In his first three seasons as associate head coach with the Penguins, the team has reached multiple program milestones. During the inaugural 2021-2022 season, Dominican recorded its first ever road win at Hawaii Pacific. The 2022-2023 season saw the Penguins defeat Biola for the first time in program history. Marcus McCutchen was a PacWest All-Conference selection and Jaayden Bush led the PacWest in free-throw attempts and finished second in steals. The 2023-2024 Penguins swept the season series against Chaminade (first time since 2010) and Azusa Pacific (first time ever). All student-athletes who exhausted their eligibility during his first three seasons earned their degrees. In Spring of 2022, the program recorded a 3.52 team gpa, believed to be the best in program history.
Prior to joining the Penguins, Okada spent six seasons as an assistant coach at perennial D2 power Cal Poly Pomona. In his time with the program, the Broncos made five NCAA Tournament appearances, captured two CCAA conference championships, and had an overall record of 125-49. He was also instrumental in the recruitment and development of multiple All-Region selections and future pros including Jordan Ogundiran and Will Christmas. In spring of 2021, the Broncos achieved a 3.3 team gpa, the highest in program history. In 2020, Okada was named one of the top-50 most impactful DII assistant coaches by Silver Waves Media.
Before his time in Pomona, Okada served as the lead assistant for head coach Tyson Aye at Allan Hancock College. Okada helped lead the Bulldogs to a state tournament appearance in his lone season at the Santa Maria junior college. He was integral in the recruitment and development of a roster that included Teyvon Myers (state-leading scorer, West Virgina, current pro). The Bulldogs 2013-2014 roster matriculated 10 student-athletes to 4-year institutions.
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Preceding his time at Allan Hancock, Okada spent one season as an assistant coach at Imperial Valley College in Imperial, CA. In his first season as a college assistant, he aided in the recruitment of a roster rebuild that included student-athletes from all over the country. At Imperial Valley, Okada also served as a part-time faculty member and academic adviser.
Okada started his career with University of the Pacific as a student manager and then video coordinator for 5 seasons under hall of fame coach Bob Thomason. The 2009-2010 season saw the Tigers capture a share of the Big West championship before earning a birth in the College Insider Tournament where they reached the championship game. During the 2008-2009 season the Tigers finished 21-13, good for second in Big West Conference play and came within one game of an NCAA Tournament appearance.
Okada earned a Bachelor of Arts in sports management from the University of the Pacific and has a Master’s of Science in Physical Education from California University of Pennsylvania. He is a native of Gardena, California, and graduated from Nathaniel Narbonne High School in Harbor City. He currently resides in San Rafael with his wife Melanie.
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