T.J. Otzelberger was introduced Thursday as the new head men’s basketball coach at South Dakota State University. Most recently an assistant coach at Iowa State University, Otzelberger is the 21st head coach in Jackrabbit program history.
“My family and I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this great university, athletic department and Brookings community,” Otzelberger said. “We’re passionate about striving for excellence on the court, on the campus and in the community, and can’t wait to start building those important relationships.”
“We have a long and storied tradition and history in men’s basketball at SDSU and this is a tremendous opportunity to move our program forward under T.J.’s leadership,” Director of Athletics Justin Sell said. “He really supports the values we hold here — the emphasis on academics, being engaged in the community and understanding the importance of having a winning program. I’m really excited to add T.J., Alison, Jayce and Olivia to the Jackrabbit family.”
Otzelberger served two separate stints as an assistant coach at Iowa State, covering eight seasons. He began his first tour in Ames in 2006 under head coach Greg McDermott and was later elevated to associate head coach in 2010 by then-head coach Fred Hoiberg. The 2011-12 Iowa State squad achieved a top-25 national ranking for the first time in seven years and defeated defending national champion Connecticut in the NCAA?Tournament en route to 23 wins.
Following the 2012-13 season, Otzelberger moved on to the University of Washington for two years, where he served as associate head coach on Lorenzo Romar’s coaching staff. The Huskies were ranked as high as No. 11 during the 2014-15 season and Otzelberger played a key role in putting together a top-10 nationally ranked recruiting class.
Otzelberger returned to Iowa State in the spring of 2015 as an assistant coach. As a member of Steve Prohm’s coaching staff, he helped lead the Cyclones to a 23-12 overall record and a berth in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. The Cyclones were ranked in the top 25 throughout the 2015-16 season and knocked off both No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 4 Kansas during Big 12 Conference play. Iowa State reached the Sweet 16 by recording victories over Iona (N.Y.) and Arkansas-Little Rock before falling to top-seeded Virginia in the regional semifinals.
More than a dozen players Otzelberger recruited and coached at Iowa State earned all-Big 12 Conference recognition, including Georges Niang, who was a consensus All-America selection and recipient of the Karl Malone Award as the top collegiate power forward this past season.
A Milwaukee native, Otzelberger played collegiately at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he was a three-year starter and two-year team captain. He began his coaching career at Burlington Central Catholic High School in Burlington, Wisconsin, before accepting his first collegiate coaching position as an assistant coach at Chipola Junior College in Marianna, Florida. Chipola placed third in the NJCAA National Tournament, finishing the year with a 33-4 record.
At South Dakota State, Otzelberger will inherit a men’s basketball program that has qualified for the NCAA Tournament three times in the last five years. The Jackrabbits shared the Summit League regular season crown during the 2015-16 season before earning an NCAA?Tournament bid by winning the league’s postseason tournament. SDSU compiled a 26-8 overall record, ending the season with a 79-74 loss to Maryland in the first round of NCAA? Tournament play.
As his top priority in putting together a coaching staff, Otzelberger stated that he will retain longtime Jackrabbit assistant coach Rob Klinkefus. The remainder of his coaching and support staff will be hired in the coming weeks.
A public reception to welcome the Otzelberger family will be held next Thursday (April 21) at Cubby’s Sports Bar and Grill in downtown Brookings, starting at 5:30 p.m.
http://www.gojacks.com/news/2016/4/14/mens-basketball-otzelberger-named-jackrabbit-head-coach.aspx
Photo Courtesy SDSU Athletics
