TJ Otzelberger gets to work at SDSU
BROOKINGS – TJ Otzelberger has been on the job as South Dakota State men’s basketball coach for almost two weeks, and the 38-year-old rookie is getting settled in to his new digs.
Otzelberger has finalized his staff, landed his first recruit (Twin Cities guard Andre Wallace, a transfer from Iowa Western), bought a house and moved into the office vacated by departed veteran coach Scott Nagy.
With the semester wrapping up, Otzelberger and his new assistants – Eric Henderson and Ben Walker join holdover Rob Klinkefus – are getting to know the players, finding their way around Brookings and hitting the ground running on keeping SDSU at the top of Summit League basketball.
Otzelberger carved out about 20 minutes over the weekend to talk about his first week on the job.
MZ: Are you settled in yet?
TJ: We’re getting there. Just got accepted for an offer on a house, got the staff announced and have them in place – we’re excited. I’d say ‘settled in’ is a loose term but we’re moving forward.
MZ: Are you kind of in a situation where you’re balancing administrative stuff with basketball stuff – getting moved in while trying to recruit at the same time?
TJ: Yeah – right now the most important thing is the players. Making sure we’re doing what’s best for them as far as finishing the semester strong, academically and from a basketball standpoint. Building relationships with them and in the time we have, some recruiting and administrative stuff just to make sure things are going smoothly.
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MZ: You got to meet with the players a couple times early on, but I can’t imagine you’ve had a chance yet to really get to know them. I’m guessing building those personal relationships with them is important right now.
TJ: Yeah, definitely. The first day, getting the job, I just spent a lot of time with them as a group, learning about them what I could. The next day we had individual meetings where I got to spend time with each of them one on one. Saturday we went to Cubbys and watched the NBA playoffs as a team, then Sunday we went to the (SDSU) baseball game. We’ve tried to do as much of that family time as we could to get to know the guys.
MZ: Not asking you to divulge anything you don’t want to, but when you have those one on one meetings with the kids what kinds of things do you talk about?
TJ: For me it’s more of an educational opportunity to learn about them and their families. What makes them tick. Learn their story and what they’re about. That helps me be a better coach. I’m adaptable and I want to be the best coach for each individual player. The more I learn about them the more easily I can execute that plan.
MZ: Whenever there’s a coaching change and even before you came into the picture there’s rumors of this kid or that kid being mad or wanting to leave. Do you have to do some re-recruiting with any of them?
TJ: I think they’ve done a phenomenal job of sticking together as a group and pulling strength from one another. But anytime there’s change – I mean, the reason a lot of these kids came to school here was because of Coach Nagy and his staff. So re-recruiting is actually a good way of putting it. I want to prove myself to them, make them know they’re important. They’re the priority. We’re here to make this the best possible experience for them and help them reach their goals. That’s a process I’m committed to every day.
MZ: It’d be different if you were coming into a losing program where you were being asked to turn things around, but you’re taking over an NCAA tournament team. Does that effect the way you approach things, just as far as being respectful of what was there before you?
TJ: Yeah – I have tremendous respect for the job Coach Nagy has done here and what they’ve build. I mean, 63-3 at home in the last five years – that kind of stuff is what makes this an incredible opportunity. At the same time we feel like we have a great group of guys and we can build on those successes as we move forward. Keep building positive momentum. We have high expectations and goals of what we can do.
MZ: Does it feel real to you now – being a head college basketball coach?
TJ: It’s getting there. But I don’t look at it that way. The staff we’ve put together, we’re all part of the same team. No different than our players. No role is more or less important than another. That’s the environment we want to create, where we all have our different responsibilities and jobs, but we’re all in this together to make this the best place it can be and win as many games as we can.
MZ: But you’re still the guy. You’re the one who has the ‘W’ or the ‘L’ next to your name. Does anything change for you going from an assistant to a head coach?
TJ: Obviously I’m one seat over now. The wins and losses fall on you now. But in the 10-11 years I’ve been doing this, whatever job I’ve been given, I’ve given 100 percent, rolled up my sleeves and worked hard. That’s not going to change. We have a lot of confidence if we do the right things, work hard, recruit the right guys, the outcome will be good. Pressure’s not something I worry about or ever will. I set high expectations that we’re going to do great things and I don’t worry about how outsiders judge that. I’m more concerned with how we evaluate that internally.
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MZ: When did you feel like you were ready to be a head coach?
TJ: Probably three or four years ago was when it started crossing my mind and people started reaching out and making communications. I’ve been fortunate to work for four head coaches that are all highly successful, won a lot of games and went to NCAA tournaments. Those guys have all helped prepare me for this opportunity and I’ve taken things from each one of them. When you sit in this chair you need to be comfortable and you need to do what you think is right, but I’d be foolish to not pull resources from those guys because they’ve had a lot of success.
MZ: What did you look for in putting a staff together?
TJ: First thing is great character, and being willing to embrace Brookings. Secondly, people who are great coaches and teachers of the game. I think we’ve put together some of the best player development coaches I’ve seen as far as working to make student athletes better and challenging them to be their best. And third, we want people that want to be great in the community and are passionate about what we’re doing. The impact you can have as coaches on the community, at the university and on campus is a big responsibility and I want them to take that as seriously as I do.
MZ: It’s interesting – Eric comes from NDSU, Ben from Creighton. They’re regional guys. And when the coaching search was ongoing, (athletic director) Justin Sell said regional ties were important. Why is that important? Is there something to understanding the culture of basketball in this region?
TJ: I think definitely. Coming from Iowa State – a land-grant institution like this one, and just understanding that dynamic and recruiting to a place like that and how it works. For us, recruiting at Iowa State means you’re recruiting Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, the Dakotas, Nebraska – that translates because some of those relationships you’ve built allow you to hit the ground running because it’s a lot of people you’ve been aware of for years. So it’s a seamless transition recruiting-wise. But then also I think it’s the family values and what that means in this area. I think we have guys who understand what that culture is like in this area.
MZ: Just from listening to you guys talk as a staff it’s apparent recruiting is heating up. Are you behind because of the coaching change, rushing to catch up?
TJ: We feel pretty comfortable. We have a great group of guys, so we’re looking at a team that if we can find the right guys to help us get better moving forward that’s great. If not we’re comfortable with the guys we have. If we can add a piece or two late we will, if not we’re comfortable sitting on those scholarships. As far as getting caught up, this is a busy recruiting period so we’re trying to make some decisions in how we finish things up, but I don’t think we’re necessarily behind. I think at the pace we’re going to work at this summer we’re going to be right back where we need to be.
MZ: How many openings do you have now?
TJ: Technically we have three scholarships available.
MZ: Are you still learning about these guys as basketball players, as far as their skill sets and things?
TJ: Yeah, definitely. We had individual workouts and more than anything that’s an opportunity for me to learn about these guys, see what their strengths are. As a coach I think it’s important you put the players in the best position to be successful, and to do that you have to know what they do well. So the next week or so before exams is a chance for me to connect with them on the floor and for us to learn each others’ style and put a picture together in my mind of how it all fits together.
MZ: So once you have everything nailed down and settled in what’ll you do this summer?
TJ: First thing I gotta do is get my family here, still have to sell our house. Then we want to get the coaches’ families here. It’s important we have everyone here, comfortable and feeling good about the move.
Beyond that, I’m not a real exciting person. I’m not a hunter or a fisherman, I don’t golf. It’s pretty much work and family. I’m just looking forward to meeting everybody and getting settled into the community.