Lickliter finds a home with RedHawks

[HawkeyeHypnosis]

Dayton Daily News : Former Butler coach finds a home with the RedHawks

Came across this. From article:

But Lickliter inherited a Hawkeyes program that had been down the year before and had lost two stars. His first two teams went a combined 28-36 and then, after four players transferred, the Hawkeyes — starting two freshmen and two sophomores — went 10-22.

Although Lickliter had a good recruiting class coming in, Iowa officials — further swayed by a dip in attendance — gave him a $2.4 million buyout over three years and fired him.

Sitting in his Millett Hall office — decorated with a newspaper clipping from the Butler glory days, an Iowa sticker on the wall behind his phone, a photo of his son John, a Hawkeyes walk-on, scoring against Purdue and a big poster of a triumphant Cassius Clay after flattening Sonny Liston — Lickliter refused to fire back after his own KO.

“I’ve said almost nothing on the Iowa situation because I don’t want it to sound like excuses,â€￾ he said.

The only thing he would say — and he said it with conviction — was that “it was gonna work. It just wasn’t going to work in three years and not without some bumps in the road. But we had a really good class coming in and I believed we had finally gotten it turned.â€￾

 

[rhoffs8]

Fran > Lick

 

[FromFry2Ferentz]

“To Todd’s credit, Iowa pulls the plug on everybody they get. They don’t understand — it’s Iowa.
“Their facilities aren’t that great. It’s not the best of programs. Why they wouldn’t keep a guy like him, I don’t get it. They were going to be pretty good with the players he was bringing in. He’s just a wonderful, wonderful teacher. There’s something special about him. It’s too bad Iowa couldn’t see it.”


Things sure have changed...

 

[BSpringsteen]

Ghost, have you reached him yet?

 

[hawkeye12345]

It wasn't going to work regardless of the amount of time it took.

Yes you had a good recruiting class lined up but we were still going to play slow boring hoops and we would have likely had additional transfers beyond Fuller. Those transfers would have likely continued too.

The kid that ended up down in Florida would have done something stupid at Iowa too.

 

[RoseBowlBound]

What a load of crap. Ive talked to a few guys who played for Lick and it sounds like that guy never had a shot. Practicies were silly and game management was even funnier. That was never going to work, ever.

 

[ssckelley]

wow, how could you miss this nugget:

While Lickliter was diplomatic, Charlie Coles, Miami’s head coach, pulled no punches:

“To Todd’s credit, Iowa pulls the plug on everybody they get. They don’t understand — it’s Iowa.

“Their facilities aren’t that great. It’s not the best of programs. Why they wouldn’t keep a guy like him, I don’t get it. They were going to be pretty good with the players he was bringing in. He’s just a wonderful, wonderful teacher. There’s something special about him. It’s too bad Iowa couldn’t see it.”

I don't doubt Lick may have been a good coach and teacher. But that style of play is not meant for Iowa and the sagging attendance reflected it. Besides, was that recruiting class really that good? Larson was the top rated prospect and rarely sees the court at Florida. Brust is an ok player and I suppose Marble was coming here either way but how many more wins does Iowa win last year with Brust, Larson, and Lick coaching? If Lick was still here is Iowa still getting Gesell and/or Woodbury next season?

 

[eveningnewsteam]

Real professional for D1 coach to make those comments. What a POS

 

[HawkeyeRyno]

They're 8-17 in the MAC. What an idiot. it's coach speak, no way he seriously thinks that.

 

[BSpringsteen]

Yeah, especially to a paper in Dayton, OH? You ever been to this place?

Let me tell you a good thing to do there? Pack up your bags and get the **** out.

 

[tweeterhawk]

wow, how could you miss this nugget:



I don't doubt Lick may have been a good coach and teacher. But that style of play is not meant for Iowa and the sagging attendance reflected it. Besides, was that recruiting class really that good? Larson was the top rated prospect and rarely sees the court at Florida. Brust is an ok player and I suppose Marble was coming here either way but how many more wins does Iowa win last year with Brust, Larson, and Lick coaching? If Lick was still here is Iowa still getting Gesell and/or Woodbury next season?

