UPB is welcoming three new player development coaches to the roster! Colby Vasquez, Wes Preston, and Corey Cilia will all be joining the UPB player development staff and look to share their love and passion for the game of basketball. All three coaches come from impressive basketball careers and bring a great deal of on-court and off-court knowledge to share with the athletes who train at UPB. As these coaches embark on their UPB coaching journeys, we look forward to all the stories they have to share and the lessons they will teach to the UPB community.

“If you can envision success, really push yourself to get out of your comfort zone and work as hard as you can every time you're on the court, you're going to be able to succeed and do everything you want,” Washington said.

“Coaches can expect to come to the [Coaches Clinic] and ask any questions they have in whatever they're looking to gain information on, whether that's strategy or even how to work with different groups of athletes,” Coach Packie Turner said. “We want this to be a place for everybody who's looking to get into coaching, working with kids in basketball, and want to progress and learn some stuff on court.”

“Everyone here understands the power of sports and the amazing community that comes with it. Coming out to play and helping others at the same time. It’s a win-win for everyone,” says Yeung.

“Analytics is a valuable tool for coaches and players, offering a quantifiable way to validate observations or present new insights beyond what the eye can see. In scouting, it provides context on what to expect from opponents, enhancing game preparation,” Tulyagijja said.

“I realized that being a point guard, you need to do a little bit of everything. If they need you to score, you need to score. They need you to facilitate, in that moment, you have to facilitate. If they need you to just play your role, you have to do whatever it takes,” Coach Danny stated.

“It is exciting to have this high level talent in the gym. We want our community to see that even the most skilled basketball players come to UPBasketball to put in extra work. They are never satisfied or complacent. That is what we teach at UPBasketball,” Turner said. “You can always get better, there is always something to work on. I hope the kids in the community seeing this are feeling motivated to keep working on their skills.”

“Everything in regards to our focus stems from the things we hear or the things that we see…The parent is a very influential person in an athlete's life in the sense that what they say, the children take in and what they do, the children mirror naturally,” Coach Joey said. “Being able to use a language that is focused on the right things, focused on the process, focused on the things that are in the athletes control, I think is very important.”

“[Throughout my journey] I had really good fortune of meeting great people who were always open minded and forward thinking individuals…,” Lum stated. “I believe if you show how much you care about other people and make their lives as successful as you're trying to make your own, they grow to have true respect and want to help you succeed in your life too, so I took a lot of pride in doing that for all the people I worked for and worked with.”

“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.