BERKELEY – J.T. Okada, who has served as an assistant coach for the Golden Bears the past five seasons, has been named head men's gymnastics coach at California.
 
A Cal alumnus, Okada replaces Brett McClure, Cal's head coach the past four years who announced in February he would step down at the end of the 2017 season to become high performance director for USA Gymnastics.
 
"We are very excited to have J.T. take the helm of our Cal men's gymnastics program," Director of Athletics Mike Williams said. "As a Cal alum, J.T., understands and embodies the values we hold near in our campus community and has shown a deep commitment to our program in his time here. J.T. not only knows the unique and rich culture of Golden Bear men's gymnastics, he brings a wealth and variety of experience specific to the sport that will keep the program successful."
 
During his tenure in Berkeley, Okada has helped the Bears to the NCAA Championships each year with best finishes of fifth in both 2015 and '16.
 
"I am absolutely honored to accept the head coaching position at my alma mater," said Okada. "The men's gymnastics program is resilient and has a strong tradition of developing exceptional gymnasts and professionals. With the support of our world class academic institution, it is my hope to continue offering a great student-athlete experience to the young men who choose to train and compete in this extremely competitive and challenging sport. I look forward to helping reinvigorate the Cal Men's Gymnastics program with the support of the donors, alumni, and various stakeholders."
 
This past summer, Okada served as head coach of the South African men's gymnastics team at the Rio Olympics, which featured Cal alum Ryan Patterson.
 
As a student at Cal, Okada served as president of the National Association of Intercollegiate Gymnastics Clubs. He later was an instructor with Golden Bear Gymnastics before accepting the assistant position with the Cal men's team.
 
Okada has coordinated mental skills training for Cal Athletics while with the Bears. He has also been a guest lecturer and panelist on sports psychology, both locally and nationally.
 
Okada earned his bachelor's degree in anthropology from Cal in 2009 and a master of science in kinesiology from UC San Francisco in 2015, writing his thesis on sport commitment in youth male gymnasts. He has held a professional membership with USA Gymnastics since 2002 and is a member of the Association of Applied Sport Psychology.
 
For more information on Cal men's gymnastics follow the team on Twitter and Instagram @CalMensGym and like the Cal Men's Gym page on Facebook.