Coach TJ’s Coaching StAff

[farm85]

 

[qwerty]

Greg Lansing is a fantastic Xs & Os and defense guy plus he's got Iowa roots. Also, lots of recruiting connections in Memphis and Nashville.

He'd be a slam dunk associate head coach.

So Lansing literally grew up a Cyclone! A Harlan Cyclone, but still a Cyclone.

 

[t-noah]

Fair! . I think it’s assumed I’m stupid.

We'e all 'stupid' for even talking about the coaching search and now TJ's potential staff. 'least that's what I thought I heard yesterday.

 

[t-noah]

Agreed. For one, Naz is going to continue playing competitively for as long as he can. He'll have plenty of years to coach after, if that's the direction he wants to go.

I'm hoping TJ can bring at least some of his UNLV staff with him. Tim Buckley has great experience and probably lots of connections in the upper midwest, having spent a lot of his career in Indiana, Wisconsin and Illinois.

FWIW, I think Charlie Henry replaced TJ as an assistant at ISU when TJ went to Washington. I think Henry was in a non-coaching staff position before that, so I'm sure he and TJ have a relationship, but I don't know that he's going to make a lateral move from Alabama, when Nate Oats is the one who gave him his first coaching job.

Agree. And it would be great if Charlie Henry would want to come back to ISU. Possible but I don't think we have any money left to pay his required pay raise. Otherwise it's a lateral move for him and I'll bet he is sucking up all he can learn from Alabama and Oats. He may even have a big role in their success with his analytics, etc.

 

[isucy86]

Not sure what is a bigger exercise in meaningless banter:

1. Joe Lunardi Brackets in December
2. Talking about TJ's Assistant Coaching Candidates
3. Speculating on the UNLV Players and Recruits that TJ is Bringing Along

 

[t-noah]

Just because someone failed as a head coach does not mean they are not a good coach and can add value. That’s not even a discussion that should be had. If we can snag a quality former head coach that can recruit and is a good coach, get him. Saban atAlabama takes former head coaches all the time as his assistants.

Agree. And in the case of Greg Lansing I would also agree with @Urbandale2013 ; he was definitely not a failure but actually a very good and successful coach. We would be lucky to get him if TJ would consider offering.

The only thing that might hold us back is a lack of funds, due to Covid and the recent buyout. I could be wrong. We might be rolling in dough!

 

[t-noah]

Iowa states record with TJ on staff isn’t so great either....121-118. But we are hiring him without a search!

Gonna wait a few more days? weeks? or longer? before finally getting on board?

 

[CloneGuy8]

Agree. And in the case of Greg Lansing I would also agree with @Urbandale2013 ; he was definitely not a failure but actually a very good and successful coach. We would be lucky to get him if TJ would consider offering.

The only thing that might hold us back is a lack of funds, due to Covid and the recent buyout. I could be wrong. We might be rolling in dough!

I think our assistants make around 250k a year, which is what Lansing was making at Indiana State. I'm guessing the money is there for him; more of a question if TJ wants him on the staff. I think he would be an excellent hire, but I'll trust TJ to make the right moves.

 

[t-noah]

Agree that TJ had a pretty good staff at UNLV and hopefully they'll join him in Ames.
If not, I liked the mention of Martin Rancik scouting Europe. And if we want the experienced HC for a year or two, ala Michigan, get Tim Floyd out of retirement.

Nice out of the box thinking there! Regarding Floyd though, just a little too far out of the box. I'd be all for it though.

 

[jsb]

Gonna wait a few more days? weeks? or longer? before finally getting on board?

Just because I’m skeptical doesn’t mean I won’t support him. No need to be positive on here about him until he proves he wrong.

 

[Hayes30]

Just because I’m skeptical doesn’t mean I won’t support him. No need to be positive on here about him until he proves he wrong.

No need to be negative till he proves you right neither.

 

[CYdTracked]

Wonder if Charlie Henry might be under consideration? He's currently an assistant at Alabama but he and TJ were both on Fred's staff and he was also on Fred's staff for a bit in Chicago and was also head coach of a G League team too. He seems to be a guy that has been working his way through the coaching ranks and finding better jobs along the way and has some familiarity with TJ as well.

 

[cyclonehomer]

Wonder if Charlie Henry might be under consideration? He's currently an assistant at Alabama but he and TJ were both on Fred's staff and he was also on Fred's staff for a bit in Chicago and was also head coach of a G League team too. He seems to be a guy that has been working his way through the coaching ranks and finding better jobs along the way and has some familiarity with TJ as well.

