Lickliter learns about an Iowa passion
By Steve Batterson, QUAD-CITY TIMES | Posted: Monday, May 07, 2007
IOWA CITY - One month on the job as the University of Iowa's new basketball coach, Todd Lickliter feels like a guy trying to wrap his arms around an 800-pound gorilla.
''The feeling of excitement about being here still exists, but I understand the passion that people have for our program and for this university so much more now than I did a month ago,'' Lickliter said.
''People here love their basketball, more than others might think, and there's no question they love their Hawkeyes and are proud of this university. I find myself in a position of great responsibility and in some respects, the task is a little daunting.''
Lickliter appreciates that more every day.
He left the comforts of a successful six-year run at Butler for the challenge of leading a program in the Big Ten, and he seemingly has been on the run ever since he boarded a plane in Atlanta on April 2 and was introduced the next day as Iowa's 21st coach.
''Excuse the clutter, I'm still getting organized,'' Lickliter said Thursday afternoon as he settled into a chair at his Carver-Hawkeye Arena office. ''It's been a fun but hectic few weeks.''
Lickliter still lives out of a suitcase. His wife, Joez, and youngest son, John, will move to Iowa City once the school year is complete.
Since his arrival, Lickliter already has dealt with the announced departures of players Tyler Smith and Josh Crawford and signed his first recruit, guard Jeff Peterson.
He has assembled a staff and searched the country for additional recruits while keeping an eye on future recruiting classes.
Lickliter has been overwhelmed by the number of letters and e-mails he has received from Iowa fans who ''seem to be located at about every spot on the planet'' and has even found time to attend a handful of I-Club functions where the welcome has been warm and appreciated.
In the short time he's been at Iowa, Lickliter has seen the Hawkeyes' Big Ten schedule grow from 16 to 18 games.
''When I was at Butler, I always said I wanted to play more games against Big Ten schools. I guess I've gotten my wish and I didn't even have to ask,'' Lickliter said.
''I welcome that, though, and from the feedback I've gotten from fans, they're excited about it, and I think our players are excited about that.''
During individual workouts, Lickliter has been able to spend time on the court with returning Hawkeyes. He likes what he has seen, and most importantly he likes the welcoming attitude he has sensed from the players.
''I've had good interaction with the players, but in a lot of ways we're still getting to know each other, and that process will continue into the summer and the fall,'' Lickliter said. ''It's a process that cannot be rushed.
''Basketball to me has never been a job, it's more of a lifestyle. When we work with the players now, we cover what we need to cover, and we're laying the foundation, but the process of getting to know each other, that will continue over an extended period of time.''
With the departure of Smith and the graduation losses of Adam Haluska and Mike Henderson, Iowa loses three of its top four scorers and its two rebounding leaders from last season's 17-14 team.
Despite the losses and the learning curve associated with implementing new offensive and defensive philosophies, Lickliter isn't writing off the 2007-08 season.
''I don't think it would be fair to the guys here to just throw next season away as a period of adjustment,'' Lickliter said. ''The players here now want to be here. They want to be a part of our team, and those are the individuals I concern myself with. My expectations will be the same next season as they will be the following year and the year after that.
''We will work to improve from one day to the next, and when we meet one challenge, we will prepare to meet the next one. We expect to compete for championships here, and that starts every year with the first day of practice, including next season.''
The new Iowa coach believes strongly that begins with players buying into the notion that the sum of the whole is greater than its individual parts. He believes that acceptance of those roles by the team's personnel is the only way it can succeed.
Toward that objective, practices next fall will begin with the fundamentals.
That is one reason Lickliter opted to fill his coaching staff with assistants who he had worked with previously.
LaVall Jordan and Joel Cornelle followed Lickliter to Iowa from Butler, while Chad Walthall previously worked with the new Hawkeyes coach at Eastern Michigan before he left to build a program at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa.
''I'm very comfortable with all three of those guys. They have an understanding of what I want taught and how I want things taught,'' Lickliter said. ''That was important, and I feel we have a staff that will be a good fit here.''
Lickliter believes he sees the same fit among the players in the Hawkeyes program.
''As I've met with our players, I get a real strong feeling that we have guys who care about the team and that team success is the most important thing for them,'' Lickliter said. ''They didn't come here thinking about individual honors. They came here to win games as part of a team. That's a great starting point for us.''
Lickliter believes he has found a great starting point for the next challenge in his coaching career as well.
The son of a high school coach, he grew up around the game. He played it at the junior college level before completing his collegiate career at Butler.
Lickliter coached the sport at all levels, beginning at a junior high and spending almost a decade as a high school coach in his home state of Indiana before becoming a college assistant. He even spent part of a season coaching in Saudi Arabia before returning to the college game.
He directed Butler to three Horizon League championships and a pair of NCAA Sweet 16 berths while compiling a 131-61 record in six seasons at the Indianapolis university.
''Without Butler, I would not have had this opportunity, and I'll be indebted to that institution forever. I could have stayed there for a long time and been very comfortable, but it was time for a new challenge,'' Lickliter said.
