“[Committing] felt so unreal. I was like, wow. I'm just so blessed to even get an offer,” Bariteau said. “It's been my dream since I was younger to play basketball in college, so to get a D1 offer, it's crazy to me. It really felt unreal but I’m so happy about it, it's awesome.”

“I see athletes struggle with their identity all the time and I believe they need to be taught how to separate themselves and their performance from their worth. Being present and in the moment can really help with this,” Turner said. “I know that our gym is the first place many children learn about mindfulness. If incorporating mindfulness into our training sessions helps even just one person I feel like we have succeeded.”

“I have great relationships with all my teammates and all my coaches, it just feels natural. I can say what I need to say or I can ask anyone if I ever need help with anything,” Anastasieska said. “I think it's kind of a mutually beneficial relationship where I can ask them anything and they'll help me and vice versa.”

On to Hawkins’ second workout of the day, that was when Illinois women's basketball players Sara Anastasieska, De’myla Brown and Solape Amusan joined the session. During that workout they focused on different combo moves into finishes such as the eurostep, spin moves and step throughs. They also worked on ball handling and shooting, working from the midrange and then moving out to the three-point line. Hawkins said the workout was close to the traditional UPB workouts she normally does at the facility.

“I would say committing felt unreal. Since I was four years old I've always dreamt of playing basketball at the next level,” Moore said. “I would say it just feels amazing to be able to play at such a high level.”

Brookshire credits much of her success and accomplishments within her professional career overseas due to training her mindset and training at UPB’s facility that centers both physical and mental training. She said having a sound mind and strong mindset has helped navigate her through obstacles that have come up and has helped her feel good both on and off the court.

This season, Ionescu played in 30 regular season games, and she started in 26 of them. In the 30 games she played, Ionescu averaged 11.7 points, 6.1 assists and 5.7 rebounds. In her first regular season game back, Ionescu dropped 25 points and hit the game winner with 0.4 seconds remaining on the clock to give the Liberty their first win of the season against the Indiana Fever with a score of 90-87.

Guttadauro has many goals for her upcoming years at UTSA. Not only does she want to win a Conference Championship, but she says her main goal and dream is to go all the way to the NCAA Tournament.

Barnes, Queta and five more rookies that played in the Summer League trained with Unlimited Potential Basketball’s Coach Packie in Santa Barbara to prepare for Summer League as well as in Las Vegas during the Summer League.

Silva has big goals for his college career. Silva said his biggest goal during his time at Stanford is winning a Pac-12 Championship and taking Stanford back to the NCAA tournament. He also wants to add more NBA players to their lineage. For his freshman season, he is looking forward to the success as well as the adversity the year brings.

“Just seeing yourself get better every day, you know, it's really satisfying, and thinking about how far you have come, it's a good feeling,” Klapper said. “That's pretty much the main motivation, is just trying to get better.”

Heart Water is a three-time International Award Winning Water that was founded in 2017 by Ylianna and Michael Dadashi. The water is Artisan Alkaline rainwater that is directly from the clouds, and through their unique purification process, they ensure the most naturally purest water available.

The benefits of Pilates include the improvement of posture, flexibility, athletic performance, agility, mental focus and body awareness. It also reduces stress, tension and lower back pain while also correcting imbalances in the body.

“It's a really special time just because it's guys achieving their dreams, and you're a part of that process with them as they're pretty close to it,” Coach Packie said. “You're helping them, you know, make a jump to really solidify themselves and make a team take them, so it's a special time just in general [and] a lot of good energy. All the way around it's an exciting time for them as they begin their professional career.”

Unlimited Potential Basketball’s Coach Packie recently traveled to Santa Barbara from Burlingame for eight weeks to help prepare these five talented young men for the 2021 NBA Draft. The 2021 NBA Draft was held on Thursday, July 29th, and UPB is proud to be a part of the player’s journey to the league.

“The closest people I've met in my life have all been through the game of basketball, and the coolest places I've ever been or experienced have usually been through the game of basketball,” Orlich said.

Currently, Braccia has four offers to take his game to the collegiate level. He has offers from the University of Hawaii, American University, University of Alabama at Birmingham and the most recent, San Jose State.

Ferrari said living in Spain compared to his home state in California was much different. It was different from the lifestyle, to the language and to the game of basketball. He learned a lot during his time of two years in Spain, and said that he has enjoyed it and believes playing there has benefited his game.

“This year with the new coaching staff, I already feel like our relationships are so much better with our coaches, and I think that’s super important for being on a successful team,” Van Dyke said. “That’s what I’m really excited for. I’m excited to see where that will take us, and playing with the new girls and having kind of a fresh start and a clean slate to build from.”

“Being a two-time gold medalist is not something a lot of people can say, so it’s just an honor and blessing,” Jones said. “It means the world to me to make my family proud and where I come from proud.”