The Thanksgiving and Holiday camps at UPB, led by player development coach Hannah Johnson, were a major success. Johnson focused on three main goals as she coordinated these camps: challenge athletes, improve individuals, and have fun. Each three hour camp session was carefully crafted with a balance of skill specific drills and fun competition amongst campers. As future camps loom near, Johnson and UPB player development coaches look to build on their success running these sessions and strive to implement new ways to help athletes grow their game and have fun playing ball.

Whether it's implementing new diets or exercise routines or meditative practices, the blank slate that the new year brings forth presents many opportunities for individuals to make strides in improving their overall health. Health and wellness are an integral aspect of sports and basketball, in particular. One of the assets the greatest athletes possess is availability, which can only be achieved through discipline and focusing on good health practices that keep the body in shape for high level activity.

This year was definitely one to remember for the UPB community. Many milestones were achieved in 2023 from opening a new facility to incorporating virtual Mental Skills Training with Coach Joey to introducing our first All Girls and Little Hoopers training sessions. We are grateful for gaining more youth and pro clients and having the opportunity to continue helping athletes realize their unlimited potential on and off the court. We are looking forward to the many milestones and memories in store for the future at UPB.

On Sunday, December 17, the University of Idaho squared off against Stanford in Palo Alto. This game held extra significance for Burlingame native and redshirt freshman for the Vandals, Miles Klapper, as this marked his long awaited return to playing hoops in the bay. As regular season play looms near, Klapper and the Vandals seek to go on a run and win their first Big Sky Conference title since 1990.

With the college basketball season getting underway, we caught up with Loyola Marymount University freshman, Maya Hernandez. As she begins her collegiate journey in Los Angeles, she reflects on the important parts of her basketball journey and her keys for future success. Hernandez looks to be a key piece to helping her team win a WCC title this year and strives to continue elevating her game to new heights.

In the spirit of the holidays, the UPB Youth Charitable Foundation is happy to announce another fundraiser to showcase the power of youth sports this month. This holiday fundraiser will feature a free clinic with UPB’s player development coaches and a toy drive for children of all ages.

“Mindset is the separator. It’s what separates good from great, and bad from good… I want to pass this valuable knowledge to the next generation of hoopers at a younger age,” Hewitt said.

Julius Randle has been the epitome of constant growth and improvement season after season since his debut in 2014. After an impressive 2022-2023 season with the Knicks averaging 25.1 points per game on 46% shooting, Randle seeks to continue building on last season’s success and contributing to a winning franchise. Although the start of the Knicks’ season has not gone exactly to plan, Randle has showcased his veteran poise and innate ability to continue elevating his game as the long NBA season treads on.

While the platform’s main purpose is to inform and educate athletes, it seeks to do so in a fun and “gamified” way to incentivize players to continue getting mental repetitions. Through immersive AI technology, VReps is able to simulate in-game scenarios virtually, test its users retention of the material through quizzes, and provides access to a large database of advice and instruction from a plethora of basketball minds who seek to spread their knowledge.

Every Sunday at 8AM, our player development coaches and adult athletes wake up bright and early to get a one hour training session in at the facility. The training sessions are focused on basic fundamentals of the game such as ball handling, shooting mechanics and drills, and finishing at the basket. There is no required skill level or playing experience to participate as we seek to help athletes from all backgrounds elevate their game and show growth.

“Analytics are a part of basketball now, understanding the value of what teams overvalue and helping guys position themselves to take advantage of that or even just understand what they excel at is huge,” Coach Packie said.

Cedeno has paved quite the successful career for herself on and off the court whether it be leading division two basketball in steals or graduating with her MBA. As a Player Development Coach at UPB, Cedeno strives to use her experience and insight to help elevate young athlete’s game and teach them the lessons the game has to teach. The biggest lesson she seeks to teach about growth and development: consistency.

As the collegiate basketball season looms near, three-time State Champion, Mari Somvichian, is getting ready for her first season with the Women's Basketball Team at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Somvichian and the Lions begin their season on November 6, where they will be taking on UNLV in their first preseason game of the season. As her new journey at LMU begins, Somvichian looks to make her presence felt and continue to spread her love and passion for the game of basketball.

“Jalen is a true student of the game, so he picks things up quickly and loves to learn and work at things he hasn’t figured out yet,” Coach Packie said. “I think this year you see him truly grow into a young star in this league on both ends of the floor. He will be an All Star in this league.”

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.

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.

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.

“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”

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 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.