Gazette series
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I thought the real eye-opener were the comments about lick's approach to recruiting and his complete lack of understanding how to not only recruit to Iowa,but to a BCS level school when he arrived at Iowa. His arrogance toward recruiting was sickening,considering we gambled 8.4 million dollars on his ability to attract better talent than the last guy. Bottom line, he did not staff correctly,did not touch base with even local AAU programs his first two years,did not really even bother to ''sell'' the Iowa bb program to prospective difference-making recruits,but took an attitude that the recruits had to convince him why he should allow them on board the lick-train!
A new coach only gets one chance to make a first impression with recruits and the fan base. A new coach moving up from mid-major to BCS school level has to come in with his hair on fire, urgently aware that his first 2-3 years will determine his ultimate success at this higher level...kind of like Thad Matta...who,only hours after being hired by OSU,was lifting weights with Mike Conley and Greg Oden in their HS weight room in his dress shirt....and Lick comes in with what Huddelson(Martin Bros long time coach) says was an aloof attitude...not touching base for the first year or so..? With an attitude that the recruits have to sell him on why he should allow them to come to Iowa? Absolutely ridiculous.
Barta should be fired for not ensuring that Lick had a concrete,action plan ready to go for intensely recruiting top talent the day he walked on campus. A plan that was 21st century,not 1950's indiana HS...I wish I could say it was a shock,but licks approach was confirmed by Larsons AAU coach..sure,it worked on Larson,great,but it will not work on an Armstead,or Randle, or Barnes,or top talent that we need to succeed.
I guess it is somewhat encouraging that Lick has now evidently deigned to establish some type of relationship with Huddleson,and I suppose Weinsten at Rising Stars,but he has lost valuable time...a couple of years, which can never be regained. It will probably doom his career at Iowa,and subject Iowa fans to a dark losing period for our program. Just a shame that Barta was so blind as to the real challenge of this job..if he understood that recruiting is the primary hurdle to success for Iowa bb, he might have chosen more wisely,or at least demanded that Lick staff up to meet that challenge. Just a shame.
A new coach only gets one chance to make a first impression with recruits and the fan base. A new coach moving up from mid-major to BCS school level has to come in with his hair on fire, urgently aware that his first 2-3 years will determine his ultimate success at this higher level...kind of like Thad Matta...who,only hours after being hired by OSU,was lifting weights with Mike Conley and Greg Oden in their HS weight room in his dress shirt....and Lick comes in with what Huddelson(Martin Bros long time coach) says was an aloof attitude...not touching base for the first year or so..? With an attitude that the recruits have to sell him on why he should allow them to come to Iowa? Absolutely ridiculous.
Barta should be fired for not ensuring that Lick had a concrete,action plan ready to go for intensely recruiting top talent the day he walked on campus. A plan that was 21st century,not 1950's indiana HS...I wish I could say it was a shock,but licks approach was confirmed by Larsons AAU coach..sure,it worked on Larson,great,but it will not work on an Armstead,or Randle, or Barnes,or top talent that we need to succeed.
I guess it is somewhat encouraging that Lick has now evidently deigned to establish some type of relationship with Huddleson,and I suppose Weinsten at Rising Stars,but he has lost valuable time...a couple of years, which can never be regained. It will probably doom his career at Iowa,and subject Iowa fans to a dark losing period for our program. Just a shame that Barta was so blind as to the real challenge of this job..if he understood that recruiting is the primary hurdle to success for Iowa bb, he might have chosen more wisely,or at least demanded that Lick staff up to meet that challenge. Just a shame.
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NewMexHawk
Well-Known Member
Nice summary JH. Many people have said Lickliter was in over his head and still is and many people, including Barta, have their heads buried in the sand refusing to believe it because he has COY behind his name. Lickliter is the worst thing that has ever happened to Iowa and with attitudes LIKE Lickliter's and Barta's, Iowa is in for some bad bad times until both are gone I'm afraid.
It is mind-boggling and infuriating to read this and have it confirm our worst fears about lick. I applaud Dochterman for telling it straight. And kenyon Murray,and the others who are not afraid to tell the truth. Someone guessed the anonymous source quoted was Bobby Hansen,but Scott said no,not bobby but good guess...ie..Bobby has the same opinion,just off the record.
I am just stunned that we actually paid a search firm to come up with this candidate.
The ultimate responsibility is laid at Barta's doorstep,so he should get the heat,but man,I want to be paid tens of thousands to be that search firm next time around.
Makes you wonder who we would have hired if we did not pay those tens of thousands to the firm to ''discover'' this gem....an Indiana HS coach? When you read about his approach to recruiting,it seems that is what we ended up with anyway. Wow.
I am just stunned that we actually paid a search firm to come up with this candidate.
The ultimate responsibility is laid at Barta's doorstep,so he should get the heat,but man,I want to be paid tens of thousands to be that search firm next time around.
Makes you wonder who we would have hired if we did not pay those tens of thousands to the firm to ''discover'' this gem....an Indiana HS coach? When you read about his approach to recruiting,it seems that is what we ended up with anyway. Wow.
