Report: T.J. Otzelberger headed for Iowa State

[fsanford]

T.J. was my first choice and I am thrilled by this hire. For those concerned about his record at UNLV, he booted some players because they didn't fit the culture. He is not going to be a quick fix. There will be growing pains, but I think he is the best coach for us to build long-term success for this program.

Jamie already paved that road for him in the video that has been made clear.

UNLV year 3 may actually be more challenged than year 2. If Hamilton opts out they will be even more offensively challenge. Watched a lot of their games this year. They had a couple of decent wins, and the rest were against teams ISU probably could beat. UNLV has 1 very good player coming in, the other has legal issues and will not make it to campus. Of course if they got a couple of decent eligible transfers or guys take a 5th or 6th year of eligibility, they could sneak into the upper half of the MW. But ask me right now and they are .500 again in year 3 based on the roster. That is not good.


It is a very fair expectation in this era of transfers to have ISU ,at minimum, be a bubble team by year 3 of his tenure. That is what any hire needs to be held to.
If that is the definition of growing pains, an opportunity for the dance year 3 i am on board. If growing pains is a 5 year plan before you sniff the dance the timeline is too long.

 

[werdnamanhill]

Between UNLV fans cheering, and the speed of this move... I don't feel so good about this.

What happens 4 years from now when we are in a similar position. Hilton Magic is a distant memory. Pollard is pushed out because of this debacle. With Pollard gone, CMC jumps ship to the NFL to be a GM.


I am a naturally pessimistic person, but man I can't get that image out of my head.

 

[CycloneErik]

Sounds like someone is great with money.

 

[clone1990]

We’re hiring a coach with a losing record this season and it is apparently because he is besties with our AD, who hasn’t bothered to conduct a search. Some of us not comfortable with good old boy cronyism

I guess I am willing to give Jamie a little more credit than that.

 

[BryceC]

I still think UNLV will waive the buyout.

why would they do that?

 

[WhoISthis]

Nebraska agrees

They improved, quite a bit in KenPom even. Just lacked the nonconference schedule

 

[alarson]

Every coach that has been successful at Iowa State has done so relatively quickly.

Floyd, Eustachy, Wayne, Fred, and Prohm all made the NCAA’s in year 2. If we are more than 2 years away that’s 4 years in a row of ineptitude and will utterly bury this program. My opinion obviously.

This season has sapped my fandom unlike anything in my life. The idea we shouldn’t be concerned until year 4 means this program has truly cratered.

Yeah, that was the thing that worried me most in Jamie's video. That 'lowered expectations' talk on timelines for turnaround when you can really tell by year 2-3 if that's going to happen.

I really don't want a repeat of the mcdermott era where we get 5 years of excuses if its not working out.

 

[CycloneErik]

why would they do that?

And why do people just assume everyone might waive a buyout to help us out? Who does that?

 

[jsb]

why would they do that?

BECAUSE THEY WANT RID OF HIM. Knowing UNLV's track record, they were probably looking to fire him next year. They save the money now.

I wonder if Iowa State can lie about the buyout. Because if I were Jamie I'd like to say that we love TJ so much, we (the Albaugh's) paid the buyout. But I wonder if they can do that if UNLV waives it.

 

[jsb]

Yeah, that was the thing that worried me most in Jamie's video. That 'lowered expectations' talk on timelines for turnaround when you can really tell by year 2-3 if that's going to happen.

I really don't want a repeat of the mcdermott era where we get 5 years of excuses if its not working out.

Yeah that video was basically setting TJ up for the long rebuild. And to lower expectations about him.

 

[Bob f]

I would gladly have won the same number of conf games for half that amount
******* asinine. Way too much money for complete crap. Hilton tragic will continue. Pollard won't be making the next mbb hire after this debacle.

 

[alarson]

BECAUSE THEY WANT RID OF HIM. Knowing UNLV's track record, they were probably looking to fire him next year. They save the money now.

I wonder if Iowa State can lie about the buyout. Because if I were Jamie I'd like to say that we love TJ so much, we (the Albaugh's) paid the buyout. But I wonder if they can do that if UNLV waives it.

It'll all be public records eventually I imagine.

 

[WhoISthis]

I still think UNLV will waive the buyout.

They may want to get rid of him, but Jamie shows his hand. UNLV knows Jamie wants Otz.

 

[baagoe]

Yeah I'm not buying ISU paid that much for both buyouts from their own funds. Either buyouts were somehow negotiated down, or donor money helped the bill (despite what Pollard said in his video earlier).

I agree with this, but why would Pollard lie about that? Not trying to be a ****, but I am honestly wondering. Am I missing something?

 

[jsb]

They may want to get rid of him, but Jamie shows his hand. UNLV know Jamie wants Otz.

It's a mean game of chicken. But maybe the donors don't care about paying the buyout to get TJ back in Iowa.

 

[CySmurf]

And, if that is the case, we won't be looking at TJ. And that, my friend, is a big positive!

fred...Fred...FRED!!! ;-)

 

[BryceC]

BECAUSE THEY WANT RID OF HIM. Knowing UNLV's track record, they were probably looking to fire him next year. They save the money now.

I wonder if Iowa State can lie about the buyout. Because if I were Jamie I'd like to say that we love TJ so much, we (the Albaugh's) paid the buyout. But I wonder if they can do that if UNLV waives it.

they are a public university so we’d be able to find out. Less than 1 day after firing Prohm they are convinced we want to hire him. Why would they waive anything when we apparently aren’t even looking at other candidates?

 

[jsb]

I agree with this, but why would Pollard lie about that? Not trying to be a ****, but I am honestly wondering. Am I missing something?

Because he wants to show he's in charge not the donors.

 

[jsb]

fred...Fred...FRED!!! ;-)

We need a clean break from this incest based system we have going on.

 

[CycloneErik]

BECAUSE THEY WANT RID OF HIM. Knowing UNLV's track record, they were probably looking to fire him next year. They save the money now.

I wonder if Iowa State can lie about the buyout. Because if I were Jamie I'd like to say that we love TJ so much, we (the Albaugh's) paid the buyout. But I wonder if they can do that if UNLV waives it.

Sure, and Jamie is jumping out there to get him. You don't bend on the buyout when you have a sucker on the other end. Pollard's gonna make another of his great bargains here just to get his buddy.