Iowa State basketball’s unusual recipe for a top-10 group: ‘We have now to Moneyball this factor’

AMES, Iowa — Iowa State basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger likes to wind down on the finish of a protracted day with … extra faculty basketball. His spouse, a former coach and WNBA participant, has no downside with hoops earlier than mattress. So one evening final December, the Otzelbergers tuned in to observe Seattle play Washington, the place Otzelberger was an assistant for 2 seasons.

Seattle ahead Brandton Chatfield regarded like he belonged banging with Washington’s inside gamers. The best way Chatfield went after rebounds, the best way he screened — it was precisely what Otzelberger loves seeing from a giant man.

On April 2, when Chatfield’s identify confirmed up within the switch portal, Otzelberger acknowledged it. Chatfield averaged 9.5 factors and 5.4 rebounds final season at Seattle. As quick because it took to learn these numbers can be how rapidly most high-major coaches would rule him out as a goal.

“Stats have a tendency to attract massive cash within the portal,” Iowa State assistant Kyle Inexperienced mentioned.

And that’s simply one of many causes they’re low on the guidelines on the subject of how Iowa State conducts enterprise.

Otzelberger has turned the Cyclones right into a winner by constructing the very best protection in faculty basketball and discovering hidden gems on the recruiting path. His methodology is fairly easy: Iowa State works quick, isn’t afraid to go after a man not on anybody else’s record and has particular standards every participant should meet, most of which don’t have anything to do with the stat sheet.

“They’re not going to take a child that’s not going to completely purchase in to enjoying as laborious as they’re going to play,” mentioned Alabama coach Nate Oats, who took his employees to observe Iowa State apply this fall. “All people on the group you’ll be able to inform is one hundred pc purchased in on enjoying the best way that they want them to play to win. They’ve positively taken much less expertise and executed extra with it than anyone I’ve seen in faculty basketball.”

Loosened switch and identify, picture and likeness compensation guidelines have helped flip many of the high of the faculty basketball expertise market into an escalating bidding warfare, however Otzelberger has taken a unique route. Iowa State, identical to each high-major college, has a collective with an NIL finances, however Otzelberger doesn’t need guys who prioritize NIL or wish to be promised something. He prefers telling recruits the reality after which seeing in the event that they agree along with his evaluation. “We’ve bought to do the laborious issues,” he mentioned this fall. “Let’s hang around and have some enjoyable. Nevertheless it’s nonetheless concerning the laborious issues and the reality, not about promoting you on the NBA.”

This method just isn’t sometimes attracting gamers on the high of any rankings, however you don’t end second within the hardest convention in faculty basketball and earn a No. 2 seed within the NCAA Match, as Iowa State did final season, with out expertise. In three years, Otzelberger’s Cyclones have made two Candy 16s.

When his employees arrived in Ames three years in the past and turned to restocking a roster that had simply three returning gamers, they might usually reference the e-book and movie “Moneyball” — as in, “We have now to Moneyball this factor.” The Cyclones aren’t faculty basketball’s Oakland A’s on the subject of compensating gamers, however they don’t have any designs on turning into its Yankees.

“Iowa State’s going to be who Iowa State is,” ISU athletic director Jamie Pollard says. “And do we now have to play in that house? Sure. However we’re by no means going to be a college that’s going to go purchase it. … We’ve been doing NIL for 3 years. So Iowa State has confirmed that what we’re doing works. And doesn’t imply we’re spending the least, however it additionally doesn’t imply we’re spending probably the most. We’re spending it appropriately.”

The Cyclones will begin the 12 months No. 5 within the AP ballot, becoming a member of the ladies’s basketball and soccer applications of their respective sports activities’ high 10s. (Iowa State is the one college within the nation with all three applications ranked that top in mid-October.) The opposite 9 groups within the males’s AP preseason high 10 have a mean of 6.2 gamers every who have been ranked within the high 100 of the Recruiting Providers Consensus Index popping out of highschool. Iowa State has one.

Otzelberger doesn’t simply ignore gamers on these lists, however he’s intentional in concentrating on highschool gamers earlier than the lists are even out. The switch portal, the place probably the most coveted gamers sometimes land on the colleges with the biggest NIL budgets, requires an much more delicate contact. In each markets, Otzelberger and his employees search for attainable gamers who can contribute to a group in-built his picture.

Which is the place Chatfield is available in. He heard from Otzelberger the evening he entered the portal. “As soon as they known as me, I bought tremendous excited,” Chatfield mentioned.

Different high-majors may ultimately get far sufficient down the record to contemplate a participant like Chatfield. The Cyclones made him a precedence, partially as a result of Otzelberger seeks out gamers who “wish to be right here.” 5 days after getting into the portal, Chatfield dedicated.

If a participant needs to take numerous official visits, Iowa State is out. If a participant has a protracted record of faculties he’s contemplating that will get shared on social media, it’s uncommon for the Cyclones to be on that record. Amongst their 12 scholarship gamers, 9 took just one official go to and that was to Iowa State. One dedicated earlier than even visiting. Just one participant on the roster had an agent in the course of the recruiting course of.

