TJ bio . . .

[Stormin]

For me, its the zero years of having been the main person running a team, program, or organization. He has never put together a staff. He has never been the primary person interfacing with the AD, fans, or donors (Tailgate Tour aside). Or to be the final decision maker with regards to game planning, in-game adjustments, in-game substitutions, etc.

He may be great at all of those, but he has never done it before. And I think you'd agree that it is a HUGE leap from assistant to head coach.

That's what "not having enough experience" means to me.

Do you have similar concerns with Hornacek concerning recruiting since he has never had to deal with it before or develop a strategy in pursuing recruits or doesn't have contacts within the infrastructure of HS recruiting?

Fred had the same issues with X's and O's AND with recruiting. The key is surrounding yourself by the right people.

Using your logic, no one should ever be elevated to a HC job. Or they must step in at the lowest level possible to become a HC. And of course, there NEVER would have been a Fred Hoiberg at Iowa State. Not possible.

 

[LindenCy]

Do you have similar concerns with Hornacek concerning recruiting since he has never had to deal with it before or develop a strategy in pursuing recruits or doesn't have contacts within the infrastructure of HS recruiting?

Fred had the same issues with X's and O's AND with recruiting. The key is surrounding yourself by the right people.

Using your logic, no one should ever be elevated to a HC job. Or they must step in at the lowest level possible to become a HC. And of course, there NEVER would have been a Fred Hoiberg at Iowa State. Not possible.

The Hoiberg comparisons do not work. He is a unique individual.Again, it shouldn't take TJ out of total consideration, but it isn't exactly a feather in his cap to say he has no head coaching experience either.

[video=youtube;O-7gpgXNWYI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-7gpgXNWYI[/video]

 

[Stormin]

How does this have any relevance to whether TJ would stay at ISU longer than Hornacek?

I have never said anything one way or the other. I have actually said that I favor Hornacek for the PR and energizing the fanbase. But I have also said that you simply do not back the truck up to the bank and throw limitless amounts of cash at Hornacek. We have a lot to offer in this whole business. A stacked roster poised for immediate success versus a place that would require massive rebuilding. That is worth a lot to a coach. The situation we are in can be parlayed into a wonderful situation that can then be leveraged to what that next coach wants. Success in the college ranks or the chance at big bucks in the NBA.

IMO, the near term success is going to have a greater impact on our long term success more than anything else. IMO, the players we have could gel around Hornacek and they could even gel around Otz and have a chip on their shoulder and a lot to prove this coming year. I am actually confidant that Pollard has the candidates he feels will lead us to success this coming year.

 

[Stormin]

The Hoiberg comparisons do not work. He is a unique individual.Again, it shouldn't take TJ out of total consideration, but it isn't exactly a feather in his cap to say he has no head coaching experience either.

[video=youtube;O-7gpgXNWYI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-7gpgXNWYI[/video]

Who has said that the lack of HC experience is a positive thing? What I have said is that the lack of HC experience could be addressed in the same way that Fred addressed it. Otz saw how that was done firsthand.

 

[LindenCy]

Who has said that the lack of HC experience is a positive thing? What I have said is that the lack of HC experience could be addressed in the same way that Fred addressed it. Otz saw how that was done firsthand.

It seems like it is being used as a rationale by many to say Otz is a good hire. If we end up hiring Otz, it might be great, but there was a lot of cheerleading and rationalizing going on this weekend in the forums regarding him.

 

[roundball]

I have never said anything one way or the other. I have actually said that I favor Hornacek for the PR and energizing the fanbase. But I have also said that you simply do not back the truck up to the bank and throw limitless amounts of cash at Hornacek. We have a lot to offer in this whole business. A stacked roster poised for immediate success versus a place that would require massive rebuilding. That is worth a lot to a coach. The situation we are in can be parlayed into a wonderful situation that can then be leveraged to what that next coach wants. Success in the college ranks or the chance at big bucks in the NBA.

