Report: T.J. Otzelberger Is Front-Runner For UNLV Head Coaching Job
The South Dakota State head coach is the primary candidate for the Runnin’ Rebels vacancy
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Otzelberger is inching closer to becoming the new UNLV head coach
South Dakota State head coach is the primary candidate for the UNLV men’s basketball head coaching vacancy, per Jon Rothstein.
Otzelberger, 41, is has been with the Jackrabbits the past three years, going 70-33 with two NCAA Tournament appearances.
In his first year, Otzelberger led South Dakota State a No. 16 seed in the NCAA Tournament, resulting in a 66-46 loss to Gonzaga. The following year, SDSU was a No. 12 seed and fell in a narrow 81-73 defeat to Ohio State.
Otzelberger has coached Mike Daum, one of the nation’s highest scorers of all time. Daum averaged 22.4 points and 9.0 rebounds per game over his four-year career with the Jackrabbits.
The position opened when the program opted to part ways with Marvin Menzies, who spent the previous three years as the head coach.
Menzies went 48-48 in his time with the Runnin’ Rebels, failing to reach the NCAA Tournament or postseason.
Eli Boettger is the lead basketball writer at Mountain West Wire. He’s covered Mountain West basketball since 2015 and his work has been featured on Bleacher Report, NBC Sports, SB Nation, Yahoo Sports, MSN, and other platforms. Boettger is a current USBWA member.
