Todd Okeson is entering his seventh season on the Utah Valley men’s basketball staff and his third as associate head coach under head coach Todd Phillips. Since joining the Wolverines in 2019, Okeson has played a pivotal role in Utah Valley’s rise, helping the program capture three Western Athletic Conference regular-season championships (2020–21, 2022–23, 2024–25) and reach new heights in postseason play.
In 2024–25, Okeson helped guide the Wolverines to a 25-9 overall record, a dominant 15-1 mark in WAC play, and the outright WAC regular-season title—the program’s fourth overall and second outright. Utah Valley earned the No. 1 seed in the WAC Tournament and advanced to its first-ever WAC Tournament championship game before earning its third all-time berth to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). UVU finished the season ranked No. 19 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll and went undefeated at home (12-0) for the first time in program history.
Under Okeson’s leadership, the Wolverines ranked among the nation’s best in multiple statistical categories, including fifth in blocks per game (5.6), 25th in defensive rebounds (27.35), and 41st in total rebounds (38.21). Offensively, UVU led the WAC in field goal percentage (46.8%), assists per game (15.6), and rebound margin (+4.9). UVU’s guards once again thrived under Okeson’s guidance, with Dominick Nelson (WAC Player of the Year), Carter Welling (WAC Defensive Player of the Year), Tanner Toolson (All-WAC Second Team), and Jackson Holcombe (WAC All-Freshman Team) each earning postseason honors.
In 2023–24, Okeson helped UVU close strong by winning seven of its final nine games to finish 16-16 overall and tied for fourth in the WAC standings. The Wolverines also went 4-2 against in-state opponents with wins over Weber State, Southern Utah (twice), and Utah Tech.
Okeson was instrumental in the Wolverines’ record-setting 2022–23 season, which saw UVU post a 28-9 overall record and 15-3 WAC mark—both program bests. The team reached the semifinals of the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), picking up wins at New Mexico and Colorado and defeating Cincinnati at home. UVU also recorded a nation-best 12 road wins and earned its highest-ever finishes in the NCAA NET (No. 58) and KenPom (No. 64) rankings.
In 2021–22, Okeson helped UVU to its first 20-win season since 2019, finishing 20-12. The season prior, he helped engineer a remarkable turnaround in 2020–21, guiding a revamped roster of 16 newcomers to a WAC regular-season championship after being picked seventh in the preseason poll.
Before arriving at Utah Valley, Okeson spent the 2018–19 season at the University of Nevada, where he was part of a staff that led the Wolf Pack to a 29-5 record, a third straight Mountain West title, and an NCAA Tournament berth. He also worked with NBA champion JaVale McGee during his time at Nevada.
Okeson’s coaching résumé includes roles as director of basketball operations at the University of Hawai‘i (2016–18), assistant coach and interim head coach at Southern Utah (2012–16), and staff positions at Georgia (2009–12) and with the Reno Bighorns of the NBA Development League (2008–09). At Georgia, he helped develop future NBA lottery pick and 2013 SEC Player of the Year Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
A Kansas native, Okeson was the starting point guard for Nevada’s 2003–04 team that won the WAC championship and reached the NCAA Sweet 16. He later played professionally in Europe and in the ABA and USBL before beginning his coaching career.
Okeson and his wife, Natalie, have a son, Gaines, and two daughters, Micah and Campbell.
