ISU wastes no time getting assistant

AMES - T.J. Otzelberger left Ames following Iowa State's second-straight appearance in the NCAA tournament hoping to expand his horizon.

After two years as an assistant at Washington, Otzelberger was able to learn a lot, particularly about where 'home” really was.

'What I learned from it is how much I missed Iowa State, how much I wanted to be back here and all of the great things about Iowa State,” Otzelberger said. 'Although I aspire to be a head coach at some point, I'm not at a point where it has to be tomorrow and I feel like this is where I want to be.”

One day after the departure of assistant coach Matt Abdelmassih, who took an assistant coaching position at St. John's, ISU Coach Fred Hoiberg tabbed Otzelberger to rejoin his staff in Ames. Otzelberger was an assistant with the Cyclones from 2006-13, and was an associate head coach under Hoiberg from 2010-13.

'He was the first call,” Hoiberg said. 'I had to gauge his interest, and he had a lot.”

While in Ames the first time around, Otzelberger made a name for himself as a tenacious recruiter, helping the program gain some of the building blocks for its recent success. Craig Brackins, Scott Christopherson, Melvin Ejim, Naz Long, Georges Niang and Matt Thomas all were brought to Ames in large part because of Otzelberger's efforts.

Otzelberger, a Milwaukee native, said the process unfolded rather quickly after he was contacted Tuesday by Hoiberg.

He is married to the former Alison Lacey, who played women's basketball at Iowa State from 2006-10. The couple has two children, and said the opportunity to return to a place they were both passionate about was one they had to take.

'We felt like it was an opportunity to come home and reconnect with all the people we care about so much and have relationships with and to be around a school at Iowa State where we were both highly invested for a number of years,” Otzelberger said. 'It's an unbelievable opportunity.”

Otzelberger's official title with the program will be assistant coach, rather than associate head coach like he was with the Cyclones previously. He reportedly also was in consideration for smaller Division I head coaching jobs, but has withdrawn his name from consideration for those other opportunities.

'Sometimes when those opportunities come up it's flattering to be pursued and it's flattering for people to talk to you about those things,” Otzelberger said. 'Ultimately if the opportunity to become a head coach presents itself, I want it to be the right opportunity at the right place and right time.”

Otzelberger will hit the ground running on the recruiting trail for Iowa State, he said, as soon as loose ends are tied up at Washington. Hoiberg said the familiarity between Otzelberger and the ISU staff makes it an easier transition in the pursuit of players during this recruiting period and beyond.

'For us,” Hoiberg said, 'it's a great hire.”

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