“It’s guys that sort of match the jigsaw puzzle for us,” Inexperienced mentioned.

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When Pollard tabbed Otzelberger to resurrect the Cyclones after a two-win 2020-21 season, Otzelberger knew precisely how he needed to form this system after a profitable stint at South Dakota State and a much less profitable one at UNLV. He wasn’t going to attempt to be Fred Hoiberg or Greg McDermott, who initially employed him as an assistant in Ames. The Massive 12 had modified. Bob Huggins and Press Virginia. The no-middle protection at Texas Tech. In case you didn’t have NBA gamers, you higher win with protection. That hadn’t been the best way when Otzelberger labored underneath Hoiberg, however Otzelberger was not Hoiberg.

For the previous D-III participant who used to indicate up on opposing scouting reviews for setting unlawful screens and sneaking underneath larger gamers to poke away rebounds, it was time to teach and construct this system his means.

“What Iowa State attracts and what this a part of the nation attracts is individuals who prefer to roll up their sleeves and do the laborious work,” Otzelberger mentioned.

The ISU coaches wanted to work rapidly to reset the roster for 2021-22. Otzelberger needed gamers who would apply laborious every single day, with excessive character and self-awareness.

“What they assume they’re,” Otzelberger would say, “we truly need to agree with them and imagine that they’re that very same factor.”

His first group completed fifth nationally in adjusted defensive effectivity and sixth in turnover charge. That degree of success made the protection a staple of this system, and the Iowa State coaches began recruiting with it in thoughts. Otzelberger needs “linebacker” guards — 6-3, 205 kilos is the goal — with physicality to match their body.

“In case you take a look at Keshon (Gilbert) and Tamin (Lipsey),” Otzelberger mentioned of his two beginning guards, “they get your hands on contact versus draw back from contact.”

Within the frontcourt, Iowa State focused bigs who may transfer laterally in order that the Cyclones could possibly be aggressive in ball display screen protection. Otzelberger scoured movie for effort-based traits. Is he first to the ground on a unfastened ball? Does he block out each time a shot goes up?

“I do know it sounds straightforward, however I feel that generally you’ll be able to simply get distracted by what you understand the expertise is and assume you’re going to vary someone,” Otzelberger mentioned. “We glance extra at it like if you happen to’ve confirmed it some place else, we’re going to imagine you’ll be able to show it right here, versus if you happen to’ve by no means executed it, hoping that it would work right here.”

Rob Jones was the poster youngster. In three years, he averaged 5.5 factors for the Cyclones and shot 45.3 p.c on the free throw line, however…

“He was bodily as heck. He blocked out each time. He beloved to display screen and he talked on protection,” Otzelberger mentioned.

Jones additionally got here from the mid-major degree and had practically similar averages to Chatfield, averaging 9.1 factors and 5.0 rebounds in his last season at Denver. This season Otzelberger wanted one other Jones, who was the spine of his protection, and Chatfield match the mould.

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On the morning of Sept. 26, Josiah Harrington, a 6-5 wing from Eldridge, Iowa, took an unofficial go to to Iowa State and dedicated earlier than he and his dad and mom left Otzelberger’s workplace to drive the three hours dwelling. What made this dedication uncommon: Harrington simply began his sophomore 12 months of highschool. He’s the one participant in the whole 2027 class already dedicated, in line with 247Sports’ database.

Otzelberger needs to determine future targets as early as doable. This summer season, he prioritized going to the Beneath-16 and Beneath-15 video games to observe recruits within the Class of 2026 and 2027. “There’s only a few coaches at these video games,” he mentioned.

Within the 2025 class, Iowa State already has three gamers dedicated, so his work there was already executed. Amongst its six gamers on the present roster who have been highschool recruits, 4 dedicated earlier than their senior 12 months of highschool started. All six transfers have been fast to signal too, each one committing in both March or April. (Gamers may enter the portal from March 18 to Could 1 in 2024, however they don’t have to commit inside that window.)

“Whoever they recruit,” senior guard Curtis Jones mentioned, “they’re going to get 98 p.c of the time.”

When Dishon Jackson hit the portal on March 20, Iowa State was sooner or later away from its opening sport within the NCAA Match. Jackson mentioned he heard from the Cyclones instantly and every day after that. Otzelberger assistant JR Blount flew to Charlotte to see him between the second spherical and the Candy 16.

“That spoke volumes,” Jackson mentioned. “Whereas they’re enjoying video games, the coach is flying out and having discussions with me.”

Iowa State is usually in a position to work so rapidly as a result of there’s a connection. To vet Chatfield and Jackson, Otzelberger known as former ISU wing Aljaz Kunc, who overlapped with each at Washington State in 2020-21.

Jones performed at Buffalo for Jim Whitesell, who additionally coached Blount at Loyola Chicago. Jones didn’t play lots his first 12 months at Buffalo and knew he wanted to boost his commonplace. He instructed Otzelberger that he beloved Whitesell for taking an opportunity on him and felt unhealthy he wasn’t in a position to do sufficient to assist Whitesell from being fired in 2023. That story, Otzelberger says, shifted Jones from a man he was recruiting to 1 he needed to have.