''I reached a point in my career where I felt the need to challenge myself and coaching in the Big Ten at the highest level would be a challenge for anybody. The people I've met since I've been here, the support they've shown, they motivate me to meet that challenge.''
''The feeling of excitement about being here still exists, but I understand the passion that people have for our program and for this university so much more now than I did a month ago,'' Lickliter said.
''People here love their basketball, more than others might think, and there's no question they love their Hawkeyes and are proud of this university. I find myself in a position of great responsibility and in some respects, the task is a little daunting.''
Lickliter appreciates that more every day.
He left the comforts of a successful six-year run at Butler for the challenge of leading a program in the Big Ten, and he seemingly has been on the run ever since he boarded a plane in Atlanta on April 2 and was introduced the next day as Iowa's 21st coach.
''Excuse the clutter, I'm still getting organized,'' Lickliter said Thursday afternoon as he settled into a chair at his Carver-Hawkeye Arena office. ''It's been a fun but hectic few weeks.''
Lickliter still lives out of a suitcase. His wife, Joez, and youngest son, John, will move to Iowa City once the school year is complete.
Since his arrival, Lickliter already has dealt with the announced departures of players Tyler Smith and Josh Crawford and signed his first recruit, guard Jeff Peterson.
He has assembled a staff and searched the country for additional recruits while keeping an eye on future recruiting classes.
Lickliter has been overwhelmed by the number of letters and e-mails he has received from Iowa fans who ''seem to be located at about every spot on the planet'' and has even found time to attend a handful of I-Club functions where the welcome has been warm and appreciated.
In the short time he's been at Iowa, Lickliter has seen the Hawkeyes' Big Ten schedule grow from 16 to 18 games.
''When I was at Butler, I always said I wanted to play more games against Big Ten schools. I guess I've gotten my wish and I didn't even have to ask,'' Lickliter said.
''I welcome that, though, and from the feedback I've gotten from fans, they're excited about it, and I think our players are excited about that.''
During individual workouts, Lickliter has been able to spend time on the court with returning Hawkeyes. He likes what he has seen, and most importantly he likes the welcoming attitude he has sensed from the players.
''I've had good interaction with the players, but in a lot of ways we're still getting to know each other, and that process will continue into the summer and the fall,'' Lickliter said. ''It's a process that cannot be rushed.
''Basketball to me has never been a job, it's more of a lifestyle. When we work with the players now, we cover what we need to cover, and we're laying the foundation, but the process of getting to know each other, that will continue over an extended period of time.''
With the departure of Smith and the graduation losses of Adam Haluska and Mike Henderson, Iowa loses three of its top four scorers and its two rebounding leaders from last season's 17-14 team.
Despite the losses and the learning curve associated with implementing new offensive and defensive philosophies, Lickliter isn't writing off the 2007-08 season.
''I don't think it would be fair to the guys here to just throw next season away as a period of adjustment,'' Lickliter said. ''The players here now want to be here. They want to be a part of our team, and those are the individuals I concern myself with. My expectations will be the same next season as they will be the following year and the year after that.
''We will work to improve from one day to the next, and when we meet one challenge, we will prepare to meet the next one. We expect to compete for championships here, and that starts every year with the first day of practice, including next season.''
The new Iowa coach believes strongly that begins with players buying into the notion that the sum of the whole is greater than its individual parts. He believes that acceptance of those roles by the team's personnel is the only way it can succeed.
Toward that objective, practices next fall will begin with the fundamentals.
That is one reason Lickliter opted to fill his coaching staff with assistants who he had worked with previously.
LaVall Jordan and Joel Cornelle followed Lickliter to Iowa from Butler, while Chad Walthall previously worked with the new Hawkeyes coach at Eastern Michigan before he left to build a program at Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa.
''I'm very comfortable with all three of those guys. They have an understanding of what I want taught and how I want things taught,'' Lickliter said. ''That was important, and I feel we have a staff that will be a good fit here.''
Lickliter believes he sees the same fit among the players in the Hawkeyes program.
''As I've met with our players, I get a real strong feeling that we have guys who care about the team and that team success is the most important thing for them,'' Lickliter said. ''They didn't come here thinking about individual honors. They came here to win games as part of a team. That's a great starting point for us.''
Lickliter believes he has found a great starting point for the next challenge in his coaching career as well.
The son of a high school coach, he grew up around the game. He played it at the junior college level before completing his collegiate career at Butler.
Lickliter coached the sport at all levels, beginning at a junior high and spending almost a decade as a high school coach in his home state of Indiana before becoming a college assistant. He even spent part of a season coaching in Saudi Arabia before returning to the college game.
He directed Butler to three Horizon League championships and a pair of NCAA Sweet 16 berths while compiling a 131-61 record in six seasons at the Indianapolis university.
''Without Butler, I would not have had this opportunity, and I'll be indebted to that institution forever. I could have stayed there for a long time and been very comfortable, but it was time for a new challenge,'' Lickliter said.
''I reached a point in my career where I felt the need to challenge myself and coaching in the Big Ten at the highest level would be a challenge for anybody. The people I've met since I've been here, the support they've shown, they motivate me to meet that challenge.''
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Dave Peterson wrote on May 7, 2007 10:07 PM: