“Being able to give back to the younger generation through these camps is a huge blessing to me. I loved going to basketball camps when I was young, so it’s an awesome experience to be able to help coach these camps,” Coach Noemie said. “I love encouraging young athletes and to help them improve their game just like some coaches did for me when I was a young camper.”

The NBA Summer League is a marquee moment in the NBA offseason. During this two week stint, the next generation of NBA talent get their opportunity to make first impressions and also show areas of growth. A lot of the talent in this year’s Summer League are represented by one of the top agencies in the entire league, William Morris Endeavor or WME. After two successful NBA drafts, WME’s talent showed out in a big way earning impressive accolades and showcasing a great feel for the game.

“[My] ACL injury taught me a lot and gave me a reason to step back and really focus on the physical side of basketball…it made me focus on the team and our success and build on that success to have a good senior year,” Elicagaray said

“The reason I'm able to keep [playing basketball] is because I love the process more than I love the results. The process of getting better and training every day and having something to work for and a goal to try to achieve, and being the best player I can be every year,” Friedkin said. “When you're doing something that you love, to me, that is a successful profession and a successful life.”

“This group we had this year was great because they all got along and enjoyed each other, they hung out outside of workouts with one another and that led to great energy in the gym,” Turner said. “Character matters to [WME], so in all my years working with them and Bill Duffy I’ve been fortunate to work with really high quality individuals and that makes showing up each day even easier and makes us want to pour into them even more.”

“All my hard work and dedication has paid off and is finally getting recognized. I’m given a once in a lifetime opportunity and I feel like I’m making my parents and brother proud,” Williams said.

The 2023-2024 NBA season has come to an end after the Boston Celtics were crowned NBA Champions earlier this week. This season was full of memorable moments and captivating narratives. As the off season gets underway, there are many moments and achievements worth reminiscing over. Whether it be the introduction of the In Season Tournament or the rise of a new regime of NBA powerhouses like the Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves, this past season was not one to forget.

Both Noemie Bariteau and Kaden Holdbrook grew up hooping. Bariteau and Holdbrook bring a genuine passion for basketball that they will undoubtedly share with everyone at UPBasketball in their new roles as Player Development Interns. Both of them have thrived in their careers and bring a great deal of knowledge and wisdom to guide the next generation of Bay Area hoopers.

“Dads can look forward to getting to share their passion and love for hoops with their child or children. To have a moment where they get to really bond over something they or their athlete loves and get to show them I’m invested because you are,” Turner said. “Hopefully everyone learns something new and has a fun time doing it, breaking a little sweat!”

The WNBA season is fully underway and has already had so many memorable moments. Women’s basketball has seen a major uptick in popularity amongst basketball fans worldwide, and the WNBA is seeing the direct impact of this interest early in the new season. 19,103 fans came out to Crypto.com Arena to watch the duel of the top 2 picks in the 2024 draft, Cailyn Clark and Cameron Brink, and viewership of WNBA games on television have reached all time highs. Household names like A’Ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart continue to dominate the game and their impact in the popularity of the game cannot be understated. In fact, some of the WNBA’s brightest stars like Sabrina Ionescu, Haley Jones, Aliyah Boston, Chelsea Gray and Kelsey Plum all have ties to UPB and have been killing it in the young 2024 season.

Both Veronica Barrot and Dylan Pegarido have been hooping for as long as they can remember. Barrot and Pegarido bring high energy and love for the game of basketball with them to the facility as they seek to make an impact on the next generation of Bay Area hoopers. They both come from impressive basketball backgrounds and will undoubtedly spread their knowledge and passion for hoops with the UPB community.

“It's special to see, the way [the pre draft process with Coach Packie] is done more intimately. I felt very fortunate and grateful to be a part of it this year on a day by day basis. The pre-draft process is not rocket science, but obviously, there's nuance to it, and it's fun and I really enjoyed doing it in Santa Barbara,” Winshall said.

“The foundations of basketball need to be taught at every level. Whether I am teaching young [athletes] or collegiate division one level players it all builds upon itself,” Smith said. “So, I've definitely used a lot of what I've learned [at UPB] here at Santa Clara when I'm on the court, working out our players.”

Sports and basketball, in particular, have been formative to who I am today. As both an athlete and a fan, sports have given me the most priceless memories and taught me the most valuable lessons. Whether it be playing a casual game of pick up with my friend or watching my very first Golden State Warriors game at Oracle Arena during the “We Believe” era, I have developed a strong passion and love for sports that I seek to share with everyone I encounter.

“During the whole weekend, I would just pause for a second and have a moment of gratitude. I used to play with [Plum] and she really challenged me as a player and really helped me a lot, so now being able to be around her as she does kind of the same thing for current student-athletes was just super cool to see,” Johnson said.

The NBA regular season has come to an end and the playoffs have begun. The league's biggest stars will take center stage in hopes of hoisting the Larry O’brien trophy and fulfilling their championship dreams. With the Play In tournament wrapping up this week and first round matchups starting next week, we are excited to see how the playoffs shake out and which stars will perform for their teams.

“What I love about UPB is that they have so many different classes. From the time when [Aiden] couldn't even pick up a ball or dribble to where he is now, they have classes and options for kids at all different levels of experience,” Torrent said

With summer just around the corner, we are excited to announce our upcoming summer camps! Each camp will feature a different focus for young hoopers to expand their knowledge of the game while also honing their physical in game skills. The fourth camp this summer is a 5th-9th Grade Camp that will take place from July 29th to August 1st.

With summer just around the corner, we are excited to announce our upcoming summer camps! Each camp will feature a different focus for young hoopers to expand their knowledge of the game while also honing their physical in game skills. The third camp this summer is a third through seventh grade camp that will take place from July 22th to July 18th.

“Keeping it fun, making it to where little kids can start to enjoy being on the court is the number one thing. Planting those seeds early by making the experience fun, while they're also learning and seeing themselves improving fuels their passion,” Lui said. “That's where Little Hoopers comes in because the kids are very impressionable and providing them a great space and a safe space for them to learn and have fun will lead to them being becoming more passionate [about the game.]”