Mental Buckets

Sabrina Ionescu is college basketball's all-time leader in triple-doubles. She spearheaded an Oregon victory against the USA Women's National Team, was named the Naismith Player of the Year and wooed by shoe companies such as Nike, Under Armour, and Puma before becoming the #1 pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft. But that's just what appears on the surface.

Ionescu has had to sacrifice a normal high school and college experience in order to become great. Her laser-sharp focus to play basketball professionally and genuine love for the game are tales that will be passed down for many generations of basketball players to come. 

In this week's Mental Buckets podcast, we hear from Dallas Mavericks' Director of Mental Skills, Don Kalkstein. He talks about his path into sports psychology, experiences for both the Texas Rangers and the Mavericks, and how he gets athletes to buy into the mental side of training. 

Juan Toscano-Anderson is a man of many titles. Though he's now the small forward for the Golden State Warriors, Toscano-Anderson is also proudly Mexican-American, and half black. He's a homegrown activist in the Bay Area and one of the most versatile players in the game. 

But that doesn't mean his path to the NBA was easy. In this podcast, Toscano-Anderson gets candid about his struggles, from failing to make an AAU team in Oakland, to nearly transferring from Marquette, and then struggling overseas, he details how he stayed strong through it all.

Seth Curry has had to prove himself at every step of his journey. Under-recruited out of high school, he led all freshmen nationwide in scoring, but still wasn't getting the national recognition needed to play pro. Once at Duke, he had to sit out a year, and then became the second-leading scorer for the Blue Devils. He was still under-the-radar, and went undrafted. 

Nevertheless, Curry put his head down, worked and thrived in the G-League with the Erie Bay Hawks leading to explosive stint with the Mavericks and Trail Blazers before returning back to Dallas. He is now second in the NBA in three-point percentage, and has solidified himself as a prolific scorer, but how did he get there? How did he create his own identity, separate from Steph, and succeed in the most unique circumstances? You'll have to listen to find out.

At Unlimited Potential Basketball, mindfulness is a key element to maximizing one's full potential on and off the court. In this podcast, co-hosts, Packie Turner, a developmental coach in the Bay Area, and Mike Franco, Mental Skills Trainer for the Dallas Mavericks, will highlight athletes' stories of mental toughness throughout their careers. Hope you enjoy!