Stetson University Athletics

International coaching veteran Otavio Battaglia begins his third season as an assistant coach at Stetson University.

In 2016-17, the Hatters won 26 games overall and captured the program's first-ever ASUN regular season championship.  Stetson set single-season school records for highest win pct. (.788), best free throw percentage (.791), and best scoring defense (57.5).  The Hatters were also recognized with votes in the USA Today Coaches poll and a No. 10 ranking in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll.

Battaglia, who works with the Hatter post players, had Sarah Sagerer earn ASUN Defensive Player of the Year and first team all-conference honors, Breana Bey earn second-team all-conference honors, and Kennedi Colclough earn one ASUN Newcomer of the Week award.

Battaglia comes to Stetson from New Mexico Highlands University, where he 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.  He also assisted with scouting reports and videos, as well as developing team conditioning plans.

In 2014-15, Battaglia served as a graduate assistant and video coordinator for Missouri Valley Conference champion Wichita State Shockers, whose defense was ranked fourth in the NCAA for fewest points allowed per game.  While there, Battaglia was responsible for live breakdown of game video, recruiting video, highlight tapes, team graphics and motivational videos.  He worked with NCAA All-American and WNBA draftee Alex Harden. 

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.  He was responsible for player development, coordinating practices, strength and conditioning, recruiting, team travel, scheduling, budgeting, academic advising, national and international recruiting, video coordination and scouting.

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.  He was responsible for the player development of several professional prospects, including Lucas Nogueira (Toronto), Sebastian Sainz (Ole Miss), Ivan Cruz (Miami), Jacobo Díaz (UIP), Daniel Clark, Rafael Hettsheimer, Fran Guerra, Jason Granger (Anadolu Efes), Jaime Fernandez, Edgar Vicedo, Dario Brizuela (Estudiantes), and Juancho Hernangómez (Denver).

A power forward during his playing career, Battaglia competed professionally for one season with São Bernardo in Brazil.  He then played collegiately for four years at the University of São Paulo. He also coached collegiately for three years at São Paulo and two years with Club Pinheros at the U16 and U18 level.

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 Polytechnic University of Madrid in 2008, and he is currently working on a PhD degree at the same institution.  Battaglia completed his second Master’s Degree - a Master's in Sport Management from Wichita State University - in 2016.

Battaglia is certified as a National Level Coach of Basketball in Spain with a specialization in post players. He is married to Natalia Masia and the couple have a son, Oliver.