HomePublicationPasadenaOhara to Step Down as Flintridge Prep A.D., Coach

Ohara to Step Down as Flintridge Prep A.D., Coach

Photo courtesy Eric Danielson Garrett Ohara resigned as the Flintridge Prep boys’ basketball coach and will step down as athletic director this summer.
Photo courtesy Eric Danielson
Garrett Ohara resigned as the Flintridge Prep boys’ basketball coach and will step down as athletic director this summer.

After reflecting on the most recent season and his career, Garrett Ohara decided to resign as Flintridge Prep athletic director and boys’ basketball coach.
Ohara said he met with Headmaster Peter Bachmann last Monday to let him know of his decision. The longtime coach will continue his duties as athletic director until the end of the school year. Sean Beattie will transition into the role during the summer.
“I just thought, ‘Is Flintridge Prep where I will end up?’” Ohara said. “‘Is it forever my vocation?’ I’m getting older, and after 20 years here coaching and working as A.D., I think I’m losing the passion and fire I had. I don’t want to shortchange the kids. It’s demanding doing both, and I’ve been very appreciative of what I’ve had here at Prep. It’s just time to step away and allow someone else to take these positions.”
Ohara, 53, graduated from Flintridge Prep in 1984 and was one of the basketball program’s top players. He returned to his alma mater to coach in 1999 and had a successful 20-year career. He guided the Rebels to a record of 311-200, 14 Prep League titles in the past 17 seasons and CIF Southern Section championship appearances in 2004, 2011 and 2016.
The biggest highlight of coaching career came in 2011 when he guided the Rebels to their first CIF-SS boys’ basketball crown with a roster that included Division I athletes Kenyatta Smith and Robert Cartwright. Flintridge Prep defeated Pasadena Muir, 47-44, to claim the Division 5AA championship.
“I sure do think about that time,” said Ohara. “I got the picture on my desk, actually. I’m going to go see Robert play [at UC Irvine]. I got to see Kenyatta during his senior year at Harvard. It’s those kinds of things that make the job special.
“The biggest thing that happens every year is in December when alumni come back and play. They come back to this place full of memories and see old teammates. They love coming back. When you see that or attend the wedding of a former player, it’s just amazing. We’ve had some great seasons and great wins, but it all comes down to the relationships we built.”
One of the biggest relationships Ohara had was with his former coach and good friend Alex Rivera. The apprentice succeeded his mentor as basketball coach in 1999 and A.D. in 2014.
“Flintridge Prep has been such a big part of my life,” Ohara said. “I’m so grateful to this institution. It’s the people who make this place great.”
Ohara said he will still be around to support his daughter Kate, who is a sophomore and a member of the Flintridge Prep varsity girls’ basketball.
The longtime Rebel is not ready to retire and has nothing lined up at the moment.
“It’s a decision I made with my family,” Ohara said. “I think I could use a break. I’ve been a part of 30 consecutive basketball seasons.”
Ohara plans to take at least one year off from the basketball court but did not rule out being part of a coaching staff after his break.
“I don’t see myself ever becoming a head coach again,” he said. “Maybe I’ll be an assistant.”

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