Meet Tyler Ojanen

It's a fresh beginning for Cal State East Bay men's basketball and part of that involves the formulation of a coaching staff from scratch. So new Head Coach Gus Argenal has brought in Tyler Ojanen from St. Mary's College, with the latter having served as Director of Basketball Operations in Moraga since 2009.

Recently, we had the opportunity to talk with Ojanen, who graduated from and played for Cal Baptist and also taught and coached high school ball in his hometown of Phoenix.

So why the coaching profession for Ojanen?

"I knew I wanted to coach since I was in high school because I knew I wanted to be around basketball and couldn't see myself doing anything else. The last six years of my life don't feel like work because I have such a passion for doing this. It's been a blessing."

It's been basketball in the lead for some time.

"With basketball, you just need a ball and a hoop" and Ojanen recalls games of 3-on-3 and 4-on-4 in his front yard as he played alongside his older brother.

So why the move now?

Ojanen answered, beginning with, "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Randy Bennett. He gave me a chance. Coach Bennett is on of the best coaches in the country and he has the St. Mary's culture rolling -- the players have so much investment they don't let the culture slip. He's great at assembling a team and he sees things in players other don't see."

He added, "But it was time to go. I wanted to try new leadership opportunities and learn from new experiences. The opportunity to build a program doesn't come around too often. Also, the opportunity to learn from and grow with Coach Argenal was hard to pass up. He has a great reputation in the coaching community, he is a proven winner who has helped build some winning programs and helped develop some of the top players in our league."

Although there isn't such a thing as a typical day in the life of the Cal State East Bay coaching staff, Ojanen offered, "we show up and make our calls. But everyday brings something new and we're figuring it out."

With both Argenal and Ojanen coming from private schools in their latest tenures, it's learning the intricacies and nuances of a state college system although the former has Golden State experience under his belt at both UC Davis and Chico State.

Ojanen's experience as both a player and coach gives him a leg up when asked what advice he would give to high school talents: "Enjoy your high school time and teammates and make it the best experience. Do everything you can to help your team and be a good teammate. High school is a unique time where you're at a school with four or five of your best friends, it's like a brotherhood. Later, much more will come to your plate."

As for the future, "I ultimately want to be a head coach," Ojanen said.

He's learned and learning from the best.