IN SPORTS: TOKAY HOOPS COACH STEPS DOWN
On Tuesday, Travis Okamoto held a meeting with returning Tokay High boys basketball players.
But it wasn’t to discuss workouts in upcoming weeks and months in preparing for the 2017-18 season. Okamoto announced to his players that he has resigned as the Tokay varsity coach, according to Tokay Athletic Director Michael Holst, to become the new River City High boys hoops coach.
“I talked to him over the weekend, and he talked to this players today,” said Holst of Okamoto, who lives in the Sacramento area. “He took a job closer to his home.”
In January, Okamoto and his fiancé, Joleen, welcomed their first child in daughter Lyla Rose. Okamoto continued to coach the Tigers after becoming a father for the first time.
“He wasn’t planning on (resigning), but things change when you have kids,” Holst said.
Over the last three winters, Okamoto watched his Tigers squad compile an overall record of 31-52. Last year’s Tigers went 9-18, and 5-5 in the Tri-City Athletic League. In his first season, 2014-15, Tokay went 15-14 and 5-5 record in the TCAL that earned a Sac-Joaquin Section Division I playoff berth.
“In three years, he’s done a good job,” said Holst of Okamoto. “He wanted to build the program, and he was working on that. He was building the program the right way of in terms of getting the kids into the weight room and doing the job academically.”
One of the Tigers’ wins came in January — three days after his daughter was born — at cross-town and TCAL rival Lodi. Tokay led the entire contest, and held off a late Lodi rally to cool off the Flames 58-54.
“That’s what stands out in my mind,” Holst said. “The environment of the rivalry game on the road and how they performed, it was fun to watch.”
Lodi boys hoops coach Dave Nutting added, “He did a pretty good job. He was well-liked in the league. We really had to get our kids ready to play them.”
The Flames, who endured a 21-game losing skid and finished with a 5-22 record last season, won their only TCAL game of the season against Tokay at The Jungle on Feb. 15. An early lead was enough heat for the Flames to post an 86-79 win over the Tigers.
“The kids played really well,” said Nutting of both teams. “I’ll miss him being at Tokay.”
Okamoto takes over the Raiders’ program in West Sacramento that went 3-23 last winter, and 11-15 during the 2015-16 campaign. According to MaxPreps, Dustin Thompson had been the River City coach the last two seasons.
According to Holst, Okamoto, who was one of five people who interviewed for the Tokay coaching job prior to the start of the 2014-15 season, still works as an English teacher at Lodi Middle School, entering his fourth year at the campus and the Lodi Unified School District.
Holst said that job vacancy for the coaching spot would be posted in the district by the end of this week, and plans to run the ad for approximately three weeks. He would like to have the new coach in place as soon as possible.
“The season is coming up pretty fast,” Holst said.
Okamoto did not respond to attempts to reach him on Tuesday.
Contact reporter Mike Bush at mikeb@lodinews.com. Follow on Twitter: @MBushLodiSports.