NewMexHawk
Well-Known Member
I imagine the Iowa Athletic Dept, Barta, and Lickliter will be thrilled to read these articles, especially about how aloof Lickliter is and about how Barta hired an inexperience coach.
Barta is like a 13-year old girl who is enamored over a high-school star bb player. Barta had stars in his eyes over the COY label and could see nothing else...AND still has stars in his eyes and a dreamy look whenever he talks about Lickliter...He still can't see that the emperor has no clothes...
Lickliter has the "Take it or leave it attitude. Maybe it is a case, that we as fans have to PROVE to him that we DESERVE to be fans of his teams? Until we prove ourselves as worthy, we lowly misunderstanding fans won't be allowed into the Lickliter fan club?"
Barta has already proven himself and understands what it means to be a Lick Lighter!
Barta is like a 13-year old girl who is enamored over a high-school star bb player. Barta had stars in his eyes over the COY label and could see nothing else...AND still has stars in his eyes and a dreamy look whenever he talks about Lickliter...He still can't see that the emperor has no clothes...
Lickliter has the "Take it or leave it attitude. Maybe it is a case, that we as fans have to PROVE to him that we DESERVE to be fans of his teams? Until we prove ourselves as worthy, we lowly misunderstanding fans won't be allowed into the Lickliter fan club?"
Barta has already proven himself and understands what it means to be a Lick Lighter!
busabus114
Well-Known Member
Its amazing how unprepared Lick was when it came to big time recruiting.
DodgerHawki
Well-Known Member
I don't know about stars in his eyes...
either the Register or the Gazette did a FOI request after Lickliter was hired and apparently Barta also had a contract drawn up for Kevin Stallings. Unclear whether Stallings was his first choice or if Stallings was next if Lickliter said no.
The real issue was the amount of money and the years of the contract, which have effectively ensured that Lickliter will get 4-5 years at minimum no matter the results.
Hindsight is always 20-20 in these things. During the coaching search, people want someone hired TODAY. That has to be balanced against doing proper due diligence.
either the Register or the Gazette did a FOI request after Lickliter was hired and apparently Barta also had a contract drawn up for Kevin Stallings. Unclear whether Stallings was his first choice or if Stallings was next if Lickliter said no.
The real issue was the amount of money and the years of the contract, which have effectively ensured that Lickliter will get 4-5 years at minimum no matter the results.
Hindsight is always 20-20 in these things. During the coaching search, people want someone hired TODAY. That has to be balanced against doing proper due diligence.
tweeterhawk
Well-Known Member
Wish the Gazette was putting these online same-day. It appears they're holding them for 24 hours from the print edition. Not seeing the recruiting piece.
After seeing what Alford was able to achieve once he hired an experienced recruiter in O'Neal, wouldn't it have been essential for Barta to take Lick aside even before the ink dried on his contract and tell him straight up his first step needed to be hire a strong recruiter?
After seeing what Alford was able to achieve once he hired an experienced recruiter in O'Neal, wouldn't it have been essential for Barta to take Lick aside even before the ink dried on his contract and tell him straight up his first step needed to be hire a strong recruiter?
Re: I don't know about stars in his eyes...
The football program didn't require a search firm did it? Wasn't it made up of previous players/coaches and the AD? I think that would be a better way of doing it.
Who do you think should be on a new search commity assuming we don't go after Pearl?
The football program didn't require a search firm did it? Wasn't it made up of previous players/coaches and the AD? I think that would be a better way of doing it.
Who do you think should be on a new search commity assuming we don't go after Pearl?
busabus114
Well-Known Member
loesshillshawk
Well-Known Member
As I have stated many times, you cannot hire a BCS coach without having either been a head coach at that level or an assistant. Lick survived on Matta's recruits, struggled with his own and then the current coach got him a couple top players the last year. Lick is simply not a charismatic recruiting type of guy. So he did the worst possible thing and brought guys with him that knew nothing about recruiting either. Good coaches (or business people) know that if you lack something yourself you hire someone who can make up for your shortcomings. This article ought to resonate with boosters, AD, President and all who read it...Lick has got to go.
DodgerHawki
Well-Known Member
It's a fine line...
the discussion certainly should have been had during the interview process - as in, what is your plan for recruiting? What ties do you have or what sort of staff would you be able to hire? I don't think the AD can tell the coach "you must hire X or Y" as the coach has to hire a staff he is comfortable with. But if I'm an AD I certainly ask the prospective coach his approach/plan for recruiting. And if it's not sound, I move on to the next guy.
the discussion certainly should have been had during the interview process - as in, what is your plan for recruiting? What ties do you have or what sort of staff would you be able to hire? I don't think the AD can tell the coach "you must hire X or Y" as the coach has to hire a staff he is comfortable with. But if I'm an AD I certainly ask the prospective coach his approach/plan for recruiting. And if it's not sound, I move on to the next guy.
tiggerhawk
Well-Known Member
The Godzette sports desk is a den of Clown-lovers; but since Moo athletics rarely gives them anything remotely approaching the feel-good nature they get their perverse enjoyment of life primarily from reporting any development that can be construed as unfavorable to the Iowa Hawkeyes. To a man, they would give up their lifetime quotiesnt of orgasms for one year of Moo sports attaining the national prominence of the Hawkeyes.
