Iowa state basketball advanced quickly in search of its next coach. The day after separating from Steve Prohm, a Las Vegas Review-Journal reports that the program will hire the head coach of UNLV TJ Otzelberger as the next man to lead the program.
Shortly after the newspaper reported that Otzelberger was moving from Las Vegas to Iowa, Paloma Villicana of FOX5 in Vegas said reports of Otzelberger leaving UNLV to go to work on the Power Five was purely speculation and nothing was definitive.
Otzelberger served on the Iowa state technical team for eight seasons between 2006 and 2013. Otzelberger first worked with the former Iowa state coach Greg McDermott in 2006 and was maintained by Fred Hoiberg in the spring of 2010. When Hoiberg joined the team, Otzelberger was promoted to the position of associate coach, where he remained until 2013. Otzelberger joined the Washington technical team for one season before returning to the state of Iowa for the 2015-16 season.
In his time in Iowa, Otzelberger helped the state of Iowa win over future NBA talent in Georges Niang, Naz Long, and Matt Thomas, among others.
The Milwaukee, Wisc. native got his first job as a head coach in 2016, taking over the state program for South Dakota. In his three seasons in command, Otzelberger totaled a record of 70-33 and Jackrabbits for two spots in the NCAA Tournament. In 2019, Otzelberger took over as head coach of UNLV and led the Running Rebels to a 17-15 record. In his first recruitment cycle as a head coach, Otzelberger won the recruiting class with the 59th position in the country and the class with the 1st position in Mountain West. In the 2021 class, the coach got the verbal promise of the little four-star striker Arthur Kaluma.
Prohm was hired by Iowa State after a successful four-year stint at Murray State, which saw him win 104-29. In his six seasons in the state of Iowa, Prohm led the cyclones to some impressive highs, including a Sweet 16 in his first year and two championships from the 12 major tournaments in 2017 and 2019. But the state of Iowa was a combined 14-42 the past two years and 5-31 in the Big 12 game, including a 0-18 mark this year.
“To my technical team, support team, medical team and managers – thank you very much for all your help and all your efforts over the years that have culminated in many great moments. I will always thank you and value our time together, “said Prohm in a statement released Monday night.” For the fans – Hilton Magic is real – being part of it was really incredible. There is no one better !! You are elite !!! Thank you for all your energy over the years !!
“Finally, to the players – to my current players, thank you for staying the course in such a challenging and unique season. His perseverance and resilience were greatly appreciated. I wish you all the best and I will always be rooting for you! To my former players – thank you so much for all the great memories we share. I can’t say enough how much I appreciate you !! Keep doing great things!
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“Finally, to all the ex-player programs that we’ve been able to connect with over the years. Thank you for all your support and for being so connected to the program. That meant a lot! I wish all CyclONEnation nothing but the best !! This is an absolutely special place that has provided my family and me with many special moments on and off the ground. It also gave us the opportunity to build many lasting friendships that have developed here in Ames. I can’t wait to see you back at the top !! Loyal Forever True. “
247Sports’ Riley Gates and Cyclone Alert contributed to this story.