Panther Legacy #1: Gabby Yang

From Pinewood Girls Basketball to managing NCAA All-Americans, Gabby Yang (‘25) stays connected to the game, even if not on the court.

Growing up in Redwood City, Yang often attended Warriors and Stanford basketball games, which piqued her curiosity in the sport. 

   “It was really interesting and fascinating,” Yang said. “I could see myself through them. That’s what I aspired to be and what I wanted to do in the future.” 

   Yang’s basketball dreams drove her to start playing competitively through middle school and enroll in Pinewood for high school. Unfortunately, her first year as a Panther was not easy, as she dealt with constant discomfort. 

   Yang eventually was diagnosed with Popliteal Artery Entrapment Syndrome, a rare condition that restricts blood flow to the legs. As a result, she underwent surgery on both legs and was out for eight months. 

   “It took the doctors a year to diagnose [me], and being in pain and not knowing why was very difficult,” Yang said.

   As Yang navigated her injury, Pinewood coaches and athletic staff supported her. 

   “Having their support while I was going through all these injuries was definitely helpful because I knew that people cared about me, and I wasn’t alone.”

   When she returned to the basketball court for her sophomore season, three of her teammates had torn ACLs, and there were transfer students who were unable to play. Yang was the first person off the bench and contributed lockdown defense; however, she was still pushing through her own injury. “My condition came back, and I ended up having to play through it because we were short on players,” Yang said. “I was only playing in games because I couldn’t handle practicing on my legs.”

   Yang continued to battle various injuries throughout the rest of her high school career, painful moments that almost led her to quit. She credits her love for playing basketball for motivating her to continue playing.

   “I was debating my senior year whether or not to play after going through all this, but it was definitely worth it,” Yang said. 

   Yang’s resilience allowed her to experience her favorite basketball memories at Pinewood: Senior Night. Senior night honors seniors during their last home game of the season. “Everyone was chanting my name and the team was jumping up and celebrating,” she said. It was a “good way to end my basketball career.”

      Yang’s involvement in basketball did not end there. After Yang graduated from Pinewood, she attended UCLA, where she became a manager for their currently #3-ranked women's basketball team in the fall of her freshman year. Her role is to make sure practices run smoothly and efficiently.

   Her position was not listed anywhere online, but she found it through her mom’s co-worker, who was the team's manager 15 years ago. She reached out to the director of operations for the team, Pam Walker, in the spring of 2025. She received a response in July and attended the team's second practice. 

   “It was a bit of a long process, but it ended up working out, and I'm really happy with being able to still be involved with basketball,” Yang said.

      Yang does not travel with the team, but she rebounds, takes stats, and sometimes defends players on the team if needed. Yang is also interested in joining club basketball at UCLA in the fall of 2026, and plans to play intramural basketball this year. 

   Her message to current Pinewood players? 

“Cherish your time there, because there is no place like it.”