“I was super grateful and just felt blessed to be able to have this experience. The NBA All-Star weekend is a pretty big deal and being around athletes who are at this moment in their careers was just super cool to see,” Johnson said.

With the talent level reaching an all time high in the NBA, the rosters for the various games and challenges are stacked with up and coming stars. The influx of young talent into the league has created a lot of buzz in the league as a new generation of hoopers are becoming household names and rising to stardom. The star studded lineup for this weekend’s festivities will include multiple players who have trained at UPB with Coach Packie Turner.

Her ability to work on her craft and play for two teams at once is a testament to her dedication to the game and her drive to continue improving. Through the guidance of helpful coaches, such as Sue Phillips, and role models, like Teresa Weatherspoon, Fisher has learned a great deal about how to pave a successful basketball career. Her biggest lesson: let her game speak for itself.

The future is bright for Mission Rec Center Rebels star Lea Escobar. As Escobar wraps up her eighth grade year and final years playing AAU ball, she strives to continue elevating her game and chasing her dreams in the sport she has fallen in love with. Escobar has been playing basketball for as long as she can remember. She first picked up a basketball in second grade and has been playing for the Mission Rec Center club team in San Francisco ever since.

As Kelly begins his next chapter in basketball as a Player Development Coach at UPB, he seeks to share his experience and insight to the next generation of young hoopers. He understands firsthand the importance of the mental side of the game and how a confident mentality is integral to finding success. He admires how UPB athletes focus on attention to detail and hone their skills in all aspects of the game from the physical skill sets to mental practices. As a Player Development Coach, Kelly seeks to instill good mental skills habits in his athletes that can be applied both on and off the court.

The high school women’s basketball season is underway, and Menlo-Atherton high school is looking to repeat their success from last season when they finished undefeated in league. The Menlo-Atherton Bears will be leaning on sophomore guard Luisa Tava, a transfer student from Pinewood School, this year as they seek to win out in the Peninsula-South conference and compete for a CCS title. After an impressive 3-0 start to the regular season, Tava and the Bears will look to continue stacking wins and building team chemistry for a deep playoff run.

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.”