On Court Staff
Packie Turner - Chief Training Officer
Recently, Coach Packie has had the amazing opportunity to work with some professional athletes from his favorite local championship team The Golden State Warriors and the 2 time MVP. Packie has worked with children age 6 and older to professionals players both here and overseas. He has a unique approach to teaching and making sure the game is always enjoyable. Many young athletes are passionate about basketball and he wants to help not only ignite that fire, but allow it to grow so that it never burns out.
Coach Packie attended Holy Names University and received a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing and Sports Management.
Danny LaFortune - Player Development Coach & Director of Afterschool Operations
Coach Danny was born in Maryland and raised in the East Bay. He attended College Park High School, and then went on to play at Diablo Valley College over which time the league honored him to the all academic first team. Danny graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara. During his time at UCSB, he was dedicated to the basketball program and was able to actively provide knowledge to players while also refining his skills from experienced division one coaches. Upon receiving his degree in Sociology, Danny is looking to advance as a skills trainer and is also interested in pursuing a career in sports management. He enjoys training players at all levels while offering a style that will foster an everlasting love for the game of basketball. Danny is honored to be part of the UPB team and excited to impact players on and off the court. Click here to learn more about Coach Danny.
Joey Hewitt - Player Development & Mental Skills Coach
Coach Joey was born and raised in Lafayette, California where he attended and played basketball at Acalanes High School. After graduating in 2015, he went on to play college basketball at Whitman College where he was a 3 time All-Conference player and All-Academic student. He is the winningest D3 College Basketball player ever with a career record of 112-10, and ranks 3rd all time in scoring at his school, amassing over 1500 career points. He then went on to play professionally in Australia, England, and Mexico, while also getting his Master's degree in Sports Psychology during his time in England. Joey is passionate about the mental side of sports and helping athletes train their mind while training their basketball skills. Improving confidence, reducing nerves and anxiety, and responding to mistakes are a few focuses Joey takes pride in when working with athletes. He hopes to continue developing in the Player Development world and integrate his Sports Psychology expertise at UPB. Click here to learn to more about Coach Joey.
Walter Lum - Player Development Coach
Coach Walter was raised in San Francisco California and attended Lick-Wilmerding High School. Currently, Walter is playing for Whitman College in Washington and is the starting point guard for his team. Walter is a passionate player and coach that loves spreading the game of basketball to all. Walter looks forward to being able to help develop the next generation of players while also applying new techniques and skills to his own game. Click here to learn more about Coach Walter.
Hannah Johnson - Player Development Coach & Special Projects Coordinator
Coach Hannah was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She moved to Seattle, Washington in 2014 to attend the University of Washington and played for the women's team for five years, making it to the Final Four one year and the Sweet Sixteen the following year. She finished her collegiate playing career in 2019 while earning Bachelor's degree in Women Studies and Master's degree in Intercollegiate Athletic Leadership Coaching. After graduating, Hannah moved to Malta, Europe to play professionally and coach the youth. During the three years living there, she was the head coach of the U19 & U14 girls team while also doing private and small group trainings on the side. Hannah moved back to California in 2022 and spent one season as a High School Assistant Varsity Women's Coach while also traveling around the country putting on showcase camps as an Assistant Camp Director and Skills Coach. She is very passionate in working with athletes of all ages and watching them tap into their potential. She enjoys working with individuals not only to teach them the game of basketball but to also teach them life lessons through the sport. Work ethic and attitude is what she values most. Click here to learn more about Coach Hannah.
Mitchell Smith - Player Development Coach
Coach Mitch was born in Lafayette, CA and played high school basketball at Acalanes High School. After graduating from Acalanes, Mitch went on to play two years at Diablo Valley College where he was awarded honorable mention and all-academic first team. After receiving his A.A degree, Mitch transferred to UC Berkeley where he received his B.A in Environmental Economics and Policy while also working as a Team Manager for the men's basketball team. Mitch worked closely with both the staff and players to elevate their levels of success on and off the court. Along with his experiences in skill development and training with division one caliber players, Mitch has also worked with ages ranging from kindergarten through high school. Along with training at UPB, Mitch is also a Graduate Assistant for the Santa Clara Men’s basketball team where he is pursuing his masters degree in Educational Leadership. Coach Mitch has a desire to cultivate a sense of love and joy for basketball for all players he works with.
Garrett Kelly - Player Development Coach
Coach Garrett was born and raised in Menlo Park, California and attended Summit Prep high school. After graduating in 2019, Garrett continued his playing career at UC Santa Cruz. He graduated in Spring of 2023 with a B.S. in Cognitive Science. Garrett is excited to be joining UPB and is passionate about coaching, teaching and learning the game of basketball. He enjoys being part of the basketball community and is looking forward to giving back to the next generation of hoopers.
D’Hey Allen - Player Development Coach
Coach D'Hey was raised in San Mateo, California. He attended San Mateo High School and played three years at the Varsity level before playing at Cañada College while receiving an Associate Degree in History. Afterwards, D'Hey transferred and played in New Hampshire at Colby Sawyer College. His reasoning behind playing in New Hampshire was to learn a new play style as the East Coast style is a lot different than the West Coast. D'Hey is excited to teach the next generation of hoopers both play styles during his time at UPB as a Player Development Coach.
