Meet Ryan Kalagdan, UPB's newest addition to the team
Kalugdan seeks to use his experience to teach and inspire the next generation of Bay Area hoopers, and we are excited to see the impact he makes at the facility. He hopes to instill a hard work ethic into the athletes he coaches, as he says the key to reaching one’s full potential is repetition and practice.
Meet UPB’s new Player Development Coach: Hannah Johnson
Join us in welcoming new player development coach, Hannah Johnson! After spending several years playing overseas in Malta and coaching at her alma mater high school, Bishop Alemany, Johnson joins the UPB staff and seeks to continue spreading her passion for the game of basketball.
UPB’s After School Program Kicks Off led by Danny LaFortune
As the school year kicks off, Unlimited Potential Basketball is bringing back the After School program led by Player Development Coach and Director of After School Operations, Danny LaFortune. During this school year, UPB will be teaching the game of basketball to schools including Woodrow Wilson, Thomas Edison, Daniel Webster and Franklin Roosevelt Elementary all of which are located in Daly City.
Meet UPB’s Digital Content Intern: Josh Sangalang
“The impact that I am hoping to bring is to be able to show people who haven't haven't had the chance yet to come to the gym or experience UPB who we are and the culture that we promote here…I want to make [people who see our content] excited. I want to make them want to come to UPB even if they're not from here. I want them to see UPB as a tourist destination”
Graham Betchart shares his Sports Psychology Journey and best Mental Skills Practices for Parents
Nearly a month after the Mental Skills Camp at UPB, we caught up with Graham Betchart to discuss his journey in sports psychology and what techniques he finds most helpful. In particular, we spoke with Betchart about how parents can support their athletes as they continue to grow in the mental side of the game.
Devon Brookshire Trains at UPB as She Prepares for her Seventh Season in Europe
Devon Brookshire is packing up her bags for Germany as she continues her professional career playing ball in Europe. Throughout the offseason, Brookshire has been preparing for her seventh season in Europe and working on her game at the UPB facility.
UPB’s Interns Reflect on their Summer Internship at the Facility
“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.
Graham Betchart and Packie Turner emphasize the importance of Mental Skills in an Athlete’s Game during Mental Skills Camp
On Saturday, August 12th, Unlimited Potential Basketball hosted its first Mental Skills Camp brought to athletes by Sacramento Kings’ Mental Skills Coach and Palms Basketball’s Graham Betchart.
Join us at the Back to School Buckets Event hosted at the UPBasketball Training Facility!
The event will feature fun activities and games for kids of all ages and free treats from sponsors IT’S-IT ice cream, Thatchers Gourmet Popcorn, and Clif Bar. Some of the activities include a 3 v 3 competition on the main court at the facility, a shooting competition, and a raffle. There will be two brackets, one ages 8-17 and one 18 years and above, for guests to participate in and compete.
EJ Liddell prepares for his upcoming season with the New Orleans Pelicans
“[Packie has helped] get my footing together and also just tracking my shots and whatnot, just letting me know my percentage every single day, which I enjoy. Packie pushes me to be better. This past offseason is a little different than previous because those were pre draft and I had to be ready to go in and like different teams right now,” Liddell said.
Walter Lum shares his experience as a San Antonio Spurs Team Assistant during the 2023 Las Vegas Summer League
As Lum continues to pave his career path and strive towards the goal of eventually working in the NBA, he gives a lot of credit to his experience in the Summer League to help him get to where he wants to be. Perhaps the most beneficial aspect of his experience aside from being in the midst of NBA level talent, he also had plenty of opportunities to network with individuals within the Spurs organization and on other teams as well.
Eight new stars take on the 2023 NBA Summer League
Just a month after the NBA draft, the 2023 NBA Summer League kicked off in Las Vegas, Nevada. All the new young talent in the league including eight players who have trained with Coach Packie Turner made their professional debuts. The Summer league wrapped up on Monday, July 17th and now these fresh faces of the NBA will be focusing on their offseason work going into the regular season which begins later in the fall.
Rūta Savickaitė spends the summer as an Assistant Coach for the Lithuanian U20 Women’s Basketball Team
“My goal this summer is to make sure that these girls have the best experience. While we are playing and while we're in this tournament… [I want] to make sure that I can help them grow, develop and have the best experience that they can have this summer,” Savickaitė said.
Sara Anastasieska prepares for her first official season as the Director of Basketball Operations for UCSB's Women’s Basketball Team
After four months at UPB as a player development coach, UCSB hired Anastasieska as their new Director of Basketball Operations in May 2023. Now two months into her new role, Anastasieska has been fully immersed in the team’s offseason preparation for the upcoming season. Her main task as Director of Basketball Operations is to coordinate administrative tasks for the team such as booking hotels and travel and also reminding the team of important dates and events off the court.
UPB continues to push for the rise of Women’s Basketball
Here at UPB, we are committed to these efforts to advocate for women in sports. We seek to foster a safe and inclusive environment where women feel not only encouraged to participate in the sport of basketball, but empowered to reach their full potential through the lessons that the game can teach. With this goal in mind, we are excited to host all girls training sessions at the UPB facility led by Coach Annelise Ito.
Meet eight of the newest NBA players: Anthony Black, Jarace Walker, Gradey Dick, Brandin Podziemski, Cam Whitmore, Leonard Miller, Jalen Wilson and Isaiah Wong
The NBA Draft is one of the most exciting times of the year for basketball fans and players, as dreams finally come to fruition after years of hard work and dedication to the sport. The 2023 NBA Draft took place at the Barclays Center in New York on June 22, 2023. Out of the 58 total picks in the 2023 NBA Draft, 8 of them trained with Coach Packie Turner in preparation for the beginning of their NBA careers. Here at UPB we are excited to see these players embark on their NBA journey and wish them the best of luck in their career!
5 Workouts that will Elevate your Game
Basketball is a game of reps. The more you dribble, shoot, or even jump, the stronger foundation you will have to develop your game and add skills to your bag. With this in mind, here are 5 workouts you can practice at home for just 5 minutes a day to elevate your game.
Meet UPB’s Summer Intern: Danny Gerber
“I just want everyone to have as much fun as possible. I want to make everyone as dedicated to basketball,” Gerber said. “In school or basketball or any activity… the teacher that you have changes everything…so I just want to be here and be in the moment and give my all to all the kids.”
Walter Lum is back at UPBasketball after his final season at Whitman College
“I'm looking forward to being able to help other people just get better at basketball,” Lum said. “It's a pretty rewarding feeling just seeing them when they are able to learn something new and apply it to their game.”
Mental Skills Training Camp coming soon to UPBasketball brought to you by Coach Packie Turner and Graham Betchart
“Mental skills are just like physical skills. The earlier you start practicing them, the better, so this is proactive mental skills training. Our goal is to introduce it to the kids really early in life so they can start practicing and get better at it,” Betchart said. “This is some of the most important stuff in life. I mean, not only does this help on the court, of course, with performance and all that good stuff, but these are life skills. This stuff helps you in school, helps you with your work, with your family, [and] your relationships.”