According to Crean

Lick's style was not a good fit here. It rubbed fans the wrong way and the players felt they were held back.

Although Basabe and Cartwright were fantastic yesterday and were a big reason for the win, Crean is correct in saying Lick does not get enough credit for developing and bettering these guys over the course of the last 3 years. Instead, he gets lambasted like he has so far in this thread.

Brommer, May, and Gatens have each showed tremendous improvement. Cole has gotten better. Not to mention the likes of Cyrus Tate who improved in the paint during the two years he was with Lick and co.

All that being said, perception is reality. That's why not one person on this board has given any bit of credence to Crean's comment. And Lick's attitude and style of play coupled with the miserable win/loss record turned off fans who had been already been turned off to the program for most of the Alford era (understandably) even more so. It was the perfect storm, if you will.

While I will not say Lick was a bad coach, I will say a fresh start was probably needed. However, making a lateral hire (compare both of their resumes before they got to Iowa, you'll see) was a questionable decision. Aside from the style of play and attitude (love Fran's fire), which do mean a lot for perception, the two have very similar roots. Given the incapable, stagnant marketing efforts from Iowa (look at Indiana's arena...they have had little to no reason to fill it for the past 2 season, but someone is marketing the hell out of that program...selling hope like none other...where is that with Iowa basketball?) the only shot this program has in getting the fan base back to CHA is to continue winning and over-achieving.

More half-court alley oops won't hurt either...
 
I think Crean is feeling some heat, similar to what Lickliter did the last 1 or 2 years. Crean's comment supporting Lick were in essence telling the Indiana faithful/administration......."don't get rid of me yet, this Iowa team is gelling with Lickliter's past influence players"......sorry Crean but that just doesn't play well here.....night and day from last year to this year! Major reasons: 1)Fran 2)Melsahn 3)Bryce.
 
I will have to respectfully disagree Mr. McLaughlin. When I look at the hire I do not see it as lateral. Lickliter's resume was built by taking over a Butler program from Thad Motta and continuing that success. McCaffery built a pretty good resume from UNC-Greensboro and Seina, taking teams that had losing records before him into winning teams while he was at the helm. I know at UNC-Greensboro he was barely above the .500 mark but it was an improvement from where the program was.
 
Hawkimi said:
I think Crean is feeling some heat, similar to what Lickliter did the last 1 or 2 years. Crean's comment supporting Lick were in essence telling the Indiana faithful/administration......."don't get rid of me yet, this Iowa team is gelling with Lickliter's past influence players"......sorry Crean but that just doesn't play well here.....night and day from last year to this year! Major reasons: 1)Fran 2)Melsahn 3)Bryce.
Click to expand...

You know, I never really put 2 and 2 together.
You are absolutely right!
 
What a freaking joke. The roster is made up of freshman & newcoming transfer at point who are contributing a ton to this team. Gaten's was off last night.

You have the team running the court with May having two thunderous dunks from 40 ft allee-oop passes from Cartright. Not Lickliter style.

You have the defense coming out & playing 1/2 court press with the occaisional full-court to change things up when the team needs a lift. We didn't see a press in the total 3 yeas of the Lick system. Fran changes things up to the flow of the game or to get his team going. Lick never did.

You have Iowa players actually putting offensive pressure on the defenders & making them guard them which caused multiple fouls. Lick's teams never put pressure on with the O. No opponents were ever in foul trouble. A team should never rest on D, but I used to get the feeling they did when playing the Iowa teams of the last three yrs. There just was no pressure.

The two teams & styles aren't even comparable.

Tom Crean's logic = FAIL!!
 
Tim, being the all-time losing coach at Iowa is more than perception. The rants and throwing our players under the bus is more than perception. You don't want to say Lickliter was a bad coach? Fine, I will.

