DeLand, Fla. -- International coaching veteran Otavio Battaglia has been named an assistant women's basketball coach at Stetson University, Hatters head coach Lynn Bria announced on Tuesday.
Battaglia completed an eight-year coaching stint in Spain before spending the past three years coaching in the United States.
“'Coach O' is an excellent teacher on the court,” Bria said. “He does a great job with individual work and making players better. He has a lot of experience internationally and with players on all levels. He really specializes in developing players and getting them ready to play professionally. He is going to be a great asset to our staff.”
“I am really thankful to be able to be a part of this great institution and to learn from coach Bria and her staff,” Battaglia said. “Not everyone is lucky enough to be a part of such a prestigious program like Stetson, and I am really looking forward to working hard and adding to the team's success."
Battaglia comes to Stetson from New Mexico Highlands University where served as an assistant coach in 2015-16. His responsibilities included player development, defensive coordinator, international recruiting, team travel, academic advising and community service activities.
In 2014-15, Battaglia served as a graduate assistant and video coordinator for Missouri Valley Conference champion Wichita State Shockers. While there, he was responsible for live breakdown of game video, recruiting video, highlight tapes, team graphics and motivational videos.
A native of São Paulo, Brazil, Battaglia served as a scouting assistant for his native country at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. He helped the Brazil Men's National Team earn a second place finish in the group stage and the quarterfinal round appearance in the championship.
From 2013-14, Battaglia served as an assistant men's basketball coach for Score Basketball Academy in Raleigh, N.C.
Prior to his arrival in the United States, Battaglia coached for eight seasons in upper level basketball development clubs in Spain. In 2012-13, he was the head women's coach of the Torrelodones Basketball Club of Primera Nacional in Torrelodones, Spain. He was responsible for all facets of the program and helped lead his team to the final four of the state tournament and saw two of his players move on to play at the college level in the United States.
For seven years from 2005-12, Battaglia served in numerous capacities with Club Estudiantes in Madrid, Spain. He achieved a combined seven state finals with the U18 and U16 teams, four appearances in the national tournament, and back-to-back national championships with the U20 team as an assistant coach.
Battaglia graduated from the University of São Paulo in 2004 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sports Science. He received a Master in Association with the PhD Program from Polytechnical University of Madrid in 2008, and he is currently working on a PhD degree at the same institution. Battaglia anticipates completing a Master's Degree in Sport Management from Wichita State University in July, 2016.
The Hatters went 20-12 in 2015-16 and advanced to second round of the Women's Basketball Invitational. It was the program's sixth consecutive 20-win season and sixth consecutive appearance in the postseason.
