The Longer Barta Waits......

[ForeverHawk]

to make a comment, the more it looks like Lick is gone. I know Barta made a very vague comment yesterday mentioning only the players. However, if Barta wanted to squash this, he would hold a press conference today stating he was behind Lick and how we would be the coach at Iowa next year. If this plays out through the weekend with nothing coming from Barta, I would have to think the announcement of Lick's departure comes early next week, if not Monday?

 

[Hawkize1]

Completely agree, nicely stated.
Todd needs to be making calls to get moving trucks on standby.
I wish him well at his next stop!

 

[storminspank]

Not necessarily true. It depends on when he meets with Lickliter and his staff to discuss the future.

There is no timeline needed for Barta to go by here. He has to weigh the pros and cons of keeping Lickliter. After that, we'll get a decision.

I don't expect a decision anytime soon.

 

[FreddyBrown]

Chances are the decision to change has been made. How and when it is announced is a different question.

 

[hawkeye12345]

Not necessarily true. It depends on when he meets with Lickliter and his staff to discuss the future.

There is no timeline needed for Barta to go by here. He has to weigh the pros and cons of keeping Lickliter. After that, we'll get a decision.

I don't expect a decision anytime soon.

AKA - testing the market for potential replacements and fishing for $ from donors to handle the buyout(s). Once he finds a replacement, which likely won't be until after the NCAA tournament, then Lick will be sent packing.

 

[DodgerHawki]

Just curious...

Not necessarily true. It depends on when he meets with Lickliter and his staff to discuss the future.

There is no timeline needed for Barta to go by here. He has to weigh the pros and cons of keeping Lickliter. After that, we'll get a decision.

I don't expect a decision anytime soon.

but what are the pros of keeping Lickliter at this point? I'm asking a serious question. There is no upside.

 

[storminspank]

Re: Just curious...

but what are the pros of keeping Lickliter at this point? I'm asking a serious question. There is no upside.

Staying the course on a program/coach you think will ultimately succeed at Iowa.

Player/recruit retention.

That's really what it is. Barta will need to sit down and decide the pros and cons of retaining Lickliter. Who does Iowa lose if Lick stays, who will Iowa lose if Lick goes, can this system work, is there hope under Lick? All those things come into play. They'll have their meeting and from there, we'll hear what happens.

 

[ForeverHawk]

I just think the silence is most definitely telling in my opinion. I also think he lets Lick go before the NCAA tournament, to shop the position during the tourney, especially during the final four weekend, unless a replacement has already been selected by then.

 

[djwoody98]

By letting the circus play out yesterday and not supporting his coach, a decision is already made.

 

[ForeverHawk]

Re: Just curious...

Staying the course on a program/coach you think will ultimately succeed at Iowa.

Player/recruit retention.

That's really what it is. Barta will need to sit down and decide the pros and cons of retaining Lickliter. Who does Iowa lose if Lick stays, who will Iowa lose if Lick goes, can this system work, is there hope under Lick? All those things come into play. They'll have their meeting and from there, we'll hear what happens.

By the sounds of it, some of those meetings with players have already taken place. My best quess would be player retention issues whether Lick stays or goes would be resolved this weekend by Mr. Barta?

 

[koolhandlick]

The last I heard was that Barta wasn't coming back to Iowa City until after the Big Ten tourney is over. I doubt if he would hold a press conference before returning so you may be right about something on Monday and I do hope it is to announce Lick's departure.

 

[ShadasRevenge]

to make a comment, the more it looks like Lick is gone. I know Barta made a very vague comment yesterday mentioning only the players. However, if Barta wanted to squash this, he would hold a press conference today stating he was behind Lick and how we would be the coach at Iowa next year. If this plays out through the weekend with nothing coming from Barta, I would have to think the announcement of Lick's departure comes early next week, if not Monday?

Not during the conference tournament he wouldn't especially when he's going to be in Indy until Saturday. The rest of that I would agree with; if anything is going to happen it'll be next week, probably before the 1st round games start.

 

[ForeverHawk]

The last I heard was that Barta wasn't coming back to Iowa City until after the Big Ten tourney is over. I doubt if he would hold a press conference before returning so you may be right about something on Monday and I do hope it is to announce Lick's departure.

I don't think Barta would have had a press conference during the Big 10 tournament to fire Lick, but I most definitely think he would have scheduled one to show support of Lick for next year. The lack of the latter to me spells it out as to which way this is going to go.

 

[storminspank]

Re: Just curious...

By the sounds of it, some of those meetings with players have already taken place. My best quess would be player retention issues whether Lick stays or goes would be resolved this weekend by Mr. Barta?

Barta knows which current players would stay or leave if Lick was kept/let go. I can't say the same for the current signees.