Eugene Tulyagijja - Player Development Coach & Head of Basketball Analytics
Coach Eugene was born in Bangkok, Thailand and attended high school in Vancouver, Canada. He works for the Syracuse Men’s Basketball Team as the Head of Basketball Analytics and a Head Student Manager. While at Syracuse, Eugene works closely with the Coaching and Performing Staff assisting in any analytical needs and providing insight on basketball and health data along with creating reports. Eugene is on track to graduate in 2025 with a BS in Sport Analytics. Eugene also works with Coach Packie, creating analytics and film reports to help NBA, WNBA and NCAA athletes. Eugene is excited to join the UPB Team and provide his knowledge of player development on and off the court.
Dylan Pegarido - Player Development Intern
Coach Dylan was raised in Mountain View, California. He attended Mountain View High School and played basketball and football throughout his time there. He currently attends College of San Mateo and is looking to transfer to a University to pursue a Masters in Sports Management. In 2023, Dylan was presented with the opportunity to coach for a local AAU Program based out of the Peninsula/South Bay. He also works at the El Camino YMCA as a Sports Coordinator. Dylan’s love for coaching grew throughout 2023 as he worked closely with his team and players individually. His favorite part about coaching is seeing players' confidence blossom over time as they invest in themselves. Dylan is excited to join the UPB team and help impact the next generation of athletes.
Veronica Barrot - Player Development Intern
Coach Veronica was born in Burlingame, California but has lived all around the Bay Area, from the Peninsula to the East Bay. After graduating from Arroyo High School in 2017, she went on to play basketball at the University of the Southwest in New Mexico. She also took on running cross country and qualified for the NAIA Nationals in 2019. She received both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice. Veronica then decided to move back to the Bay Area in 2022 where she was able to help out with an AAU club and work with girls of all ages along with being a Frosh head coach and helped assist the JV and varsity girls basketball teams. Working alongside her former AAU coaches helped her find her passion of giving back to the basketball community. Veronica is excited to be apart of the UPB family and to get to know the community. Her ultimate goal is to not only become a trainer for all levels, but to spread her knowledge to the youth and show them that anything is possible!
Off Court Staff
Bianca Turner - CEO
Bianca Turner and Coach Packie Turner started UPBasketball in Oakland, California in August 2016. She grew up in Oakland and graduated from Santa Clara University with her Bachelors in Business Marketing. Bianca is passionate about creating an environment that teaches hard work and mental toughness. Each UPB program is designed with the athletes in mind. She strives to create fun and challenging opportunities for UPB athletes to grow. If you have any questions please feel free to send her an email at bianca@upbtraining.com. Click here to learn more about Bianca.
Ruta Savickaite - Director of Basketball Operations & Player Development Coach
Ruta was born and raised in Lithuania. She moved to the United States in 2012 where she attended Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, TN. She played at Western Kentucky University for two years, during those two years the team made it to the NCAA tournament both years. In 2015 Ruta transferred to the University of Southern Indiana, where she finished her playing career and earned a Bachelor's degree in Sport Management. After graduation, she accepted a graduate assistantship position with Wichita State's women's basketball team. During two years with WSU, she was assisting the head coach with recruiting, marketing, player development, game-day operations, and scheduling. She graduated from Wichita State in May 2019, after graduating with a Master's degree Ruta moved to the Bay Area in June 2019 to pursue her career in sports administration and coaching. Currently Ruta is in charge of day to day operations at UPB, while working remotely from Lithuania. Click here to learn more about Coach Ruta.
Madisen Carter - Operations Manager
Madisen was born and raised in Sacramento, California. She went to Antelope High School where she was the head of the sports section for the school’s news team, Titan TV News. In 2016 she moved to Phoenix, Arizona to attend Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Journalism and a certificate in Sales and Marketing Essentials in May of 2020. As a sports reporter and journalist at ASU, she covered high school sports in the Phoenix area, ASU Athletics, the Arizona Fall League, and more. Madisen recently graduated in May of 2023 from the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU with a Master’s Degree in Sports Law and Business. Madisen takes care of day-to-day operations at the training facility and manages UPB's social media accounts. Click here to learn more about Madisen.
Dylan Tehada - Digital Content Creator
Dylan Tehada was born and raised in San Jose, California. He attended Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose where he played varsity baseball. After he graduated from high school, he moved south to Los Angeles where he currently attends Loyola Marymount University as a Marketing major in the College of Business Administration. At LMU, he is a practice player on the women’s basketball team, a campus admissions tour guide, a member of the Delta Sigma Pi professional fraternity, and plays club baseball amongst other involvements. Dylan is on track to graduate in 2024 with a Bachelor’s of Business Administration degree with a focus in Marketing and is pursuing a Master of Science in Business Analytics as part of LMU’s 4+1 program. At UPB, Dylan helps out with social media content and write articles for the blog.
Josh Sangalang - Digital Content Intern
Josh was born in Vallejo, CA before moving across the bridge to San Francisco. He went to Oceana High School where he wrestled and played varsity basketball. He then attended San Francisco State University where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management in the Fall of 2021. Throughout his life, he always found himself capturing the moment with a camera in his hands. Here at UPB, Josh aims to capture the moments of growth and happiness within every athlete that comes to the training facility. He looks forward to coming through UPB’s doors everyday due to its inviting and uplifting atmosphere. Through Josh’s lens, he helps capture and represent the positive culture we promote here at UPB. Click here to learn more about Josh.