IMO, the near term success is going to have a greater impact on our long term success more than anything else. IMO, the players we have could gel around Hornacek and they could even gel around Otz and have a chip on their shoulder and a lot to prove this coming year. I am actually confidant that Pollard has the candidates he feels will lead us to success this coming year.

So are you the type of guy in real life who joins conversations halfway through and pisses everyone off by contributing nothing germane? Why bother chiming in?

 

[Gunnerclone]

It seems like it is being used as a rationale by many to say Otz is a good hire. If we end up hiring Otz, it might be great, but there was a lot of cheerleading and rationalizing going on this weekend in the forums regarding him.

There was also a lot of hating and irrationalization going on as well. It'll be just like everything else...somewhere in the middle of the cheerleaders wildest dream come true and the haterz worst nightmare and it will be the same with any hire we make imo.

 

[cycloneworld]

Do you have similar concerns with Hornacek concerning recruiting since he has never had to deal with it before or develop a strategy in pursuing recruits or doesn't have contacts within the infrastructure of HS recruiting?

Fred had the same issues with X's and O's AND with recruiting. The key is surrounding yourself by the right people.

Using your logic, no one should ever be elevated to a HC job. Or they must step in at the lowest level possible to become a HC. And of course, there NEVER would have been a Fred Hoiberg at Iowa State. Not possible.

I do have some concerns about Hornacek recruiting...just like I had concerns about Fred's ability. But if JH is the coach, I assume TJ is the associate head coach and will keep recruiting at the pace he has been. Plus Hornacek, even more than Hoiberg, can tout his NBA playing career, his NBA coaching career, etc.

I'm not saying no assistant should ever be elevated to a HC job. I'm saying assistants shouldn't be elevated to a Power 5 job that is setup for huge success. There is a reason 9 out of 10 assistants start at low or mid majors to prove themselves and then move up. It happens in the real word all of the time too.

 

[CyRann22]

The reasons Otz took the Washington job have been posted. He took the job to broaden his experiences to further prepare himself to become a HC in the future. Assistant coaches do that all the time. Take Chris Ash as an example. Chris Ash left his position at Iowa State to take the same position at San Diego State......then he came back to Iowa State.......and took a similar position at Wisconsin later. Today Chris Ash is the DC/S coach at Ohio State. And is likely positioning himself to be a HC someday.

Yes exactly. Probably wanted to prove he could recruit wherever he was without a well known coach.

 

[cycloneworld]

Who has said that the lack of HC experience is a positive thing? What I have said is that the lack of HC experience could be addressed in the same way that Fred addressed it. Otz saw how that was done firsthand.

It sure seems your argument for TJ to be the head coach is "Well he could be a great coach". Well no ****. So could anyone.

 

[Gunnerclone]

It sure seems your argument for TJ to be the head coach is "Well he could be a great coach". Well no ****. So could anyone.

And of course the flip side is, "He doesn't have HC experience so he's not good enough" which, no one can prove until he's given a chance. So it seems we're at an impasse, unfortunately that never stopped a message board from repeating itself ad-nauseum.

Oh well, the official Fred announcement will be coming soon and no matter much I think, "well everyone has known about this for awhile" and feel like everyone has let off the steam already this place is going to EXPLODE when that happens and we'll have a day off from the CF vs. Otz debate.

 

[Stormin]

So are you the type of guy in real life who joins conversations halfway through and pisses everyone off by contributing nothing germane? Why bother chiming in?

Thank you for this profound, off-topic observation.

LOL. Been here a long time. ******* you off is just an added benefit.

 

[cycloneworld]

And of course the flip side is, "He doesn't have HC experience so he's not good enough" which, no one can prove until he's given a chance. So it seems we're at an impasse, unfortunately that never stopped a message board from repeating itself ad-nauseum.

Fair point. And I've been part of that problem because I still haven't gotten any good answers from my primary points against TJ as the next coach. :biggrin:

Whoever the next coach is...I'm dreading the CF days after his first loss next year.

 

[Stormin]

So what happens if Hornacek is named coach, and Otz leaves and we have a somewhat disappointing season? What then?