You mentioned that Brommer, May, and Gatens have shown tremendous improvement and Cole has gotten better. May I ask when this improvement really started to show up? I remember during Lickliter's half-baked offensive sets that Cole caught passes like he had casts on each hand. Now I remember Cole for making a steal, chasing down the ball, jamming it home with a 2-handed dunk and SMILING afterward.

That little play happened when Fran was coach. Is it at all possible that the players improved significantly in the short time that Fran has been able to coach them? I'd say it's highly probable. Basabe & Cartwright are two great examples of young men playing better than we possibly could have hoped and neither have anything to do with Lick.
 
I swear some of you guys must wake up in the morning and desperately search out something to be outraged about.

So Tom Crean praised Lickliter in a passing comment...

fffuuu.jpg
 
I will give partial credit to Lick for the new found excitement and interest we are all experinecing with Hawkeye Basketball. If he had been just a little better, Iowa probably would remain an afterthought. Sometimes you have to take a couple steps back to get momemtium. I am reminded of when Kirk (after the Alamo Bowl) stating, "hang on, here we go" and the Chris Mathews tingle that told us that something good was to soon come. I think we are getting close in basketball to that kind of run.
 
Iowafarmgirl said:
I swear some of you guys must wake up in the morning and desperately search out something to be outraged about.

So Tom Crean praised Lickliter in a passing comment...

fffuuu.jpg
Click to expand...

Good stuff. I agree 100%. People are way over reacting to this. As I posted in a different thread I think he is just sticking up a for a friend and/or colleague with the comments he made about Lick. I don't at all understand why people are taking exception to the comment. Sure it's not an accurate statement, but who cares?
 
Someone else made a comment that there could be bad blood between Crean and Fran. That is certainly possible and something I did not think of. Fran strikes me as a no nonsense type of coach that puts winning way above making friends with the other coaches in the league. Crean could be threatened by Fran, as it is clear Iowa is making major strides already.

But for those saying Crean is arrogant and all this other garbage, please. He's a good coach and a good guy (yes I met him, as I posted in another thread). He will have IU rolling again in a couple of years, unfortunately for us.
 
I was wondering if anyone else picked up on this in the post game. I don't dislike Indiana, but I do get sick of them acting like they are still royalty despite sharing the cellar with us the past few years. Crean is either Lick's friend, or trying to cover his butt for getting punked by Iowa 4 games in a row. What did freaking Lickliter have to do with them winning the game? Had Brommer or Archie gone off for 20 each, then fine, give him props for recruiting those guys. Unfortunately neither contributed.

Seriously misguided statement by a guy who should know better.
 
Crean actually made the "credit to Lickliter" quote twice. Once during his regular postgame conference and once to the Indiana play by play guy immeidately after the game, during which he said Todd Lickliter deserves all the credit "for putting those players on the floor." Eric May is really the only starter that was a Lickliter recruit. Seems to me he has some axe to grind with Coach McCaffery. Probably has something to do with him having his rear end handed to him twice this year. And if Crean has all that much respect for Lickliter, hire him and put his dynamic personality on your staff! Lickliter can afford to work pretty cheap right now.
 
MisterLucky said:
Crean actually made the "credit to Lickliter" quote twice. Once during his regular postgame conference and once to the Indiana play by play guy immeidately after the game, during which he said Todd Lickliter deserves all the credit "for putting those players on the floor." Eric May is really the only starter that was a Lickliter recruit. Seems to me he has some axe to grind with Coach McCaffery. Probably has something to do with him having his rear end handed to him twice this year. And if Crean has all that much respect for Lickliter, hire him and put his dynamic personality on your staff! Lickliter can afford to work pretty cheap right now.
Click to expand...

I could just see it now. Lickliter being introduced next season to the Indiana players. He walks onto the court with a slow pace with his new red suit jacket looped over his left arm. "Hello, I'm Todd."

Jon Lickliter bouncing the ball behind him in his crouch with his straight arm bar ready to shiver any defenders.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Share this page

Top