T.J. Otzelberger, UNLV men’s basketball coach, listens to a question during a news conference at the Thomas & Mack Center Thursday, March 28, 2019.
Sunday, Aug. 4, 2019 | 2 a.m.
As he does every August, Brian Greenspun is taking some time off and is turning over his Where I Stand column to others. Today’s guest columnist is T.J. Otzelberger, basketball coach at UNLV.
When I was hired to be the head coach of the Runnin’ Rebels basketball team in March, I said it was the opportunity of a lifetime. Over the past four months, everything that I have experienced here has strengthened that belief.
My father played college baseball and was the kind of dad who would always take me out into the backyard to play catch. There was no doubt his dream for me was to become a ballplayer. But as I approached middle-school age, which was around the time that UNLV had emerged as a national powerhouse with multiple Final Four appearances, I was falling in love with basketball.
I grew up in Wisconsin, but the Runnin’ Rebels were who I cheered for. I had a UNLV parka. I loved their style of play, their energy and the enthusiasm those teams played with. That’s really when my passion for this game began.
As I started high school, I had a decision to make. Baseball and football were in my father’s blood, and he just didn’t know much about basketball. But I followed my heart and told my family that I was going to focus on basketball year-round. It was a bold move that my dad didn’t understand.
It didn’t go as well as I had hoped. I tried out for both of the AAU teams in Milwaukee at the time and was cut from both. I was determined, though, so I started my own team. I recruited the players, found a coach and managed it all as a 15-year-old. It wasn’t easy, but looking back on it, I have so much pride and learned a great deal. I still have the team photo. Those lessons are really the foundation that led me to today.
It’s incredible as I look back and think of the days in that parka, on the playground imitating all of the Rebel legends. Who would have thought I would end up leading this storied program?
Some of the teams I have coached have resembled those legendary UNLV squads in that they were up-tempo, fun to watch, high-scoring and played so well in transition, all with the necessary discipline. That is the style that I want our teams to play. Fans are going to love the competitive spirit our student-athletes will display, their skill level, the unity and the way we will move the ball.
We will have a lunch-pail, blue-collar, hard-hat mentality. We will take pride in rolling up our sleeves and putting in the hard work that is necessary — that is indicative of Las Vegas. This is a hardworking, unified and connected town. We will be a reflection of that.
It has been apparent to me as I have had the chance to get to know so many great people here — Las Vegas feels more like a big small town than a city. Everyone has been so welcoming of my family; we’ve really enjoyed being here. One of the first things I was able to do after arriving was attend a Golden Knights game. What an awesome experience! It is proof that if you have a team that does the right things in the community, connects to the fan base and is successful, people become electrified.
Think about it. Five years ago, very few people in the desert knew about hockey and now, it’s a great, unifying force.
We want UNLV basketball to also be a unifying force again.
However, that just isn’t possible without exceptional student-athletes. When looking at our recruiting in the next two classes (2020, 2021), we have mainly offered scholarships to local kids. To me, that’s telling. This valley is our No. 1 priority when it comes to attracting future Runnin’ Rebels.
There are good players everywhere, but we want the core of our roster to be from here, to represent this great city, to represent you. Guys from here will play with a great level of passion and enthusiasm for this university. They will have the utmost character and will be equally committed to earning their degrees. They will represent in the classroom, in the community and on the court. Simply put, I want to recruit guys whose jerseys my son and daughter can wear with pride, and who they can look up to as role models.
My family is everything to me. My wife and kids come up to the office every week. The kids run around the hallways at the Thomas & Mack Center. We are looking forward to the future of this program as together, we strive to build something special.
I have enjoyed meeting many of you, and for those I haven’t had the opportunity to meet yet, I look forward to meeting you soon.
I am humbled and honored to be here. Thank you for welcoming us into your community. Thank you for all of your support. We hope to see you at the Thomas & Mack Center this season.
T.J. Otzelberger was named UNLV’s head coach in March. He had been the head coach at South Dakota State since 2016 and was an assistant at the University of Washington and Iowa State University before that.