Ironically--and the real measure of their limited competence--is that they fail to give much attention to the one Moo athletic program that is on the same frequency with the Great Iowa Unwashed Heritage: Moo women's basketball has had pretty consistent success, and it plays before crowds of astonishing attendance year after year--which resonates with an Iowa populace with cherished memories going back to when you had to be pals with your state legislator to get tickets to watch six young women in bloomers playing in the Iowa Girls HS State Tournament. Even the state fair was second fiddle to the girls tournament: Blue Boy was never as much a celebrity as Denise Long.
There is one series that the Godzette will NOT be printing. Not only has Moo men's hoops deteriorated as much from Johnny Orr as the Hawkeyes from Olson & Raveling & the early years of the Tom Davis era, but the Clown's fall has been far more disgraceful--while Alford was a jerk who searched in cesspools for players, his mistakes were of judgment born of amition & arrogance mostly; Moo, in contrast, after the disgraceful cheater Floyd, the loose-cannon U-tasty, promotes a guy to head coach & allows him to surround himself with old pals from his past in the Tarkanian mud. When Moo finally brings over a squeaky-clean coach from UNI, he fails either to bring in real student-athletes (one positive to Lickliter's credit) or to have any more success than Lickliter in putting a competitive team on the floor: this Clown team will win no more, and likely fewer, games in the Big 12 than the Hawkeyes win in the BT.
And the Moo future is much more bleak: when gypsies Brackins, Gilstrap, Staiger etc have moved on elsewhere for more money Moo will have even poorer prospects of holding its own against Colorado & Nebraska...or Iowa, UNI & Drake.
In their defense, it should be conceded that the Godzette staff has a priority to sell papers: articles about the Iowa Hawkeyes, even though negative and distorted, will get the attention of readers in Iowa. Particularly, in Eastern Iowa where the Godzette circulates.
In contrast, the Clowns embody the famous question of the 18th Century English philosopher George Berkeley: is it reality if a tree falls in the forest and no one notices?
Ironically--and the real measure of their limited competence--is that they fail to give much attention to the one Moo athletic program that is on the same frequency with the Great Iowa Unwashed Heritage: Moo women's basketball has had pretty consistent success, and it plays before crowds of astonishing attendance year after year--which resonates with an Iowa populace with cherished memories going back to when you had to be pals with your state legislator to get tickets to watch six young women in bloomers playing in the Iowa Girls HS State Tournament. Even the state fair was second fiddle to the girls tournament: Blue Boy was never as much a celebrity as Denise Long.
There is one series that the Godzette will NOT be printing. Not only has Moo men's hoops deteriorated as much from Johnny Orr as the Hawkeyes from Olson & Raveling & the early years of the Tom Davis era, but the Clown's fall has been far more disgraceful--while Alford was a jerk who searched in cesspools for players, his mistakes were of judgment born of amition & arrogance mostly; Moo, in contrast, after the disgraceful cheater Floyd, the loose-cannon U-tasty, promotes a guy to head coach & allows him to surround himself with old pals from his past in the Tarkanian mud. When Moo finally brings over a squeaky-clean coach from UNI, he fails either to bring in real student-athletes (one positive to Lickliter's credit) or to have any more success than Lickliter in putting a competitive team on the floor: this Clown team will win no more, and likely fewer, games in the Big 12 than the Hawkeyes win in the BT.
And the Moo future is much more bleak: when gypsies Brackins, Gilstrap, Staiger etc have moved on elsewhere for more money Moo will have even poorer prospects of holding its own against Colorado & Nebraska...or Iowa, UNI & Drake.
In their defense, it should be conceded that the Godzette staff has a priority to sell papers: articles about the Iowa Hawkeyes, even though negative and distorted, will get the attention of readers in Iowa. Particularly, in Eastern Iowa where the Godzette circulates.
In contrast, the Clowns embody the famous question of the 18th Century English philosopher George Berkeley: is it reality if a tree falls in the forest and no one notices?
Southernhawk
Well-Known Member
Re: I don't know about stars in his eyes...
Jess Settles, Kenyon Murray, BJ Armstrong, Bobby Hanson, and Jeff Horner. But that won't be till next year IMO.
Jess Settles, Kenyon Murray, BJ Armstrong, Bobby Hanson, and Jeff Horner. But that won't be till next year IMO.
busabus114
Well-Known Member
Re: I don't know about stars in his eyes...
This actually sounds like a pretty good assistant coaching staff. At least if we had a couple of these guys they could recruit! It isnt like the current assistants do much during the game...
This actually sounds like a pretty good assistant coaching staff. At least if we had a couple of these guys they could recruit! It isnt like the current assistants do much during the game...
koolhandlick
Well-Known Member
This must be DISASTER WEEK in the Gazette. Having a story about a 1910 train wreck near Green Mountain the same week they print a series about Iowa basketball.
tweeterhawk
Well-Known Member
Thanks! Interesting read.
