Not a good time to
- Thread starter Iowaegian
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1977Hawkeye
Well-Known Member
Sigh... another football comparison.. Ok, one more time:
Don't you think there's a reason why our football coaching staff has been in place for over a decade? It's because in 3 years, they totally turned the program around, had a winning record and won a bowl game in year 3. In year 4, they won the conference. Other than a couple of down years in 2006 and 2007, they have us back on track again. A BCS win this year. 2 conference titles and 3 straight Top-10 finishes in the National polls from 2002-04.
The stability in the football program hasn't come from the fact that we've allowed the coaches to stick around for 10 years. The stability has come from having good coaches who DESERVE to be coaching us for that long. There hasn't been a need to make a coaching change in the football program.
BALDIES7980
Well-Known Member
Soooo we don't make a change because it doesn't LOOK good? Or because after the last game of this season you didn't see the coach pull his head into the light of day and try something different and have alot of success?
Is change this soon good? NO.
Does it make sense to stay the course? NO.
He had over 90 games in his tenure at Iowa to show us that he was going to be the caoch and leader of this program.And do his very best to bring the program up to what it could be and the kids to play at their best potential. I suspected numerous reason's for a long time and in the last gasp he, for some reason, did sone things that were shouted for many times and BAM. The kids look better and more productive.
Do you really think Lick will magically change his personality and the near past won't stay the norm? I'm sure thats not going to happen.
The timing is GREAT!
End of season, four good recruits coming in,new facility to pimp and lots of good coaches reaching the end of their season's so a great time to have your job open for a new leader.
There is a huge difference from turning around a football program than turning around a basketball program. In basketball if you can get a good coach who can recruit you can turn around a team in 1-2 seasons. In football you can't expect a bunch of freshmen and sophomores to turn a team around. That is why football coaches have a longer leash than basketball coaches. You don't see a lot of football coaches getting the ax before their 4th season is completed.
oifdeserthawk
Well-Known Member
I can tell you that personally, myself, as well as many of my friends and family that love Iowa athletics, basketball and football in particularly, that 3 years ago, I was certain Steve Alford could coach at this level, and although most fans won't admit it, I think people weren't overly excited to see Steve go, but, in hindsight, I never wanted anyone other than Tom Davis running the show in the first place....and I can also tell you, that 3 years ago, I flat out KNEW the "Butler System", would fail miserably.......and you absolutely cannot compare basketball and football, but if you really want to, Kirk Ferentz's situation, is the EXACT OPPOSITE, of a one Coach Todd Lickliter's.......
NewMexHawk
Well-Known Member
It is a GREAT time...people clean their house in the spring. Iowa is sweeping out a losing program with the worst coach in Iowa history.
We Iowa fans can finally exhale the stale Lickliter air and take a breath of fresh spring air that will come with hope, a new coach, and a new staff! It is like walking out of smoking dingy hot humid saloon into a bright sunny room with air conditioning.
Good-bye and Good luck Mr. Lickliter...wherever you may end up. You will still have your son to play point guard for you...
We Iowa fans can finally exhale the stale Lickliter air and take a breath of fresh spring air that will come with hope, a new coach, and a new staff! It is like walking out of smoking dingy hot humid saloon into a bright sunny room with air conditioning.
Good-bye and Good luck Mr. Lickliter...wherever you may end up. You will still have your son to play point guard for you...
JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
At the end of the Big Ten Tourney title year when Iowa got the three seed, and as the Indiana job opened and Alford's name was tied to it, I remember writing that I would be bummed out if he left because it seemed like things were finally clicking, and that Alford had learned on the job and things were going the right direction...he had Neal on the staff and that was a good addition. Then, there was the Missouri flirtation, and denial, and that was it for me. I was OK if he went to Indiana, but to make Iowa look bad by flirting with Mizzou, then denying it, that was the end of the line for me. I was glad for a change because I had hoped it would mean better days, and the fans being back together.
I understand that consistency is the best scenario...however, consistency for the sake of consistency is unwise, in this instance, at least IMO. This was the worst three years in Iowa basketball history, and this third year the worst year ever by an Iowa basketball team. To use the consistency argument as a reason for a fourth year, in the face of the first three and this third, that's a huge stretch IMO
I understand that consistency is the best scenario...however, consistency for the sake of consistency is unwise, in this instance, at least IMO. This was the worst three years in Iowa basketball history, and this third year the worst year ever by an Iowa basketball team. To use the consistency argument as a reason for a fourth year, in the face of the first three and this third, that's a huge stretch IMO
1977Hawkeye
Well-Known Member
You were right about point a. But I STILL am not certain about Alford coaching at this level. The fact that he has had ONE big year out of three at New Mexico doesn't PROVE to me that we made a mistake by letting him go. Things are not in a vacuum. You must look at the level of competition that Alford is facing nowadays. The 29 wins is a very good season, but he wasn't playing Michigan St., Wisconsin, Purdue, Ohio St., etc. night in and night out this year. I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that Alford wouldn't have won 29 games this year in the Big Ten, or anywhere near. He did win the 25 games in 2006 though, so Alford wasn't quite the tire fire that most people made him out to be. I have doubts that he would win 20 games on a regular basis, though.
Regarding point b, looking at Lickliter's resume when he was hired, I had concerns. Yes, there were the two Sweet 16's, but there were also three very mediocre to average years, even by mid-major standards, mixed in there. I was not convinced that Lickliter would get it done, but was curious to see how it went because I figured he could at least coach up margineable talent. I was wrong on that point, but my initial concern proved to be valid.
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I was ****** that SA bailed on Iowa,when I thought he was getting it rolling with a big 08 class lining up to follow a good 07 class into town.
I was leery of Lick from the get-go because of the slo-ball approach at Butler and the whole uniqueness of the Butler situation. But I figured he could assemble a staff of seasoned big time recruiters and we could be ok...he didn't and we weren't.
Continuity to maintain a losing crew is ludicrous.
I was leery of Lick from the get-go because of the slo-ball approach at Butler and the whole uniqueness of the Butler situation. But I figured he could assemble a staff of seasoned big time recruiters and we could be ok...he didn't and we weren't.
Continuity to maintain a losing crew is ludicrous.
clicheusername3
Banned
I think Mini Lick is actually better suited to the 2...he can play the point when needed but his future lies at the off-guard.
