He runs a non-profit, takes on different roles on the court, and started a media company, demonstrating to the next generation everyone's potential is unlimited.

Max Gilberg’s “Scary Hours” video of Jordan Poole in the UPB gym is a dynamic one minute mixtape showcasing the high-flying guard’s latest work on the court. The video runs for about a minute, and has garnered over 12.7k on social media. Gilberg estimates that he put close to eight hours into that video from conception to release, and actually won a video competition from it. But, even the sheer amount of work can’t epitomize just how much Gilberg lives, breathes, and eats content creation. After talking to him for just a few minutes, it’s clear how passionate he is about what he does.

There’s one particular exercise Clair Steele will never forget from UPB. And that’s Packie’s famous five-minute plank that would be thrown in at the end of workouts. Clair Steele used to dread those planks.

Kelsey Plum comes from a family of athletes. Both her parents and all three of her siblings played Division I athletics, and she is the leading scorer in Division I women’s basketball history. She is the second for both and women and had the single season record 1,109 points in 2016-17. What may seem like a career marked by milestones, even before being the first overall pick in the 2017 WNBA Draft, is one in which Plum still had much to overcome.

Drew Gordon has played for professional basketball teams in Serbia, Italy, Turkey, France, Lithuania, Russia and Poland, not to mention in the NBA and G-League. He’s seen the Eiffel Tower and Milan, and carved out a niche himself in the VTB United League in Russia, in which he’s played here for three years on four different teams. He’s averaging 15.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game this year in the league, and is here to explain just the grittiness of play overseas.

Mia Mastrov always grew up playing up. Whether it was battling with older hoopers through Miramontes High School or Cal Stars, boys, girls, or graduating high school early to play at Cal, no challenge is too big for Mastrov. There is no challenge too big for Mastrov and that is evident in her first six games she played in for the Golden Bears while most kids her age would still be frolicking as second semester high school seniors. Mastrov, on the other hand, scored 20 points in her PAC-12 debut against Utah and hit four threes. In March, she scored 12 points against Arizona State and went 4/4 from the line. Even though Mastrov turned 18 today, her goals in the PAC-12 are simple: absolute domination.

Randle is the epitome of making the best of his situation and is currently averaging five points, two rebounds and two assists per game for the Orlando Magic. And that’s not all. Off the court, Randle is a founder of Volokit, a high-end streetwear brand. For Randle the learning never stops and that is something we all in itself can take away from his time in the UPB gym and beyond.

When Redwood High School teammates were asked to describe what it was like playing with a dynamic guard like Kylie Horstmeyer, as she enrolled early to play Division I basketball at the University of San Diego, their sentiment was clear: she’s the hardest worker.

The ninth episode of Mental Buckets featured a one-of-a-kind talent on and off the court in Ky Bowman. His conversation with Packie and Mike touched on his journey from North Carolina to the NBA, with stops at Boston College, and the Santa Cruz and Golden State Warriors along the way. But, basketball was only part of the story; this podcast touched on so much more than that, and specifically the adversity that Bowman has overcome to the best version of himself.

Portland State freshman guard Jenna Kilty has seven games this season where she’s scored in double-digits. Now that’s no easy task for any Division I college basketball player, but especially one who is a freshman finding their way in this season which has been riddled by unknown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But, Kilty is no stranger to obstacles in her path.

Five-star recruit out of high school. Number one pick in the NBA Draft. Too quiet to lead. These are all labels that Anthony Bennett has worn through the years. After listening to this episode of Mental Buckets, it will become clear that Bennett is a fighter. He's overcome injury, ignored the doubters, and continuously worked to sustain a pro career in the NBA, the G-League, and internationally. Learn more about the fire that continues to drive Bennett towards basketball success, and the veteran players who've supported him, regardless of what challenges he's faced with.

Behind the creation of UPBYCF lies years of activism for both Turners and a sustained interest in bettering communities in The Bay Area. They know the statistics that six times as many low-income students drop youth sports when compared to those from high-income families because of access (Aspen Institute Project Play Initiative). They also know firsthand the power sports has to build character because “a survey of 400 female corporate executives found 94% played a sport and that 61% say sports contributed to their career success (EY Women Athletes Business Network/espnW, 2014). The launch of UPBYCF is bounded in these statistics and in past experiences both Turners have had with nonprofits such as The Boys and Girls Club, Big Homie Project, and Play MakeHers. Yearly clinics at UPB have focused on women’s empowerment, and tackled issues like access to sports, and hunger.

Justin Anderson was considered a top recruit coming out of the D.C. metro area starting in eighth grade, and was considered a top 50 prospect coming out of Montrose High School. With offers from Maryland, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Texas, it’s easy to assume he was bound for greatness immediately out of his high school, but in fact, it was his preparation and diligence on and off the court that made him able to have a successful professional basketball career.

Brandon Ashley steps into the UPB gym, and his energy radiates across the court. If Brandon is there, you feel it with each step, each dribble, each bounce. He works hard, talks loud, and plays big. Any trainer around him is probably smiling, laughing, chatting. But, make no mistake, Ashley, commonly called “Bash” by those who know him, wasn't always brimming with positivity.

Despite Omari Spellman being a nationally sought after recruit coming into college from Cleveland, his path to pro hoops was certainly not simple. Spellman talks about the toolkit he needed to make the journey possible in his appearance on Mental Buckets in which he attributes much of his success to taking on a team-first attitude.