Again, he needs to sit down and figure out what he wants to do with all the info he has and make a decision. What has happened this past week and yesterday's blowout will have some effect, but I think Barta knows he still needs to look at the whole and make a decision. I'm not convinced he's made it yet.

 

[Rawkhawk73]

Re: Just curious...

Barta knows which current players would stay or leave if Lick was kept/let go. I can't say the same for the current signees.

Again, he needs to sit down and figure out what he wants to do with all the info he has and make a decision. What has happened this past week and yesterday's blowout will have some effect, but I think Barta knows he still needs to look at the whole and make a decision. I'm not convinced he's made it yet.

Here's the problem. This isn't 1987, 1999, or even 2007. Every day that he waits, he loses the opportunity to control the message....at least as much as it can be controlled. This is a new day, with message boards, internet bloggers, 24 hour news, data phones, Facebook, etc. You just can't hide out in the compound and figure it out. You have to get out ahead of it. If you support your coach, say it. If not, then you have to work overtime to get a resolution on buyout/legal mumbo jumbo and get out with the message. Educrats are NOTORIOUSLY bad about this, but if they want to control the message better, they HAVE to get out in front of this.

 

[BLKNGOLD48]

Re: Just curious...

Barta knows which current players would stay or leave if Lick was kept/let go. I can't say the same for the current signees.

Again, he needs to sit down and figure out what he wants to do with all the info he has and make a decision. What has happened this past week and yesterday's blowout will have some effect, but I think Barta knows he still needs to look at the whole and make a decision. I'm not convinced he's made it yet.

So basically, do we want to keep out current roster and let Lick go and possibly have recruits go elsewhere, or have him stay around and risk losing current players but retain the recruits. No brainer to me based on which player or players "might" leave. Let me ask you this Spank, if we get another coach and they already have commits to the coach's former school, could they get out of the LOI and follow the "new" coach to Iowa?

 

[HawkI101]

The longer he better for us getting someone like Pearl or Drew who will be coaching in the tourney.

 

[cibula11]

Not necessarily true. It depends on when he meets with Lickliter and his staff to discuss the future.

There is no timeline needed for Barta to go by here. He has to weigh the pros and cons of keeping Lickliter. After that, we'll get a decision.

I don't expect a decision anytime soon.

I agree. My guess is that if Lick is gone, Barta will get his feelers out there before he lets Lick go.

 

[tweeterhawk]

Re: Just curious...

I agree. My guess is that if Lick is gone, Barta will get his feelers out there before he lets Lick go.

Staying the course on a program/coach you think will ultimately succeed at Iowa.

Player/recruit retention.

That's really what it is. Barta will need to sit down and decide the pros and cons of retaining Lickliter. Who does Iowa lose if Lick stays, who will Iowa lose if Lick goes, can this system work, is there hope under Lick? All those things come into play. They'll have their meeting and from there, we'll hear what happens.

Classic understatement but there's a lot going on behind the scenes that likely precludes anybody from saying or doing anything immediately.

First and foremost this is an employment matter involving a contract, severance, buyout, agents, lawyers, accounting people, etc. Todd is not accused of violating any provisions in the contract that would result in immediate termination for cause. Far from it, he's tried to build a good program, just hasn't had much success doing it.

Also, Barta and his staff are likely looking at what they will have to pay to part ways with Todd and what it will take to hire a top-flight coach this time. When that's determined, where do they get the money?

It's also likely potential candidates are coaching in league tournaments and/or getting ready for post-season play. It is true there can be feelers put out and discussions with agents. But Barta probably wants to have that all lined up before announcing the decision.

 

[NewMexHawk]

At this point, Lickliter has lost part of the team. If some players want a new coach, that means some players no longer want to play for him but want to play for Iowa.

How can Lickliter put a product on the floor, especially HIS product if some of the starters, especially some of the more important starters, no longer want to play for the guy or even believe in him? What kind of dissension will that create on the team? Do they do what they want to do on the floor at that point? He would have some very unhappy kids IF THEY didn't transfer before the season even began. If they transferred Lickliter would once again be starting over--ANOTHER 10-23 season or worse.

Simply can't keep the man. There really are NO alternatives. Lick ball, keepaway ball, slowdown ball, whatever you want to call it is gone from Iowa. The bad experiment is put to bed never to be awaken again.

I hope he finds a nice mid major job somewhere where he can go hide and run his Butler system and be happy. Iowa made him a rich man but he is a failure at this level and needs to go...period.

Just leave Lickliter. Let Iowa get a real coach. Somebody who knows how to recruit at this level and knows how to coach against Big 10 coaches and doesn't want to get their teeth kicked in year after year. Apparently Lickliter didn't mind the taste of his own teeth and eating with his gums....