Assistant Coach T.J. Otzelberger returns to Iowa State after two seasons at Washington

Fred Hoiberg just took away one of Washington's best recruiting weapons in T.J. Otzelberger. The assistant was a big part of putting together Washington's  top 10 2015 recruiting class.

From Dave Mahler:

Otzelberger going back to Iowa St presumably to be #1 in line when/if Hoiberg leaves. Was Romars #1 recruiter. Big connection to AAU.

— Dave Softy Mahler (@Softykjr) April 1, 2015

For Coach Otz, it really is a homecoming story for him. "Returning to Iowa State is a dream come true for my family and I," Otzelberger said in a release put out by Iowa State. "We are truly passionate about this university and the Ames community. I couldn’t be more enthusiastic to get back to work with Coach Hoiberg and the excellent staff he has assembled. It feels great to be coming home."

He served as an assistant coach for the Cyclones for seven years under Greg McDermott and Fred Hoiberg before spending two seasons under Lorenzo Romar at Washington. Otzelberger is married to the former Alison Lacey, who played for Iowa State and was a three-time All-Big-12 nominee.

Names floated around to replace Otzelberger have included former Washington assistant and Washington State head coach Ken Bone, along with former Washington point guard Will Conroy.