Following Tabitha Yim being hired as the new head coach at Stanford, John Court has been named the Arizona Gymnastics interim head coach for the upcoming season.

Release via Arizona Athletics

Veteran Arizona gymnastics assistant coach John Court has been named interim head coach for the 2017-18 season, director of athletics Dave Heeke announced on Thursday. Court has been on the Wildcats' staff for the past 19 seasons under previous head coaches Bill Ryden and Tabitha Yim.
 
"John's knowledge and understanding of our program, combined with his coaching acumen, make him the right person to serve as our interim head coach," Heeke said.

He brings a wealth of experience to the position and gives the program an opportunity at a smooth transition so the group can focus on their upcoming season.

Court's extensive experience includes nearly two decades working with Arizona's vault and floor exercise teams. He has also served as the Wildcats' recruiting coordinator throughout much of his career, efforts that have helped extend the program's streak of NCAA regional appearances to 31 consecutive years, including a trip to the 2002 NCAA Championships. Additionally, Court has developed numerous all-conference and All-American honorees both in the gym and the classroom.
 
"I'm excited to take on this challenge and I'm looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish this season," Court said. "I want to thank our athletics director Dave Heeke and the administration for putting their faith in me. We have a fantastic gymnastics staff and they play an important role in the program's success."

We'll work together as a group to make sure that our student-athletes continue to have a first-class experience while they are at the University.

The 2007 and 2012 South Central regional assistant coach of the year, Court has mentored some of Arizona's top gymnasts. Included are Heidi Hornbeek, recipient of the 2000 AAI Award, Monica Bisordi, the program's all-time scoring leader and a multi-time All-American, Karin Wurm, the 2008 Pac-10 scholar-athlete of the year, and 2014 All-American Kristen Klarenbach. The quartet is among a half-dozen gymnasts who have garnered All-America recognition during Court's time on staff.
 
Before coaching at Arizona, Court spent five years at the University of Vermont, his last three years 1995-98 serving as head coach. During those years, he was named ECAC Coach of the Year twice. Prior to Vermont, Court spent two years as an assistant coach at Brown University under his mother and legendary gymnastics coach Jackie Court, who coached there for 33 years.
 

Related:
Tabitha Yim Named Stanford Gymnastics Head Coach