OMAHA Eric Henderson and T.J. Otzeleberger will be on the same court again on Thursday night, but for the first time in their careers theyll be sitting on opposite benches as Henderson will lead South Dakota State against Otzelberger and Iowa State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Henderson and Otzelberger both got their Division I coaching starts at Iowa State in 2006 under now Creighton head coach Greg McDermott. The two then met again 10 years later as Otzelberger was hired to be the head coach of South Dakota State in 2016 and he brought Henderson on to his staff as an assistant.
Both Otzelberger and Henderson met with the media on Wednesday ahead of Thursdays game in Omaha and both shared gratitude towards each other and the people that have provided them the opportunities that have led to this matchup on the biggest stage of college basketball.
At the end of the day I have tremendous gratitude and thankfulness to Justin Sell and the opportunity he gave for my family and I to lead the Jackrabbits program, Otzelberger said. Eric Henderson has been one of my best friends on earth for 20-plus years. There’s a lot of people that we really care about. There’s a lot of gratitude and thankfulness that we have.
For Henderson, Thursdays appearance in the NCAA Tournament will be a bit of a full circle experience. Not only did he get his Division I coaching start under McDermott, but he also played for him at Wayne State in Nebraska. Thursdays game will take place at the CHI Health Center, where Creighton plays its home games and Henderson said its a surreal feeling to be going up against one of his former bosses in the same building that his other former boss coaches at throughout the season.
I’m a pretty lucky dude, Henderson said. I played for a tremendous coach in coach McDermott, the values that he stands for. I was 18 years old and a very vulnerable person going to Wayne State. To be able to have a mentor that stands for what he stands for, I understand I’m pretty darn lucky.
Then I pinch myself all the time for how much Coach McDermott and T.J. have done for me. And now I’m playing where Coach McDermott plays every one of his home games, and I get to coach against T.J. I mean, really? Life doesn’t get any better than this, Henderson said.
As far as the game being played on the court, Otzelbergers coaching philosophy has changed since he was the head coach in Brookings. When he was at SDSU for three years the Jackrabbits were an offensive oriented team. Now, in his third season at Iowa State, he has turned the Cyclones into the best defensive team in the country.
Otzelberger said he adapted his coaching style to the players that were on the team when he became the coach at each school.
For me, [I was] very fortunate when we came in with the Jackrabbits at South Dakota State, he said. Coach [Scott] Nagy had done a terrific job building habits. We were fortunate to have Mike Daum, who was one of the truly elite frontline players in all of college basketball. As we evaluated the program and the great job coach Nagy had done before, it was important to lean into the strengths that Mike had and to cultivate an offense that allowed him to be at his very best. So we continued to try to do that while we improved our defense.
At Iowa State when we came in at the onset, it was important that we develop our defense and then cultivate our offense and move it forward with that. What you have seen is a group of guys who do the effort-based things, who embrace the hard work, who love the daily habits.
That doesnt mean that there still arent some similarities between South Dakota State and Iowa State heading into Thursdays game. Henderson acknowledged that, but also gave Otzelberger his flowers when it came to developing his team into the best defensive team in mens basketball.
Well, I think obviously there’s some similarities, right, and we certainly do some of the things when T.J. was at South Dakota State, Henderson said. We still have some of those concepts in play for sure. We’ve changed as well, and I think T.J. would probably even tell you that when he was at South Dakota State, we were such an electric offensive team.
Now they’re probably the best defensive team in the country. He’s done such a great job of really just adapting. That’s what makes him a great coach. He is not married to one thing. He sees what his players’ strengths are, and he utilizes them. Like I said, I just think he’s got great players. We got great players. There’s just a mutual respect I think.
Theres only one player on the SDSU roster that was at SDSU during Otzelbergers final season and thats sixth-year guard Matt Mims. Mims said on Wednesday that theres a little extra motivation going up against the coach that brought him to SDSU, but the real motivation is being able to keep his career alive.
Definitely there’s a little bit of motivation. It’s kind of cool just to face your former coach. I have a lot of respect for T.J., but at the end of the day, it’s either us or them. I want to continue playing college basketball. I’ve talked to [Henderson] a little bit about it, how this is kind of cool and unique. I’m not too sure I’m sure it’s happened before, but I know it’s rare. It’s definitely exciting and really cool, Mims said.
When it comes down to it, 40 minutes will decide whether the mentor or mentee comes out on top on Thursday night. Otzelberger said once the ball is tipped his team will be ready to take down the Jackrabbits.
The group that we have and what we’ve invested in our team, they’re focused. We have a focus on the opportunity that’s in front of us. At 6:35 p.m. tomorrow we’re going to aim to be at our very best, Otzelberger said.
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