AMES — Iowa State men’s basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger has finalized his staff for the 2026-27 season.

Chuck Ruffing has been named an assistant coach, while Richardson Maitre and Fletcher McGarvey have been added as graduate assistants. In addition to the three latest newcomers to the staff, Thomas Pollard has been moved to the Director of Recruiting, while Diante Garrett is now the Director of Player Development.

Ruffing spent the 2025-26 season as an assistant coach at Western Illinois. The two previous seasons, Ruffing was the head coach at Bryant & Stratton College in Wisconsin, leading the Bobcats to two of the most successful seasons in program history. His 2023-24 team went 23-10 and played in the regional championship game. The next season, the Bobcats made history with a 29-7 overall record and 21-1 record in regional play. After winning the NJCAA Region 4 Championship, Bryant & Stratton advanced to the NJCAA National Tournament for the first time in program history.

Maitre joins the staff as a graduate assistant for the 2026-27 season. Maitre spent two seasons at Indian Hills Community College before transferring to Florida Atlantic. In two seasons with the Owls, Maitre appeared in 63 games with 46 starts. He averaged 9.7 points per game in 2019-20. Maitre spent his final two collegiate seasons at Samford, where he appeared in 45 games with 15 starts. Maitre has also played professionally in Spain and Portugal, while he coached at the 2025 Canada Senior Men’s National Training Camp.

McGarvey joins the staff as a graduate assistant after spending the last three seasons as a manager for the team. During his time as a manager, McGarvey assisted with player development, skill training, and organizing practice plans and scouting reports.