The #1 Reason Lick Gets Another Year

DuffMan

DuffMan

Well-Known Member
Anyone who frequents this board is well versed on the reasons some folks want Lick gone this year. This is the number #1 reason he gets at least one more year...

His team plays it's *** off. Yes there have been some defections and some players have left because they don't feel they were a fit. That does not change the fact that those who have stayed are 100% on board with what is going on.

I've played sports my whole life, and I've been on my share of terrible teams. I can speak first hand how much it sucks to be on a team that looses a more than it wins. In that situation it's easy to get frustrated, to tune out a coach, to mail it in and not give it your all.

As I watch this team there is no doubt that there is "no quit" in them. They play HARD, regardless of score and game situation. It's pretty easy to see when a coach has lost his team, it's equally easy to see when he has them, and Lick has them.

Ultimately playing hard isn't enough, there has to be wins also. As I've stated before I think we need to wait until the end of next year to properly judge progress in this regard, but I am encouraged by everythign stated above.
 
Actually I think it goes:

1. Kids are playing hard and buying in.
2. Next year's recruiting class.
3. The buyout, even though I do not think it has been considered.

I agree, if kids were thinking about tranferring, no way you get the effort this team is putting forth right now. I hope the prooves true at the end of the season?
 
Actually the #1 reason is this: $2,000,000 buyout.
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A very wise answer! Until MSU and a game or two more, I haven't felt they've played their arses off, at least not for two halves.
 
I'm one for giving him next year, but he needs to make the NIT at a minimum or you buyout the 3 years left. We will still be relying freshman to play some minutes, not quite as much as this year, if he does that then he will now have 3 years left on the original 7 year deal after next year, you then extend his contract 1 year only to get it to 4 years for recruiting purposes, so in 2011-2012 he has a 4 year deal and after the year it goes back to 3 years left so he needs to make the NCAA or you cut him loose and buyout the remaining 3 years. If significant progress has been made and Iowa is in the NCAA and top half of the Big Ten then you can extend that 3 years left to 6 or 7 again by adding 3 or 4 more years and have him locked up until the 2018-2019 season after the 2011-2012 season.
 
ForeverHawk said:
Actually I think it goes:

1. Kids are playing hard and buying in.
2. Next year's recruiting class.
3. The buyout, even though I do not think it has been considered.

I agree, if kids were thinking about tranferring, no way you get the effort this team is putting forth right now. I hope the prooves true at the end of the season?
Click to expand...

I think 1 and 2 have a lot more to do with why he gets another year then #3. I don't think Barta has even thought about getting rid of him.
 
I think the primary reasons no change would be made this year relate to the concerns of the AD, who after all must make any recommendation to the President about termination. I think he has concerns that are even greater than the buyout issue. They relate to the perception of the program by potential replacements and to the perception of the AD in the eyes of his various constituencies. Barta doesn't want to be seen as not giving new coach a fair chance to succeed, three years into a job that started with some challenges. He also doesn't want to have to admit the failure of his first major hire.

IMO both of those reasons for not making a change, along with the team playing hard and every other excuse, will evaporate if the team doesn't take a major step forward next season.
 
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I don't think you can make any decisions until the end of the year. I thought the team looked out of it against Minnesota and Illinois but played hard against Penn St. and MSU. There is a lot of season left to play before saying Lick should be fired or get another year.
 
hawkeyescott said:
Actually the #1 reason is this:

$2,000,000 buyout.
Click to expand...
Actually, you could not be more off the mark. There is absolutely NO interest on the part of AD Barta to make any kind of change---and even if he got the itch, he wouldn't scratch it.

What is missing here is any inkling of awareness that while winning games in the short run is what matters to some fans and internet posters, it is NOT the primary interest to the people in charge at the U of Iowa.

Please, understand that the #1, #2, #3 #infinity reasons why Lickliter will be here for the next few years and then some is that the people at the U of Iowa who make major personnel & policy decisions LOVE Lickliter. They feel, quite appropriately, that he is quickly restoring the good name of Hawkeye basketball, recruiting good students & good citizens, doing things the right way. Most of all, they consider him the anti-Alford...and that alone would bu him years of good will among the regents, Board of Athletic Control, administration, faculty, major financial backers.

Those among TPTB that have interest in basketball also recognize that Lickliter is an outstanding coach in terms of teaching, tactical moves, game management, that he is after all a guy who has been named COY.
They see that his players are improving individually and play as a team, that they play with all-out effort. You may think they are wrong in their judgments---but the opinion of internet posters really isn't going to influence their views.

They want a men's basketball coach who conducts himself and runs his program in a manner similar to Ferentz & Bluder. They think that it will become evident that they have one in Lickliter.

Footnote: do NOT assume that declining attendance has any more impact than the cost of a buy-out. Hawkeye athletics is operating at a healthy profit year after year; so much so that the subsidy to athletic programs from the general university funds ha been ended permanently, and the expectation is that they will be able to discontinue the fees paid by students for university athletic programs. Ticket revenues have been declining for more than 15 years now, the slide beginning when Tom Davis was the coach, getting worse under Alford, dropping more the past three years with Lickliter.

Iowa will live with the fewer gate receipts in the short run; in the long run they project that competitive teams of likable kids will bring fans back to CHA...helped by the upscaling of the facility itself.

Do not under-estimate the extent to which the success of the Iowa football program makes it easier to be patient about returning Hawkeye basketball to respectability & success.
 
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ForeverHawk said:
Actually I think it goes:

1. Kids are playing hard and buying in.
2. Next year's recruiting class.
3. The buyout, even though I do not think it has been considered.

I agree, if kids were thinking about tranferring, no way you get the effort this team is putting forth right now. I hope the prooves true at the end of the season?
Click to expand...

Putting forth the effort to lose all of the time? I dislike when people try to quantify effort...running around aimlessly(but fast), jumping more times for a rebound your not going to get, unnecessarily tipping balls and moving your arms more than usual on perimeter defense does not equal effort...
 
clicheusername3 said:
Putting forth the effort to lose all of the time? I dislike when people try to quantify effort...running around aimlessly(but fast), jumping more times for a rebound your not going to get, unnecessarily tipping balls and moving your arms more than usual on perimeter defense does not equal effort...
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Yeah, Iowa puts forth the effort in order to lose all the time? Seriously? This team is building a foundation and help with the team depth is coming next year! If you can be patient, I believe you will be pleasantly surprised starting next year??? I have felt this way all season, and even more so over the last two weeks!
 
I'm beginning to feel more that way as I read about the next recruiting class. Problem is I'm reading choir material. Also, heard that this class is rated 7-8 in the big ten. That doesn't bode well for climbing the ladder.

Not sure what you mean by pleasantly surprised. If it's .500 and another year w/o post season I'll be disappointed. Some on this board will be happy at .500. That's still three notches lower than we should be in year four.

I know, I know, Alford left a bag of goods and we've had all these transfers.
 
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