Iowa State Head Men’s Basketball Coach T.J. Otzelberger has announced updates to his staff for the upcoming season.
Stevie Taylor has been named the assistant director of player development, while Brian Pearson and Lavonte Davis have been named graduate assistants.
“Stevie is an excellent teacher and communicator and takes tremendous pride in developing young men, on and off the court,” Otzelberger said. “We look forward to his skill set and character positively impacting our program.”
Taylor joins the Iowa State staff after spending the 2022-23 season at Toledo as the director of operations. Taylor helped the Rockets become the first MAC school to win three-consecutive outright league titles. Toledo tied its school record with 27 victories, while going 16-2 in league play.
Prior to his year at Toledo, Taylor spent the 2021-22 season as an assistant coach at Nicholls, where the Colonels went 21-9 and won the Southland Conference title. Taylor spent two years at Langston (Okla.) as an assistant coach from 2019-21 and was a graduate assistant at Boston College from 2017-19.
A graduate of Ohio, Taylor played in 137 career games for the Bobcats with 34 starts. Ohio played in three postseason tournaments with Taylor on the team, including a trip to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 as a freshman.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to join Coach Otzelberger’s staff at Iowa State and I look forward to helping the Cyclones continue their rich tradition of success,” Taylor said. “I’m really looking forward to developing our players on the court and learning from Coach Otzelberger and this great staff. I know that Iowa State fans are passionate about the program and I can’t wait to see what “Hilton Magic” is about!”.
Pearson joins the staff as a graduate assistant after spending the last two seasons as a manager for the team. During his time as a manager, Pearson assisted with player development, skill training, and organizing practice plans and scouting reports. He also worked with Sportscode, Synergy and other film software to aid in practice prep and scouting.
Davis spent last year as an assistant coach at Lane Community College, while also serving as the head coach at North Eugene High School the past two seasons. Davis was also an assistant coach at the U.S. Basketball Academy from 2018-19 before moving to be the Head International Coach at the U.S. Basketball Academy from 2018-20. Davis also spent time volunteering with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA’s G League in 2018. A graduate of Indiana Tech, Davis is the school’s all-time leader in blocked shots. He earned second team all-conference honors as a senior.
https://cyclones.com/news/2023/6/12/mens-basketball-otzelberger-announces-staff-updates.aspx