 

[CyberJJJ]

anything inaccurate here? If not, TJ has a pretty fine college basketball background. I don't know much about him, so I'm starting to snoop around.

You know, every outstanding coach was once an assistant. I'm one of those who trusts JP's judgment (not every choice he makes will be a good one, neither he nor we can know the future).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._J._Otzelberger

Iowa State University

Otzelberger served on the Cyclones' coaching staff for seven years. He initially joined the Iowa State coaching staff under former Iowa State Head Coach Greg McDermott in 2006,[9] and served under him as an assistant through the 2009-2010 season. When McDermott was succeeded by Fred Hoiberg "The Mayor" in May 2010, Otzelberger was promoted to the position of Associate Head Coach.[10][11]

In 2011-2012, Hoiberg led Iowa State to a 23-11 overall record and a third place finish in the Big 12 Conference,[12] advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005.[13] The Cyclones defeated reigning national champion Connecticut[14] in third round tourney action, before falling to eventual national champion Kentucky. In 2012-2013, the Cyclones finished 4th in the Big 12 Conference [15] while advancing to the third round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Ohio State on a buzzer beater.[16] During this stretch, the Cyclones were among the nation's leading teams in scoring, returning the team to national prominence.

Otzelberger has been widely regarded as one of the top recruiters in the nation. His efforts have helped secure the services of Cyclone greats Mike Taylor, Craig Brackins, Diante Garrett, Scott Christopherson, Chris Babb, Chris Allen, Will Clyburn, Korie Lucious, Melvin Ejim, Georges Niang, Naz Long, and Matt Thomas, among others. In addition to recruiting, Otzelberger was in charge of opponent scouting and game planning for the Cyclones tournament run in 2012 and 2013.

April, 2015; TJ was return to be an assistant coach for Iowa State after leaving from Washington.
University of Washington

On May 7, 2013, Washington Huskies Head Coach Lorenzo Romar announced that T.J. Otzelberger had joined his staff as an assistant coach. NBC Sports called Coach Otzelberger's hiring at Washington as one of the top 10 key assistant coaching hires for the 2013-14 season.[17] Following the 2014 season, Jay Bilas and Jeff Goodman ranked TJ as one of the top college head coaching candidates.[18] On April 1, 2015 it was announced that Otzelberger was returning to Iowa State to replace Matt Abdelmassih.[19]
Community service

When it comes to community service, Coach Otzelberger is openly passionate about teaching young people and was actively involved in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) "Stay in to Win" program.[20] This program was set up to help students focus on making important decisions in order to become more successful in school and impact their overall quality of life. Otzelberger is also highly involved with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. He is also a member of the Villa 7 Consortium, which aims to develop the nation's top assistant coaches.

I didn't read the entire 13 pages in this string to see if someone already posted this, but Fred's hiring here proves the bolded part of your post wrong.

 

[roundball]

So what happens if Hornacek is named coach, and Otz leaves and we have a somewhat disappointing season? What then?

We have to read your obnoxious "told you so" comments?

 

[guacamole7]

So what happens if Hornacek is named coach, and Otz leaves and we have a somewhat disappointing season? What then?

That would be an appropriate time to email JP.

 

[cycloneworld]

So what happens if Hornacek is named coach, and Otz leaves and we have a somewhat disappointing season? What then?

1) Where is he going to go? And if he does go somewhere else, he won't get to make sure its a good fit because his choices will be very, very limited.

2) What happens if he does leave and Hornacek wins the national title? What then?

 

[Gunnerclone]

Fair point. And I've been part of that problem because I still haven't gotten any good answers from my primary points against TJ as the next coach. :biggrin:

Whoever the next coach is...I'm dreading the CF days after his first loss next year.

You have. You just choose not to be open-minded about them. There's a reason why they are points against him, because they are all plausible and can't be disproven at this point. It's the same reason that you can't argue against the points that TJ has going for him.

 

[Stormin]

We have to read your obnoxious "told you so" comments?

I have actually said I favor a Hornacek hiring. I am not wild about the mid-major coaches whose names have been thrown out there.