“I feel [that] the mental side of sports, mental training and sports psychology made me realize that basketball is just, you know, a microcosm for our everyday life,” Hewitt said. “How we deal with our problems in basketball is exactly how we deal with our problems in everyday life. So we can use that platform as an advantage for us and as a way to learn more not only about ourselves as players but ourselves as people.”

Unlimited Potential Basketball is excited to introduce its newest Front Desk Associates, Alyssa Smith and Karla Mora! Both Smith and Mora have recently joined the team, and we are excited to see all of the positive and welcoming energy they bring into the facility.

I believe the athletes have thoroughly enjoyed their time and have learned a lot through the process,” Anastasieska said. “Some have sent in emails expressing their enjoyment and how much they have learned, and others have expressed their desire for the program to continue through additional months as they love it! It has been great to receive this feedback.”

“My favorite part [about training at UPB] is probably working with the coaches and seeing how I improve after each session, [and] I like how the coaches challenge me in many different ways,” Rudolph said. “One of my favorite parts is the competitions with Coach DyShawn because he always challenges me and makes it really difficult for me to beat him.”

“That's [my] favorite part of my job, just going on the court [and] actually getting to talk to the kids. I know all their names, and then I get on the court and actually get to know more about them, so that's nice. And you know, I get to help him out with basketball too,” Ballout said.

Adding visualization to an athlete’s workout plan is beneficial because it increases concentration on the game, reduces pressure leading up to the game and enhances an athlete's ability to perform certain skills in different scenarios. When an athlete visualizes their success, it promotes confidence within themselves and leads to future success in the task they are trying to accomplish.

There are many ways an athlete can improve their game on the court, whether that is their ball handling skills, their foot work, or working on their shot. Most of the time, ball players will work on these skills at the gym on the court, but there are many ways an athlete can improve themselves off of the court.

Anastasieska’s first day at UPB is on Thursday, and she said she is most excited about meeting new people and being able to work with people at all different skill levels. Anastasieska’s career aspiration is to become a college basketball coach, and she believes working as a player development coach will help her towards that goal. We are so happy to have her on the UPB team and we are excited to be a part of her basketball journey!

“Our team is so excited that we found a new space in Burlingame so close to where this journey originally began. We have spent years building up a community that feels like family. I feel blessed to know we get to continue to help the kids in the area,” said UPB’s CEO Bianca Turner. “Although change is never easy, it does challenge us to grow and innovate. I am excited for what’s to come in the future! And I can’t wait to show everyone our new home.”

“[The game of basketball means a lot to me because] the culture and the relationships that I’ve made, and sort of just the maturity and development on and off the court,” Toon said. “I like the feeling of when your team's winning and you guys are all playing a good game and there's just like there's no better feeling than that. I just love the feeling of competitiveness.”

Unlimited Potential Basketball recently hosted its first Little Hoopers Clinic last month, and it was a huge success! The Little Hoopers Clinic welcomed three to five year olds into the UPB Training Facility to be introduced to the game of basketball and get used to the atmosphere of the game. We enjoyed having the kids in the gym and seeing them develop throughout the four weeks with their peers.

“The app is a great opportunity for young athletes to get to work with the UPB staff remotely,” Player Development Coach DyShawn Hobson said. “We are excited to connect and work with athletes through the app that do not have the opportunity to train at the facility.”

“Obviously, the process of being drafted was incredible and indescribable,” Williams said. “Now, playing with such a young team, we all get along so well. It's made the transition really easy. Just because we're all able to learn together. So it's been fun, just trying to embrace every part of it.”

Mental training is important to work on for not only an athlete’s game, but for their everyday life. Mental training improves self confidence, helps with stress management, increases drive and motivation, improves concentration, increases mental toughness and so much more.

“[Aaron is] kind of the key piece to their team from a standpoint of he guards the best player and he can take advantage of mismatches and do various things. He can create, he can play make,” Packie said. “I think Aaron's finding his rhythm with Denver, and he's going to have a big year. I think he's worked his tail off, and I think he's ready to take it up another notch.”

During Packie’s three-day visit to Brooklyn, Packie was able to get a few workouts in with Edwards. The two were able to utilize the National Basketball Players Association’s gym in New York City the day before and the day after the season opener against the New Orleans Pelicans. Packie said it was a quick and productive trip.

“If you give good energy, I realized that they'll obviously reciprocate it. They are there for a reason, they want to get better. I just want to make sure that I'm utilizing their time to the best of my ability to make sure that they are getting something when they walk away from it every single day,” Hamilton said. “I'm enjoying it. I have high hopes for the future, and I just want to keep it going.”

Ito said being back in the gym has been incredible and she did not realize how much she missed basketball until she stepped foot in the facility. She has enjoyed seeing familiar faces come into the gym, meeting the new trainers, and seeing how much UPB has evolved since she trained at the facility a few years back. We are excited to have Ito on the UPB Team and to see her get back around the game she grew up loving.

Two members of the Unlimited Potential Basketball family, Josh Friedkin and Mikayla Cowling, recently made their way back overseas to Israel to play professional basketball. We are so proud of all their accomplishments so far in their career, and we are excited to see how they will perform in their upcoming seasons.