My only thought is he would probably require a pretty sizable paycheck for him to move (at best) laterally back to Iowa State. Not my money, though, and I think he would be a great get for TJ.

 

[CYdTracked]

My only thought is he would probably require a pretty sizable paycheck for him to move (at best) laterally back to Iowa State. Not my money, though, and I think he would be a great get for TJ.

I have no idea what he is making at Alabama but its not like Alabama basketball is a powerhouse program. I would assume the pay would be comparable depending on what level of assistant coach he would be. He was talked about as a possible assistant candidate when Fred took the Nebraska job too.

 

[cyclonehomer]

I have no idea what he is making at Alabama but its not like Alabama basketball is a powerhouse program. I would assume the pay would be comparable depending on what level of assistant coach he would be. He was talked about as a possible assistant candidate when Fred took the Nebraska job too.

Yeah I suppose I should rephrase. Alabama is rolling right now and Henry is probably gonna get a shot to be a low-major HC in the next few years I would think. My thought is the paycheck would probably have to cover the gap in competitiveness between the two programs right now if that makes any sense.

 

[t-noah]

Just because I’m skeptical doesn’t mean I won’t support him. No need to be positive on here about him until he proves he wrong.

OK cool. I can respect that.

 

[t-noah]

No need to be negative till he proves you right neither.

I like this line of thinking better. I was skeptical on this hire also. I was hoping we might get either Medved, Gates, Smith, or Tang to be honest.

Now that TJ is hired I'm hoping he will do a great job, and be the guy. I want to be all in. Easier that way.

 

[Dandy]

Dream Scenario:
Head Coach TJ Otzelberger, recruiting Wisconsin and the western states
Associate Head Coach Charlie Henry, recruiting Michigan and the southern states
Assistant Coach Greg Lansing, recruiting Indiana and the eastern states
Assistant Coach Naz Long, recruiting Canada and the northern states

Bumping this from the other day.

If Naz is done playing he would be awesome on the recruiting trail, if he has a passion for coaching.

If no on Naz, call up @DhaCheann's buddy Grant Gibbs.

 

[1100011CS]

View attachment 82919

I opened this thread for this. Also wondering if she could help on the women's team

 

[cyclone1209]

Okay why not jump out ahead boldly. TJ has a couple interesting assistant coaches with him now at UNLV. I was surprised at the staff he put together. Two were voted top assistants in MWC their first year. Their experience would stack up well in any conference. Would they join him at ISU?

First up. None other than Kevin Kruger. Kruger, who was the point guard on UNLV's 2007 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 team as a senior under his father, former Runnin' Rebel head coach and current Oklahoma head coach Lon Kruger, returned to Las Vegas after spending three years as an assistant coach for the Sooners (2016-19). With Kevin on the coaching staff, Oklahoma made multiple NCAA Tournament appearances.

Second is Tim Buckley.
Buckley served as a scout with the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves for two years (2017-19) before joining the staff at UNLV. Prior to that, he was at Indiana under Tom Crean as an assistant coach before being promoted to associate head coach.

During his nine years in Bloomington (2008-17), the Hoosiers were nationally ranked, won Big Ten championships, made multiple NCAA Tournament runs, recruited McDonald's All-Americans and developed All-Americans who went on the NBA, including 2013 National Player of the Year Victor Oladipo.

Third bench coach is Demarlo Slocum. Slocum, a Las Vegas native, came to UNLV after serving as an assistant coach at Utah for eight years (2011-19), which included multiple NCAA Tournaments and a total of seven postseason appearances. He was also instrumental in the development of three NBA First Round Draft Picks while at the Pac-12 school.

Slocum is an Eldorado High School graduate and was the head coach of the Las Vegas Prospects AAU team for five years. During his tenure, the Prospects were ranked among the top five AAU teams on the west coast. Slocum has worked at various collegiate basketball development camps across America, as well as the West Coast All-Star Camp and the Adidas Superstar Camp.

Good writeup on this. The importance of his staff cannot be understated.

Most would agree TJ is a quality coach but it's the quality of the people around him that will allow our program to get back to where it needs to be quickly. The staff is the glue that sets the tone in practice, off the court for the guys, and most importantly on the recruiting trail. I would say Prohm's staff didn't do him many favors the last couple years, especially with regards to coaching toughness, D, and rebounding in practice. Here's to hoping TJs staff is an automatic upgrade there.