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Back to School Buckets
Back to School Buckets is a 3v3 basketball tournament created to raise funds for the UPBasketball Youth Charitable Foundation, which is dedicated to empowering underserved youth through sports. This year’s event, held on Sunday afternoon, September 8th, had an exciting twist! Organizers Damon Coakley (Sacred Heart Prep), Tate Cohen (Menlo School), Matthew Eck (Junipero Serra), and Madden Yeung (Piedmont HS) spiced things up with a brand new format filled with fun activities and surprises.
Focused on high school players, the tournament was divided into three competitive divisions – Varsity, JV, and the unexpected Mixed Athlete division. The Mixed Athlete division proved to be the biggest hit! As the buzz around the tournament grew, athletes from other sports such as water polo, soccer, baseball, and lacrosse formed 3v3 teams, leading to this new division. Teams made up mostly of non-basketball athletes competed, adding an extra layer of excitement to the event.
“These guys are elite in their own sports, but basketball leveled the playing field. Everyone played hard and it was both competitive and fun,” said Coakley.
The event also featured classic, high-energy basketball moments, including buzzer-beaters and electrifying dunks from some of the Bay Area’s top high school hoop players. Fourteen high schools were represented, including Aragon, Burlingame, Carlmont, Hillsdale, Junipero Serra, Menlo School, Menlo-Atherton, Monte Vista, Piedmont, Riordan, Sacred Heart Prep, San Mateo, Sequoia and St. Francis.
“I played last year and now I helped organize it. It’s been amazing both times, especially seeing it grow,” Cohen said.
This year’s tournament was a resounding success, with more than five times the number of players and donations exceeding organizers’ goals.
“Everyone here understands the power of sports and the incredible sense of community that comes with it. Competing while giving back is a win-win,” said Yeung.Organizers are deeply grateful for the community’s continued support of the UPBasketball Youth Charitable Foundation and can’t wait for next year’s event!
