T. J. Otzelberger

T. J. Otzelberger
Sport(s) Basketball
Current position
Title Head coach
Team South Dakota State
Conference Summit League
Record 46–24
Biographical details
Born (1977-09-17) September 17, 1977
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Playing career
1998–2001 Wisconsin–Whitewater
Position(s) Point guard
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2001–2004 Burlington Catholic Central HS
2004–2005 Chipola College (assistant)
2006–2010 Iowa State (assistant)
2010–2013 Iowa State (associate HC)
2013–2015 Washington (assistant)
2015–2016 Iowa State (assistant)
2016–present South Dakota State
Head coaching record
Overall 46–24 (college)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Summit League Tournament (2017, 2018)
Summit League regular season (2018)
Awards
Summit League Coach of the Year (2018)

Thomas John Otzelberger (born September 17, 1977) is an American basketball coach. He is the head men's basketball coach at South Dakota State University, a position he has held since 2016.

Early and personal life

Otzelberger[1] was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the son of Thomas L. and Jackie A. Otzelberger. He attended Thomas More High School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was a three-year starter on the varsity basketball team.[2] He played college basketball at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, and was team captain for two years.[2] On June 1, 2013, he married Alison Lacey,[1][3] former ISU Women's Basketball standout, former WNBA player,[4] and former coach[5] of the Marshalltown Community College Women's Basketball Team.

Early coaching career

From 2001 to 2004 Otzelberger served as a basketball coach at Burlington Catholic Central High School in Burlington, Wisconsin.[6] He was promoted to varsity head coach and athletic director in 2003.[7] For the 2004-2005 season, he moved to Marianna, Florida to join the Chipola College staff as an assistant coach.[2] In that season, the Indians finished 33-4, won the Panhandle Conference and placed third[8] at the 2005. NJCAA national tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas

Iowa State University

Otzelberger served on the Cyclones' coaching staff for seven years. He initially joined the Iowa State coaching staff under former Iowa State Head Coach Greg McDermott in 2006,[9] and served under him as an assistant through the 2009-2010 season. When McDermott was succeeded by Fred Hoiberg "The Mayor" in May 2010, Otzelberger was promoted to the position of Associate Head Coach.[10][11]

In 2011-2012, Hoiberg led Iowa State to a 23-11 overall record and a third place finish in the Big 12 Conference,[12] advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005.[13] The Cyclones defeated reigning national champion Connecticut[14] in third round tourney action, before falling to eventual national champion Kentucky. In 2012-2013, the Cyclones finished 4th in the Big 12 Conference [15] while advancing to the third round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Ohio State on a buzzer beater.[16] During this stretch, the Cyclones were among the nation's leading teams in scoring, returning the team to national prominence.

Otzelberger has been widely regarded as one of the top recruiters in the nation. His efforts have helped secure the services of Cyclone greats Mike Taylor, Craig Brackins, Diante Garrett, Scott Christopherson, Chris Babb, Chris Allen, Will Clyburn, Korie Lucious, Melvin Ejim, Georges Niang, Naz Long, and Matt Thomas, among others. In addition to recruiting, Otzelberger was in charge of opponent scouting and game planning for the Cyclones tournament run in 2012 and 2013.

In April 2015, Otzelberger returned to be an assistant coach for Iowa State after leaving Washington.

University of Washington

On May 7, 2013, Washington Huskies Head Coach Lorenzo Romar announced that T.J. Otzelberger had joined his staff as an assistant coach. NBC Sports called Coach Otzelberger's hiring at Washington as one of the top 10 key assistant coaching hires for the 2013-14 season.[17] Following the 2014 season, Jay Bilas and Jeff Goodman ranked TJ as one of the top college head coaching candidates.[18] On April 1, 2015 it was announced that Otzelberger was returning to Iowa State to replace Matt Abdelmassih.[19]

South Dakota State

On April 14, 2016, Otzelberger was named head coach of South Dakota State, replacing Scott Nagy, who left after 21 years to become the head coach at Wright State.[20] In his first season as head coach, Otzelberger led the Jackrabbits to the Summit League Tournament Championship and an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, losing in the first round to eventual tournament runner-up Gonzaga. On March 6, 2018, Coach Otzelberger led the Jackrabbits back to the NCAA Tournament, their third straight trip to the Big Dance, with a 97-87 win over the University of South Dakota.

Community service

When it comes to community service, Coach Otzelberger is openly passionate about teaching young people and was actively involved in the National Association of Basketball Coaches "Stay in to Win" program.[21] This program was set up to help students focus on making important decisions in order to become more successful in school and impact their overall quality of life. Otzelberger is also highly involved with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. He is also a member of the Villa 7 Consortium, which aims to develop the nation's top assistant coaches.

Head coaching record

College

Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
South Dakota State Jackrabbits (Summit League) (2016–present)
2016–17 South Dakota State 18–178–8T–4thNCAA First Round
2017–18 South Dakota State 28–713–11stNCAA First Round
2018–19 South Dakota State 0–00–0
South Dakota State: 46–24 (.657)21–9 (.700)
Total:46–24 (.657)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

  1. 1 2 "Otzelberger". tjotzelberger.com. Retrieved April 26, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 "TJ Otzelberger Bio". gohuskies.com. May 7, 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
  3. ↑ "Alison Lacey Bio". cyclones.com. August 28, 2006. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  4. ↑ Evans, Jayda (April 8, 2010). "Storm selects Iowa State point guard Alison Lacey in WNBA draft". The Seattle Times. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
  5. ↑ "Marshalltown Community College Tiger Athletics". iavalley.edu. Retrieved January 2, 2013.
  6. ↑ Kabelowsky, Art (April 30, 2010). "Iowa State in the Air". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  7. ↑ Feldman, Mark (July 22, 2003). "Otzelberger Brings New Life to Hilltoppers". Racine Journal Times. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Chipola College". Hoopedia. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Greg McDermott Introduces Three Members of New Staff". CBS College Sports. April 3, 2006. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  10. ↑ "Iowa State Hires Former Player Hoiberg as Coach". ESPN. April 28, 2010. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  11. ↑ Sandell, Nate (April 28, 2010). "Otzelberger to Remain Associate Head Coach". Iowa State Daily. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  12. ↑ "2011-12 Big 12 Conference Men's Basketball Standings". Big 12 Conference. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  13. ↑ Meredith, Luke (March 12, 2013). "Iowa State earns 1st NCAA bid since 2005". Retrieved January 14, 2013.
  14. ↑ Tucker, Kyle (March 16, 2012). "Iowa State hopes to surprise Kentucky basketballt". Louisville Courier-Journal. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  15. ↑ "2012-13 Big 12 Conference Men's Basketball Standings". Big 12 Conference. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
  16. ↑ Schonbrun, Zach (March 24, 2013). "Ohio State Survives on a Buzzer-Beater Out of a Child's Daydream". New York Times. Retrieved March 24, 2013.
  17. ↑ Phillips, Scott (October 11, 2013). "2013-14 Season Preview: 10 key assistant coaching hires". Retrieved November 11, 2013.
  18. ↑ Bilas, Jay (May 21, 2014). "Top college head coach candidates". Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  19. ↑ "T.J. Otzelberger to replace Matt Abdelmassih on ISU staff". April 1, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  20. ↑ "Meet Coach Otz: Jacks introduce new men's basketball coach". argusleader.com.
  21. ↑ "Cyclones Help Promote NABC "Stay in to Win" Program". Cyclones.com. September 10, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
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