money Iowa State men's basketball success gets coach T.J. Otzelberger a raise and contract extension
A run to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 has netted Iowa State men’s basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger a sweet new contract.
The new deal, announced Wednesday afternoon, includes an extension through June 30, 2027, and a guaranteed compensation increase from $700,000 annually to $1.2 million effective immediately. All other details of his initial contract, which ran through 2026, remain the same.
Combined, the new contract means $2 million annually, up from $1.5 million. The contract still includes annual increases of $100,000, starting on July 1, 2023.
More: Peterson: Is Iowa State on the path to another NCAA men's basketball tournament?
The breakdown is like this:
* Base compensation: $300,000 per year
* Additional compensation: $1.2 million per year
* Retirement benefits: $300,000 per year
* Premiums for supplemental death benefit: $200,000 per year
“T.J. Otzelberger and his staff orchestrated arguably the greatest turnaround in college basketball history this past year, inheriting a two-win program and leading it to 22 victories and the Sweet 16 in their first season, and I’m grateful that we are able to reward that success with this extension,” athletics director Jamie Pollard said in a statement.
“I believe T.J. is building a championship culture within our program that fosters academic excellence, on-court success and accountability, and I believe that the momentum our program enjoys will lead to future success under his direction.”
In his first season replacing Steve Prohm, Otzelberger’s defensive-minded team had a 22-13 overall record, the school’s sixth Sweet 16 appearance, and final No. 23 ranking by the coaches’ poll.
The Cyclones’ 20-win improvement of the program’s 2-22 season record trailed only Towson (+21), and Middle Tennessee (+21) on the national all-time charts.
After unanimously being picked by the coaches to finish last in the Big 12 Conference preseason poll, the Iowa State rose to as high as No. 8 in the Associated Press poll. The Cyclones were ranked for a total of 10 weeks during the season.
The 11th-seeded Cyclones advanced reached the Sweet 16 after wins against LSU and Wisconsin, before losing against Miami of Florida.
Iowa State columnist Randy Peterson embarked on his 50th year of writing sports for the Des Moines Register in December 2021. Reach him at rpeterson@dmreg.com, 515-284-8132, and on Twitter at @RandyPete.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State's T.J. Otzelberger gets $500,000 raise, contract extension