As soon as Jones entered the portal, he heard from Iowa State’s coaches every single day.

“They weren’t recruiting no one else,” Jones mentioned. “They needed me. They felt like they wanted me. Different locations they’ve bought different choices. Right here, there wasn’t every other choices. They needed Curtis Jones.”

On campus, Jones skilled what it’s prefer to have Otzelberger’s religion.  The group meets usually to debate function definition, so it’s clear to each participant what his and his teammates’ jobs are. Jones was Iowa State’s sixth man scorer and 3-point specialist, however he struggled early final season. Otzelberger by no means wavered, and Jones was the very best sixth man within the league and shined within the NCAA Match, protecting Iowa State in its Candy 16 loss to Illinois with 26 factors, second solely to Illini star Terrence Shannon Jr.

Within the final three portal cycles, Otzelberger has largely caught to recruiting mid-major gamers; they have an inclination to have a chip on their shoulder and wish to show themselves at the next degree. And ideally, Otzelberger wish to get to some extent the place he not often has to recruit transfers. That mannequin has labored at applications like Marquette and Purdue.

With highschool recruits, Otzelberger can put within the time he’d want to ascertain these relationships. Iowa State largely sticks to the Midwest so his employees can go to recruits incessantly and vice versa. The hometowns of 11 of the 14 gamers on the roster are inside a six-hour drive of Ames.

If a recruit’s curiosity isn’t reciprocated, Otzelberger isn’t afraid to maneuver on rapidly. And if a recruit is taking a number of visits but Iowa State is staying within the hunt, there are often particular circumstances.

Sophomore Milan Momcilovic is one in every of solely two top-50 recruits Otzelberger has signed at Iowa State. Momcilovic had some massive manufacturers in pursuit — UCLA, Michigan State and Virginia — however Iowa State was the primary high-major to supply him, after visiting his highschool to observe open gyms following his sophomore 12 months. Otzelberger was assured sufficient of their relationship to not again out as soon as Momcilovic began visiting different colleges on his record.

“The faculties that are available in late, it doesn’t really feel actual,” Momcilovic says. “You don’t actually know the place you stand with them and the way a lot you truly like them. This college sells extra the deeper reference to you, the belief, all that. The opposite colleges, it’s, ‘Have a look at all these amenities we bought, all of the Last Fours, nationwide championships.’

“The belief (Otzelberger) had in me, I used to be his No. 1 man. You possibly can inform that via the method. S—, seeing that, I needed to return.”

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Otzelberger retains a yellow Publish-It be aware on his standup desk that has Iowa State’s preseason rating within the Massive 12 coaches’ ballot, in comparison with its last rating. In 12 months 1, the Cyclones have been picked tenth and completed seventh; 12 months 2, picked eighth, completed fifth; 12 months 3, picked seventh, completed second.

Through the first week of apply in September, Otzelberger had a clean house subsequent to “YR 4” on his Publish-It, however he knew what was coming. The Cyclones would ultimately be picked third within the Massive 12. Each nationwide preseason ballot has them within the high 10.

It’s nearly an unsettling place. In his first three years, everybody was impressed when the Cyclones truly gained. Now, they need to win.

The subsequent day, Otzelberger stood simply contained in the semicircle on the high of the important thing as his gamers carried out a closeout drill. He and his employees wore shirts with “Enthusiasm” written on the again. The apply gymnasium was loud, however apparently not loud sufficient. Otzelberger blew his whistle.

“All people discuss each rep!”

The gamers lined up on the sideline to run. Each drill should be executed with precision and keenness. On closeouts, even in stay motion, his gamers are robotic. On the left aspect of the ground, their stick hand is all the time the left; on the suitable aspect, it’s the suitable.

“Very militant-minded,” Jackson mentioned. “You hear how different coaches discuss, they’re like, ‘Oh, we’re gonna do that. We are able to attempt to do that.’ TJ is, ‘We’ll do that. We’ll do this. We’re going to get this executed, and we’re going to do it this fashion.’”

Later in apply, when Saint Mary’s switch Joshua Jefferson turned to present a glance a few foul known as on him difficult a 3-pointer, Otzelberger blew his whistle. Everybody on the road. “We is not going to react to a name!”

His present problem is ensuring Jefferson performs with the identical degree of effort as everybody else.

“I feel we put in much more work than different groups do, and it exhibits on the market on the ground,” Jefferson mentioned, hours after Otzelberger known as him out. “After which he simply recruits dudes that aren’t scared. Actually robust guys, and you then’re in a position to punk different groups.”

The subsequent day, the coaches wore shirts with “Toughness” on the again. Jefferson took a shot within the nostril, put a wad of cotton in his proper nostril, and saved enjoying.

That is what Otzelberger is after. Different coaches pay for taking pictures and ability. Iowa State pays for a mentality.

“I don’t assume T.J. goes to attempt to purchase his strategy to the highest,” Pollard mentioned. “He needs to develop his strategy to the highest.”

(Picture: Chris Gardner / Getty Photos)