T.J. Otzelberger Reveals How He Juggles Minutes for Iowa State Cyclones Big Men

How does head coach T.J. Otzelberger handle the frontcourt minutes for his Iowa State Cyclones team?

Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

One of the advantages that the Iowa State Cyclones have when taking the court against their opponents is the impressive amount of depth that has been stockpiled.

Head coach T.J. Otzelberger and his staff have done a wonderful job when it comes to restocking the talent on the roster, whether it is via the transfer portal or recruiting freshmen to the program.

In all four games this far this season, at least 10 Cyclones have gotten on the court to play. But finding consistent minutes can be challenging.

Right now, Otzelberger’s rotation has eight players who receive double-digit minutes and then two players who are on the fringes of the rotation.

T.J. Otzelberger reveals what will separate his frontcourt players

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Those two players happen to both be frontcourt players: Purdue Fort Wayne transfer Eric Mulder and freshman Dominykas Pleta. They are essentially competing for the same minutes and the head coach revealed part of what goes into the evaluation process for divvying up the playing time.

It all starts in practice, where Otzelberger is keeping a close eye on the energy that they bring to the court. Improving a little bit every day is important and the coaching staff is certainly taking notice of who is bringing it each time they step on the court.

Does that effort and energy level get brought onto the court when games are played? Things are constantly being evaluated, especially when guys are fighting for a spot in the rotation.

What is he looking for on the court? There are two specifics Otzelberger is looking for from his big men, one on each side of the ball.

“And then once you get into the game, it's make it go your way and play well. And for those guys, really, the pick-and-roll defense is a big part of it. Offensive rebounding is a big part of it,” he said, via Alec Busse of Cyclone Alert, part of the 247Sports Network.

Through the first four games of the season, Pleta and Mulder look to be in a dead heat when it comes to earning playing time. The freshman has received 31 minutes, while the transfer has been out there for 26 minutes of action.

Dominykas Pleta and Eric Mulder both making presence felt

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Thus far, it has been Pleta who has recorded more offensive rebounds, holding a 4-3 edge. But it is Mulder whose presence has been felt more on the glass overall, pulling down a total of 14 rebounds compared to five for his teammate.

To this point, the head coach is happy with what he has seen.

“And then, helping us facilitate some offense and five outs. So, but I've been pleased with what both of them brought to the table. And I think in almost all situations, it's going to be get them both in the game and just see who's having the better night that night,” Otzelberger added.

It will be interesting to see how things unfold in the coming weeks. When the competition gets tougher, such as this upcoming week at the Players Era Festival, will both of them still get chances to prove themselves?

Otzelberger is comfortable playing 10 guys a night right now, but that could certainly change later on in the season.