Once More In Berkeley

In the span of less than a month, California senior Asad Jooma went from getting accepted into Cal to competing for the Golden Bears' men's gymnastics team.

After spending his freshman and sophomore seasons at the University of Illinois at Chicago, the men's gymnastics program at UIC was cut in August of 2018. After exploring options and contacting coaches after being cleared to do so, Jooma got accepted into UC Berkeley on Dec. 13. Trekking across the country in a two-week span found him at his new home on Dec. 26, and he competed for Cal in a regular season meet on Jan. 10.

Jooma's turbulent yet rewarding collegiate gymnastics career continues this week when the Bears face Navy on Saturday, March 7, at 4 p.m. from Haas Pavilion. Jooma will be one of the five seniors honored during pregame Senior Meet ceremonies for the final home competition of the season.

Joining Jooma for the Senior Meet ceremony will be fellow seniors Harrison Plate, Jonathan Wang, Anton Vorona and two-time team captain Kyte Crigger.

"This week is always about honoring our seniors," head coach JT Okada said. "These guys have worked hard for many years, and this is their last chance to show it off at home. For me, I'm reflecting on the first time I started recruiting them all the way through where they are now. I'm really proud of them. They've developed into great young men. They've developed their gymnastics, and it's evident from how much they've improved from their freshman year to now."

Although his situation is far from ideal, stating that no student-athlete should have to go through what he and his UIC teammates went through, Jooma is grateful to be getting a degree at Cal.

"It's been incredible. I really can't put into words how blessed I feel to be here," he said. "I got really lucky getting to go to a prestigious school like Cal, between the athletics and academics, along with the gymnastics team that welcomed me immediately. Leaving UIC was hard to do, we had a family there too, but I got here and I immediately had a new family. My limited time here, it was not enough. I want an extra semester, an extra year, but the time that I did get to have here I'm so grateful for."

Jooma is especially grateful to Okada for taking a chance on him. At a time when his disgruntled UIC teammates either couldn't find a new NCAA program to compete for or just quit the sport entirely, Okada took a chance on bringing Jooma onboard, and he and his squad have reaped the benefits.

Okada was proud of Jooma's courage to take the risk and travel across the country with little to no time to get acclimated to a new school, city and culture before being depended on to compete for the Bears. The 2019 season was essentially another "freshman" campaign for Jooma, and he made his presence felt in multiple ways for his new family.

"He competed in every meet for us, so he was huge for our team scores," Okada said. "He desired to be in every event possible and that pushed our guys to step up in some places. He brings a lot of excitement. He's always ready to take on the world, and that's infectious. It motivates me too. He has a lot of energy."

One aspect about being at Cal that Jooma has particularly been impressed with is the culture of success Okada and his staff have created. There are other realms of success in addition to athletic competition.

Jooma often overhears his teammates discussing their LinkedIn profiles and setting up internships.

"It's so nice to hear that we're not just trying to land on our feet on the gym mats, but also land on our feet in the real world when we get out of college." he said.

The Senior Meet will be an emotional time for all the seniors. Contrary to Jooma, the other four seniors have been in Berkeley for their entire collegiate careers. Not only that but Crigger has been a two-time team captain. He's given his all for his team – his gymnastics family – and the fact that his final home meet is quickly approaching hasn't quite hit him yet.

Crigger added that the idea of going through the pregame ceremony with all the bells and whistles seems a little weird to him.

"I remember watching the Senior Day presentations the past three years, and it just feels weird after experiencing those as an underclassman that now I'm in that spot. It's different," Crigger said. "It hasn't hit me yet. I'm excited to go out and give it my all. I'm sure there's going to be a little more motivation and energy there because it's the Senior Meet. There's a lot of mixed feelings."

It may be the final home meet, but the season is far from over. Crigger stated he and the team are thinking about the number 41. As of Wednesday, that was the number of practices remaining in the season. They use that number as a source of motivation to not take the rest of the season for granted and to keep grinding.

Going beyond his leadership traits, Okada is particularly impressed with the methods in which Crigger inspires and motivates his teammates.

"Kyte is an amazing person," he said. "He's really introspective and he's reflective. He thinks about situations, so I really appreciate that about him. He's a really thoughtful person. He doesn't just react to things, and that's helped him with his gymnastics. He thinks a lot about how he can make a particular skill better, and his analysis and strategies to get better will serve him so well with his career. He's really excelled with his opportunity to be a leader."

Cal fans can see the five seniors in action live one last time this Saturday.

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Players Mentioned

Kyte Crigger

Asad Jooma

Harrison Plate

Anton Vorona

Jonathan Wang

California Golden Bears Athletics