Seeing him in action I don't know how anyone could call Lick a good coach or a good teacher. I have no idea how he won national Coach of the Year. I will always remember his Iowa days more or less as pictured below; those are not images of a winner, and not ones we should seek to replicate any time soon.

IMHO, Iowa dodged a bullet with Larson; Brust now appears to be no more than middle of the road in the B1G, Fran will (and has) come up with better; doubtful Lick would land Gesell or Woodbury.

In the end things worked out better for all involved. Fran will be able to succeed where his predecessor could not.

 

[HawkeyeRyno]

What a load of crap. Ive talked to a few guys who played for Lick and it sounds like that guy never had a shot. Practicies were silly and game management was even funnier. That was never going to work, ever.

Me too. I work with a player that played for Lick and said the same basic things. Lick was not personable and after practice he wanted nothing to do with the players. Lick was clueless and players didn't relate because Lick was always talking about "Butler this, Butler that and how they did it the right way and how it worked there".

Former player also familiar with people back home who said Lick should not be a head coach at a big school because he doesn't get it and he wasn't even the one who should be given the credit for Butler's success when it was the assistants who recruited.

 

[HawkeyeHypnosis]

I completely understand where he's coming from with couldn't have gotten it done in three years. I doubt most coaches would take the job if told they had 3 years to try turning things around. But there was no progress. It seemed slower each year and the players really looked disinterested. So for him to say it would have worked is blasphemy.

 

[ssckelley]

Seeing him in action I don't know how anyone could call Lick a good coach or a good teacher. I have no idea how he won national Coach of the Year. I will always remember his Iowa days more or less as pictured below; those are not images of a winner, and not ones we should seek to replicate any time soon.

tweeter, I don't either but we keep hearing from so many reputable coaches how great of a coach Lick is. All I know is the team was falling apart had there not been so many transfers perhaps the results would have been different. But if Lick is such a great coach then why are there not AD's lining up to sign this guy? Instead he is sitting on the bench as an assistant for the all mighty Redhawks.

 

[BSpringsteen]

tweeter, I don't either but we keep hearing from so many reputable coaches how great of a coach Lick is. All I know is the team was falling apart had there not been so many transfers perhaps the results would have been different. But if Lick is such a great coach then why are there not AD's lining up to sign this guy? Instead he is sitting on the bench as an assistant for the all mighty Redhawks.

Dad, it's Miami.

 

[tweeterhawk]

tweeter, I don't either but we keep hearing from so many reputable coaches how great of a coach Lick is. All I know is the team was falling apart had there not been so many transfers perhaps the results would have been different. But if Lick is such a great coach then why are there not AD's lining up to sign this guy? Instead he is sitting on the bench as an assistant for the all mighty Redhawks.

Lick may have a point: if he had been allowed to stay another year or two, he certainly would have had the chance to load up with even more talent as he would have had additional scholarships available due to transfer. I guess we'll never know the levels he could have taken Iowa basketball.

 

[Cosity82]

Yeah, especially to a paper in Dayton, OH? You ever been to this place?

Let me tell you a good thing to do there? Pack up your bags and get the **** out.

i laughed out loud at that one

 

[JugadorHawk]

So Lick stayed silent because he didn't want to make excuses but he had his 70 year old boss to do it for him.

 

[ssckelley]

Lick may have a point: if he had been allowed to stay another year or two, he certainly would have had the chance to load up with even more talent as he would have had additional scholarships available due to transfer. I guess we'll never know the levels he could have taken Iowa basketball.

Stop, you know damn well Lick was such a great teacher that Lil Lick would have been NBA ready this year. Definitely next years Lin in the NBA.

 

[ChosenChildren]

He lost all credibility for me when he played his kid. That was an insane act.

Lickliter is a good man but he was in way over his head at Iowa. He just wasn't ready to coach or recruit at the Big Ten level. I'm not sure he ever will be.