MILWAUKEE – It’s been said many times that defense wins championships. Under head coach T.J. Otzelberger, Iowa State has kept a strong defensive identity throughout his four seasons at the helm of the program.
While Otzelberger makes it look easy to get players to buy in and play such high-level defense, it’s something that takes time to perfect and maintain.
A native of Milwaukee, Otzelberger played high school ball at St. Thomas More High School. It was during that time, especially as a senior, when he had to find exactly what type of player he was.
“As I played for [Pat Ross], his message was always hard, smart and together,” Otzelberger said. “Particularly the team in the group I had my senior year of high school, it was more of like five guards just flying around defensively. At times I was like our small forward at whatever height I think I am when I’m walking on my tiptoes. It was a fun experience.”
Otzelberger quickly figured out that defense was his strong suit, as Ross helped mentor him at a time when Otzelberger said he truly needed it. Otzelberger mentioned that their relationship is still strong to this day, and Ross gives him feedback from time to time and comes to games from time to time.
“He was a coach that was demanding, yet was somebody that you loved to play for because you knew he cared about you and he always made time,” Otzelberger said.
With Ross’ help, Otzelberger became a strong defensive presence and he carried that over into his time as a college basketball player at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
While Otzelberger played there under head coach David Vander Meulen, he was instilled with a mindset that he carried forward throughout his time there and into his coaching career.
“Coach Vander Meulen was really firm with like, ‘You’re not faster, you’re not smarter, you better find what your advantage is and what your edge is going to be,’” Otzelberger said. “For me, it felt like that was my way to earn minutes as a college player. That was my way — how I saw the game was if you don’t have immense talent, you have to find ways to be better at the doable things.”
Those doable things not only include things on the court like being a better defender, passer or player in general. Otzelberger said it’s also about how you carry yourself as a person, too.
“I’ve just always believed in controlling the things that you can control,” Otzelberger said. “You control your enthusiasm, your attitude. You control your effort. Be great at the doable things. Be great at those things that you can consistently perform to that level.”
All actions have a choice, and Otzelberger chose to work any way he could to be better based on what his coaches instilled in him. It’s a mindset and a mentality he hasn’t lost since his playing days and still applies it as a coach.
“We want to make sure that we run a program and have a team that always makes that choice,” Otzelberger said.
Now as the head coach of Iowa State, the daily habits of the team, its constant reminders from Otzelberger to control what’s in front of them and its strong defensive and rebounding identity have taken the Cyclones to a championship-caliber level.
This season, the Cyclones have the eighth-best defensive rating in the country and have been in the top 10 the past three seasons.
While the stats and accolades are one thing, Otzelberger’s ability to continue this type of identity has happened with a mix of returning players and transfers alike.
With four players new to the team this season from the transfer portal, all with strong defensive abilities and roles on the team, the way Otzelberger and his staff can seamlessly maintain success with new pieces is a testament to the culture he has built and the work his staff does.
Those four players include senior guard Nate Heise, senior forward Brandton Chatfield, junior forward Joshua Jefferson and senior center Dishon Jackson.
Before they came to Ames and played for Otzelberger, they had heard a little about what Iowa State was about, but when they decided to go there, they found out what all the hype was about.
“I’m from the West Coast, so I really only looked at a couple schools like Cal, Stanford and UCLA, USC, so that’s all I really knew at the time,” Jackson said. “My perspective has changed, the hard work that they put in every day, the community, how they rally behind us every game, Hilton Magic is a real thing.”
Heise has become more of a shooter in recent games, but it was his defense and rebounding strengths that highlighted his play at the start of the season. The other three dominate the paint and make it difficult for opposing teams to score.
“Seeing the level of defense they played was crazy,” Chatfield said. “Being a part of that is just awesome and amazing.”
The season prior, Iowa State brought guards Curtis Jones and Keshon Gilbert to the team and both became star players.
With a coach like Otzelberger at the helm and players willing to buy in, the ideas and philosophies Otzelberger learned from coaches like Ross and Vander Meulen have only strengthened the Iowa State program.
“We want guys who want to do the work every single day, who are really excited about their development to play for the best fanbase in the country, and to have a great experience,” Otzelberger said.
