OKAMOTO ELEVATED TO MEN’S BASKETBALL ASSISTANT COACH, WALKER NAMED DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

6/20/2011

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — After three seasons as Sacramento State’s director of men’s basketball operations, Travis Okamoto was elevated to assistant coach, it was announced today by head coach Brian Katz. In addition, former Oklahoma player Chris Walker was named the team’s director of operations.

With the promotion of Okamoto and the addition of Walker, Katz’s staff is now in place for the 2011-12 season. Katz will be joined on the sidelines by assistants Brandon Laird, Ajay Riding and Okamoto, as well as Walker. Former Hornet assistants Brady Bergeson (Western Oregon) and Dominique Bukasa (Lassen College) both recently received head coaching jobs.

Okamoto handled numerous day-to-day duties during his three-year stint as the team’s director of operations. In addition, he enters his sixth straight year on Katz’s staff, as Okamoto was an assistant under Katz at San Joaquin Delta College from 2006-08.

“Travis has worked with me five years now and he knows our system well,” Katz said. “He is an extremely hard worker and I am very confident he will be a very good coach.”

Walker played two years for Katz at San Joaquin Delta College (2003-05) followed by two seasons at Oklahoma (2005-07) where he appeared in 43 games. The Sacramento native was named the Northern California Junior College Player of the Year during his sophomore season at Delta. He prepped at Sacramento’s Foothill High School where he was named first team all-state and the Central Valley Conference MVP as a senior after helping the Mustangs to a state title. He spent the 2010-11 season as an assistant coach at Rocklin’s Sierra College.

“Chris is easily one of the most intelligent players I’ve ever coached,” Katz said. “He enjoyed success at every stop of his playing career, and has grown accustomed to being successful on the basketball floor.”

Sacramento State will open the 2011-12 season on Wednesday, Nov. 2, with a home exhibition game against Simpson. The team’s entire schedule, which has yet to be finalized, will be released some time in the next month.