South Dakota State University men’s basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger announced Thursday the completion of his coaching staff with the hirings of Eric Henderson and Ben Walker as assistant coaches.
“I believe we have identified and have been able to bring in some of the best leaders, teachers of the game and community-minded people to bring on to our staff,” Otzelberger said. “It was also important to find people who have been at successful programs and collectively bring those high expectations to Brookings. Every member of our staff was a part of a team last season that won at least 20 games.”
Otzelberger previously announced that longtime Jackrabbit assistant coach Rob Klinkefus would stay on as a member of his first coaching staff.
“Rob has proven to be a tremendous recruiter, coach and mentor for the young men in our program,” Otzelberger said. “Recruiting him to remain on our staff was absolutely our first priority.”
Henderson is no stranger to The Summit League, having served the past two seasons as an assistant coach at North Dakota State. In his first season in Fargo, Henderson helped lead the Bison to the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
A 2000 graduate of Wayne State (Neb.), Henderson began his collegiate coaching career at his alma mater. After coaching girls’ basketball at Wayne Community School for two seasons, he moved on to Iowa State, where he was the graduate manager for the Cyclones’ men’s basketball team for two seasons and a learning specialist for one. He returned to coaching in the prep ranks at Burlington Catholic Central High School in Burlington, Wisconsin, from 2009-14, while also serving stints as principal and athletic director.
“Eric is one of the best teachers and skill development coaches I’ve seen,” said Otzelberger. “His relentless enthusiasm and passion for teaching the game will be a huge asset for our program.”
Walker joins the Jackrabbit coaching staff from Jackson State (Miss.), where spent the 2015-16 season as an assistant coach for a program that posted a 20-16 record and made a postseason appearance in the College Insider Tournament. He previously coached in the junior college ranks, winning conference titles and making national tournament appearances at both Des Moines Area Community College (Iowa) and Butler Community College (Kan.).
As a collegiate player, Walker lettered from 1998-2001 for Creighton squads that made three NCAA Tournament appearances with one NIT berth. He later embarked on a professional playing experience with several stops overseas, along with tryouts with the Sioux Falls Skyforce and Gary Steelheads of the CBA. Walker was inducted into the Creighton University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010.
“Ben Walker and I have known each other since I was 15 years old,” Otzelberger said. “Ben’s character, work ethic and ability to recruit on a national level will help take Jackrabbit basketball to new heights.”
In addition, Otzelberger announced that Tyler Glidden will join the program as coordinator of basketball operations. Glidden has spent the past four seasons at Creighton, where he filled the role of video coordinator during the 2012-13 season and basketball administrator for three years. His primary duties on the administrative side included serving as the liaison between the coaching and academic support staffs, as well as organizing community outreach programs.
Glidden earned both bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Iowa State. He started with the program as a student manager and later was elevated to a graduate assistant coaching position. He also worked extensively with summer camps.
“Tyler has the most impressive organizational skills of anybody that I’ve been around. He’s proactive, creative and has proven to be the ultimate team player. I couldn’t be more excited to have Tyler round out our staff,” Otzelberger said.
http://www.gojacks.com/news/2016/4/21/mens-basketball-coaching-staff-completed.aspx
