WELCOME TO
BURLINGAME ENERGY
COACHING STAFF
LEARN ABOUT BASKETBALL COACHES
We are excited to bring our basketball, youth sports coaching and league management experience to your players!
DAVE WEINSTEIN
COACH / INSTRUCTOR
Coach Dave has been coaching and playing basketball for over 40 years. He is a USA Basketball Certified Gold Licensed Coach, an NFHS certified and accredited coach, a gold medal winner at the 2022 Maccabi Games in Israel, an NCAA Coaching Academy Coach, a WBCA Coaching Mentor and spoke at their 2023 Annual Convention in Dallas at the Women's Final Four. Dave has been a high school basketball head coach for 8 years from freshman through varsity levels. He is currently the girls basketball varsity head coach at Crystal Springs High School helping set student athletes on a path of basketball success. Coach Dave has led this team to back-to-back state playoff appearances, a first in school history.
BRIANNA FILOTEO
COACH / INSTRUCTOR
Brianna has played with club teams, including Energy, since 6th grade and played four years at Burlingame High School. Although she no longer plays competitively, she strives to create a positive environment where players can comfortably learn and grow individually and as a team. She believes in fostering a love for the sport and building confidence along with skills. Brianna is currently a sophomore at CSM and is majoring in kinesiology.
GIANNA MEZZETTA
COACH / INSTRUCTOR
Gianna pivoted to basketball in her freshman year of high school, following a decade of competitive soccer. With her family's deep-rooted love for basketball, she quickly developed a passion for the game. Drawing inspiration from her older sister's basketball trajectory, Gianna put in the effort and secured a spot on the Mills Varsity team by her sophomore year. Now, she's on a mission to provide upcoming players with the enriching experiences she enjoyed, thanks to her committed coaches throughout her basketball journey.
JEMMA LACAP
COACH / INSTRUCTOR
Jemma’s love and passion for basketball began from a young age as she started playing in the second grade. She is deeply committed to creating a positive and competitive atmosphere, nurturing the growth of young players in their basketball skills and life skills on and off the court. Currently a senior at Crystal Springs Uplands High School, she has actively participated in varsity basketball throughout her three years there.
SAM BISHOP
COACH / INSTRUCTOR
Sam is a Bay Area native born and raised in San Francisco. His deep love of basketball pushed him into the realm of coaching. As a teacher and coach making both players and students use what they use in the classroom and the court.
BRIANNA GROSSMAN
COACH / INSTRUCTOR
Bri played four years of high school basketball and two years of Energy before becoming an Energy coach. She is passionate about fostering a positive and competitive environment for young players to grow in both their basketball and life skills. She is currently studying journalism at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.
VANESSA LI
COACH / INSTRUCTOR
Vanessa boasts nine years of competitive basketball under her belt. Two years ago, she started coaching elementary school teams, finding joy in helping players uncover potential they didn't know they had. She feels that the true allure of coaching young athletes lies in their ongoing development and learning curve—it's the perfect stage for them to absorb feedback since their habits aren't fully set in stone. Presently, Vanessa is advancing her studies at UC Santa Cruz and proudly serves as the team manager for the Women's Basketball team.
ANTHONY JONES
COACH / INSTRUCTOR
Anthony is passionate about empowering young people in pursuit of their goals through competitive and non-competitive sport. Anthony has 12+ years of Girl's Varsity coaching experience in basketball and tennis. Goal oriented with a focus on skill progression, Anthony's coaching philosophy embraces the process of improvement as a valuable and essential teaching tool that extends to all areas of life.
BRITTANY TACKET
COACH / INSTRUCTOR
Brittany is originally from Idaho. She played college basketball at Lewis-Clark State College and was a 2x All-American. Brittany moved to California four years ago with the hopes to share her love and passion for the game. Brittany wants to share her knowledge in the sport and help build the confidence in young female athletes and encourage them to be the best version of themselves, on and off the court.
HASSAN DAFIR
COACH / INSTRUCTOR
Hassan is an NFHS certified and accredited coach. Originally from Morocco, Hassan has been playing basketball since the age of six, and was a professional basketball player in Morocco for six years. He has been working in the field of education, including coaching, for fifteen years. He strives to inspire young players to become the best versions of themselves -both on and off the court- like his coaches inspired him.
KATRI BERNABE
COACH / INSTRUCTOR
Katri recently graduated from the University of San Francisco with a B.A. in Psychology. She played all four years at Burlingame High School. For two seasons in college, she served as assistant coach for the varsity girls basketball at the Urban School of San Francisco. Her main goals as a coach align with what basketball has provided her, joy, discipline, challenge, and work ethic. She is currently working and studying to get into medical school.
ZOZIMO DE OLIVEIRA
COACH / INSTRUCTOR
Zimo is a dedicated basketball enthusiast with three years of high school team experience and an additional two years in club basketball. Although this is Zimo’s first year as a mentor, Zimo finds joy in teaching young enthusiasts the game. Passionate about fostering teamwork and skill development, Zimo empowers aspiring athletes to reach their full potential both on and off the court.
SAMANTHA KERSHNER
COACH / ALUMNI RELATIONS
Sam has coached with Energy for two years. She played four years of varsity basketball at Burlingame High School and also served as an assistant coach for one season. Sam is passionate about creating a positive learning environment for the players and emphasizes individual improvement and mastery of basketball fundamentals. She's now pursuing sport management at the University of Michigan, where she also serves as the team manager for the Women's Basketball team.
IZZY DE OLIVERIA
COACH / INSTRUCTOR
Izzy, now a senior at USF majoring in psychology and neuroscience, boasts an impressive basketball history. She spent four years on the Burlingame High School basketball court, a year playing at College of San Mateo, and recently served as the team manager for the USF Women's basketball team during the 2022-23 season. This year, she's embraced a new role as the special events assistant for the Golden State Warriors.
DR. LUBA ABASCAL
PLAYER HEALTH
Dr. Luba Abascal is a board-certified Internal Medicine physician with over 25 years of experience in primary care. Her interests include women's health, plant-based eating, and wellness. She loves working with her patients to achieve their health and fitness goals. Sadly she is not a basketball player, but she is passionate about exercise!
Good nutrition, regular exercise, and plenty of sleep all lead to healthy and happy athletes!
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HEATHER MEZZETTA
TEAM MANAGER/OPERATIONS
Heather has been around youth sports for the last 15 years supporting her daughters in their endeavors in soccer and basketball. She was a member of the board for Burlingame Soccer Club from 2018-2021. Her love of basketball began as a statistician for the high school boys basketball team her freshman year.
Though she is not a player herself, she is passionate about women in sports and is counting the days until the WNBA expansion brings a team to the bay area.