From Vision to Impact: UPBasketball Turns Nine

3 Minute read

By: Andrea Aruino

Bianca and Packie Turner had a vision for creating a space for athletes who had the willingness to put the work into reaching their full potential. What began as an idea has fully transformed into something bigger than basketball. On Saturday, September 13, UPBasketball will be celebrating nine years of business! An achievement that has been possible thanks to the hard work of coaches, staff, and most of all the athletes that consistently fill the gym with great energy.

Before UPBasketball came into fruition, Coach Packie had been coaching players in the East Bay for a while. Players and parents began to recognize the gift he had in being able to reach kids in a way they haven’t seen before from other coaches. With such positive feedback from the athletes he worked with, Coach Packie and Bianca wanted to expand that experience to a bigger audience. As a result, Packie began the journey of coaching players full-time, devoting everything into building this business. The beginning of this idea came with its challenges including finding available gym spaces or attracting more clients. 

Over time, UPBasketball’s growth became a true team effort that was driven by Bianca, Packie, and the power of word of mouth. Through this came their first location in Burlingame where their practices were aligned to ensuring an environment where kids could learn and have fun. With the growing business, Bianca and Packie knew they had to expand the team of coaches who could be easily integrated with UPB’s values of prioritizing energy, effort, and focus. Knowing that the current staff is full of people they can trust in representing the brand has been a lifesaver for Bianca and Packie as their business grows. 

“In the beginning, Packie was running all of the practice sessions with a couple of other trainers. Now we have Hannah, Corey, Colby, and many more working with the kids day in and day out and it feels good to know that I can trust them in creating a positive and uplifting environment,” Bianca Turner said. 

Aside from having a successful yet still growing business, Bianca and Packie have a lot to be proud of in terms of what they have built in the basketball community. One of the most rewarding aspects of UPB is the family that has been created. Not only do you feel the community in the gym but it extends to everyone’s everyday life.

“We’ll run into families from time to time who have trained at the gym and they’re just glowing about our trainers or about how their kids have learned so much.” Bianca Turner said. 

Bianca and Packie have found a system that works for the team and their clients. Staying in their own lane has shown to be one of the best tactics to running a successful business. Clients being UPB’s number one priority has enabled them to see players thrive and enjoy their basketball journey. Honing in on skills and becoming a better player everyday is important but what’s most impactful is knowing that players are becoming more confident in themselves. 

With UPB’s ninth year coming up, many goals have been met but even bigger ones are in the works. Bianca and Packie created this business because they wanted to help kids in becoming better versions of themselves as people and athletes. With that, they hope to expand their horizon of athletes even further where they look to become a global brand instilling the same values wherever they are. 

While going global is a goal, it’s also important to continue doing outreach to girls and women and encouraging them to pursue basketball in whatever capacity they want. Bianca and Packie are passionate about making sure that girls and women feel safe enough to come into the gym and put in the work. 

"Our mission when we first started UPB was to help kids build their confidence and show them what positive coaching looks like and how hard work could translate into different parts of their lives. We're shifting our mission in a way that serves young girls and women because we don't get as many girls as we do boys," Bianca Turner said.

Ultimately there is so much to be proud of and the UPB family is forever grateful and humbled by the community that clients have been such a huge part of. To many more years of UPBasketball!