AMES, Iowa — Iowa State basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger likes to wind down at the end of a long day with … more college basketball. His wife, a former coach and WNBA player, has no problem with hoops before bed. So one night last December, the Otzelbergers tuned in to watch Seattle play Washington, where Otzelberger was an assistant for two seasons.
Seattle forward Brandton Chatfield looked like he belonged banging with Washington’s interior players. The way Chatfield went after rebounds, the way he screened — it was exactly what Otzelberger loves seeing from a big man.
On April 2, when Chatfield’s name showed up in the transfer portal, Otzelberger recognized it. Chatfield averaged 9.5 points and 5.4 rebounds last season at Seattle. As fast as it took to read those numbers would be how quickly most high-major coaches would rule him out as a target.
“Stats tend to draw big money in the portal,” Iowa State assistant Kyle Green said.
And that’s just one of the reasons they are low on the checklist when it comes to how Iowa State conducts business.
Otzelberger has turned the Cyclones into a winner by building the best defense in college basketball and finding hidden gems on the recruiting trail. His methodology is pretty simple: Iowa State works fast, isn’t afraid…
