T.J. Otzelberger is Ready to Bring the ‘Magic Back’ to Hilton Coliseum
The Iowa State Cyclones officially introduced T.J. Otzelberger as their new men’s basketball coach on Friday, preparing to start a rebuild job the likes of which the Cyclones haven’t seen since World War II.
Otzelberger, a former Iowa State assistant coach and native of Wisconsin, appeared content in his new position as he sat beside athletic director Jamie Pollard.
“It’s certainly been a journey,” Otzelberger said. “But it feels great to be home.”
To hear Otzelberger, the mandate is clear.
“We need to bring the magic back to Hilton Coliseum,” Otzelberger said.
Pollard, who conducted a rapid coaching search, appeared happy with his choice. He indicated that both he and Otzelberger know this rebuild could be a “multi-year” process.
Among the former Cyclones players and coaches that reached out to Pollard about Otzelberger’s hiring was former Cyclones head coach Fred Hoiberg, now at Nebraska.
“(He said) You couldn’t have hired a better choice for Iowa State at this time,” Pollard said that Hoiberg told him.
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Iowa State officially announced Otzelberger’s hiring on Thursday via press release. Media outlets reported the hiring as early as Tuesday. Otzelberger replaces Steve Prohm, who was let go on Monday.
Prohm led the Cyclones for six seasons, won 97 games, led them to two Big 12 Tournament titles and three appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including a Sweet 16 trip in 2015-16 (with Otzelberger on the bench as an assistant coach).
But, the Cyclones had failed to finish .500 in Big 12 play for four straight seasons, finished with an overall losing record in three of the past four seasons, and went 2-22 in 2020-21, including a winless trip through Big 12 play.
That led Pollard to make the switch.
Otzelberger said he planned his first meeting with current players on Friday afternoon. He also said that he’s done his homework on each of them. But the mandate, he said, is clear.
“There’s a lot of talented players on this roster,” he said. “You want the parts to be better collectively than apart. I’m looking forward to talking with them, finding out where they’re at and putting that puzzle together.”
Otzelberger, calling the job an opportunity to “return home,” is familiar to ISU fans as a former assistant coach for eight seasons under Greg McDermott, Fred Hoiberg and Steve Prohm.
As a head coach, Otzelberger spent three years at South Dakota State, where he led the Jackrabbits to 70 wins, two Horizon League regular-season and tournament championships, and three postseason appearances (two NCAA Tournaments, one NIT). He left SDSU to take over at UNLV before the 2019-20 season, and in two seasons he went 29-30, but 20-16 in Mountain West play. At UNLV, he left behind a Top 20 recruiting class for his replacement.
This past season at UNLV saw the Rebels go on a 33-day COVID-19.
Recruiting will be an immediate need for Otzelberger as he takes over at ISU. Along with building a pair of Top 40 classes at UNLV, he played a significant role in bringing some of the best players to Iowa State during his time as an assistant coach under McDermott, including Craig Brackins, Diante Garrett, Mike Taylor, Scott Christopherson, and Melvin Ejim. Otzelberger said those are the types of players he wants to recruit to Iowa State.
Under Hoiberg, Otzelberger was promoted to associate head coach and handled game plans and scouting, in addition to recruiting. During that time he helped bring Wesley Johnson, Justin Hamilton, Royce White, Chris Allen, Will Clyburn, Tyrus McGee, Georges Niang, Monte Morris, Abdel Nader, Matt Thomas, Naz Mitrou-Long, and Deonte Burton to Ames.
Otzelberger took a two-year break from ISU and became an assistant coach under Lorenzo Bomar at Washington and helped him cultivate a Top 15 recruiting class in 2015. He returned to Ames after Hoiberg left for the Chicago Bulls, and spent Prohm’s first season as an assistant coach before taking over at South Dakota State.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
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