Women’s Basketball Adds Battaglia to Staff

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Otávio Battaglia has joined the Florida Atlantic University women’s basketball staff as an assistant coach, head coach Jim Jabir announced on Wednesday.

“Otávio is a great asset to our program,” said Jabir. “He will improve our international recruiting but more importantly he is a person who cares deeply about everyone around him. We are fortunate to have him with us.”

Battaglia was most recently at Stetson University where he spent three seasons as an assistant coach. While Battaglia was on the staff, the Hatters won 59 games and claimed the program’s first ever ASUN regular season title during the 2016-17 season. That year Stetson received votes in the USA Today poll and reached a No. 10 ranking in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major poll.

“I couldn’t be more excited to join the FAU women’s basketball staff,” said Battaglia. “I’ve known Jim for several years and I’m overjoyed for the chance to work with him. Jim brings a family atmosphere to the team and I look forward to being a part of that. I’m excited to get to work and help take FAU to the next level.”

Working primarily with the post players at Stetson, Battaglia helped Sarah Sagerer earn ASUN Defensive Player of the Year and first team all-conference honors and Breana Bay earn second team all-conference honors. He also helped both players receive professional basketball careers overseas.

Prior to his stop at Stetson, Battaglia was an assistant coach at New Mexico Highlands University during the 2015-16 season. He served as a graduate assistant and video coordinator at Wichita State during the 2014-15 season. The Shockers won the Missouri Valley Conference championship that season and their defense allowed the fourth fewest points per game in the NCAA.

The São Paulo, Brazil native brings international experience to the Owls. He served as a scouting assistant for his native country at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain, helping the Brazil Men’s National Team earn a second-place finish in the group stage and a quarterfinal round appearance in the championship. He also spent eight seasons in upper level basketball development clubs in Spain.

Battaglia competed as a power forward at the University of São Paulo and earned his bachelor’s degree in sports science in 2004. He received a Master in Association degree with the PhD Program from Polytechnic University in Madrid in 2008. He completed a second master’s degree at Wichita State in sport management in 2016.

Battaglia will be joined in Boca Raton by his wife, Natalia Masia, and the couple’s son, Oliver. 

For complete coverage of FAU women’s basketball, follow us on Twitter (@FAU_WBB), Instagram (@FAU_WBB) and Facebook (Florida Atlantic Women’s Basketball).

– FAUSports.com –

Florida Atlantic University Athletics:

FAU Athletics is comprised of 21 intercollegiate teams involving 450 student-athletes that compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track, volleyball, beach volleyball, cheer and dance. The Owls are a NCAA Division I-A (FBS) institution and compete in Conference USA and the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) (beach volleyball, men’s swimming). The Owls have been playing football since 2001 and are a perfect 3-0 in bowl games, the most recent being a 50-3 victory over Akron in the 2017 CheriBundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl. The dance team finished its 2014 season No. 8, nationally. FAU cheer won a national championship in 2016.

About Florida Atlantic University:

Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.