Marquette, Wisconsin Have To Be Getting Tired of T.J. Otzelberger

Under head coach T.J. Otzelberger, the Iowa State Cyclones have become a force on the recruiting trail when it comes to both high school players and those in the transfer portal.

When he took over the program, the team won two games in the final season under Steve Prohm. That’s a slow week for the Cyclones under Otzelberger, who has helped guide the team to the NCAA Tournament five consecutive years.

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A major reason for that has been his ability to retain talent, with Iowa State not losing many key pieces in the transfer portal, and successfully pinpointing players who fit into their scheme and game plan on both ends of the floor.

When it comes to high school players, Otzelberger has proven to be a thorn in the side of the Marquette Golden Eagles and Wisconsin Badgers. The only Power Conference teams in the state of Wisconsin, you wouldn’t know it by how often they are beaten out for prospects by the Cyclones.

Iowa State has domianted recruiting in Wisconsin

Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Iowa State Cyclones guard Jamarion Batemon (1) celebrates after a play during the second half against the Kentucky Wildcats during a second round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. | Jeff Le-Imagn Images

Since taking over as head coach, he has made it a priority to recruit heavily in the state, and it has worked. The Class of 2024 was the only time Otzelberger missed on a prospect in his home state.

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In 2022, he landed Tyrese Hunter. The following year, it was Milan Momcilovic, who went on to set the program record for 3-pointers made in a season during the 2025-26 campaign. After the gap year in 2024, Iowa State returned with a vengeance, landing Xzavion Mitchell and Jamarion Batemon in the Class of 2025.

In the Class of 2026, Yusef Gray Jr. committed to the Cyclones. It has happened two more times already in 2026. In the Class of 2027, Iowa State secured commitments from Donovan Davis and Jack Kohnen, two four-star players who are both from…

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Publish date : 2026-06-17 20:00:00

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