Lickliter just completed his 3rd year at Evansville.

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

I will say in his defense, that Evansville was a sinking ship well before he more or less inherited the job, and Evansville is such a poorly run athletics program, that they didn't bother to find anyone else right after.

The previous coach was let go midway through the 2019-2020 season because of misconduct. They were already getting progressively worse each year following a 25-9 campaign in 2015-2016.

So regardless of what kind of coach Lickliter is, he already had his work cut out for him going into a bad situation.

 

[BBHawk]

Fran > Alford + lickliter

This. Took a barely-bubble team on to win the B1G Tournament and a 5 seed in the NCAA tournament. On bad shooting game away from probably Iowa's best tourney run in years. What could have been...

 

[BonzoFury]

I will say in his defense, that Evansville was a sinking ship well before he more or less inherited the job, and Evansville is such a poorly run athletics program, that they didn't bother to find anyone else right after.

The previous coach was let go midway through the 2019-2020 season because of misconduct. They were already getting progressively worse each year following a 25-9 campaign in 2015-2016.

So regardless of what kind of coach Lickliter is, he already had his work cut out for him going into a bad situation.

That's probably why he got the job, nobody else would take it.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

That's probably why he got the job, nobody else would take it.

Nobody else would take it, and given the state of the program, I don't think even low level recruits are beating down their doors to come there any time soon.

 

[Ronman]

I'll never forget his first press conference after being hired, he looked petrified. You could tell immediately he was not going to work out.

Me too. I thought this has to be a practical joke. Surely this librarian is not going to be our head coach!

Barta Jumped on Lickliter after Butler's 29-7 season. The next year Stevens took that up to 30 and averaged 28 wins a year during his tenure there. He might be long gone by now, but I think history clearly shows us he was the Butler coach we should have gone after. Barta obviously didn't do his homework on this hire. Maybe Stevens couldn't have achieved the same success here at Iowa as he did at Butler, but he almost certainly couldn't have been as bad as Lickliter.

 

[fezzador]

Me too. I thought this has to be a practical joke. Surely this librarian is not going to be our head coach!

Barta Jumped on Lickliter after Butler's 29-7 season. The next year Stevens took that up to 30 and averaged 28 wins a year during his tenure there. He might be long gone by now, but I think history clearly shows us he was the Butler coach we should have gone after.

Or at least he should have taken Stevens as part of a package deal

 

[gojojo]

Basically didn't he claim he took the job bc his son said 'Dad, its the B1G. You have to take it'. If I'm remembering correctly. If so that explains a lot.

Something like that.

I just recall him being very quiet, unenthusiastic, shy, almost uncomfortable. They then interviewed Tyler Smith who was present at the PC and he said he wasn't sure what his future plans were. You could tell by the look on his face that he was gone.

 

[Hawkeye Marching Band]

Or at least he should have taken Stevens as part of a package deal

Stevens and his wife were packing to move to Iowa City until Butler offered him the HC job.

 

[sm_hawkeye]

This. We hired the wrong coach.

Didn’t he have surgery on skull because of migraines? Who knows how much his health change impacted his ability. But yea I think his success was collectively the people he surrounded around him. But strange he was not able to find any other talented assistance again since he did before.

 

[hooper56]

Or at least he should have taken Stevens as part of a package deal

Stevens tells the story that his bags were packed and he was literally in his car driving to Iowa City to join Lick when he got the call to interview for the Butler job. He turned his car around and the rest is history.

 

[hooper56]

Something like that.

I just recall him being very quiet, unenthusiastic, shy, almost uncomfortable. They then interviewed Tyler Smith who was present at the PC and he said he wasn't sure what his future plans were. You could tell by the look on his face that he was gone.

My understanding was Lick never even spoke to Tyler.

 

[BonzoFury]

Stevens and his wife were packing to move to Iowa City until Butler offered him the HC job.

so Butler's AD > Iowa's AD

 

[bdg8]

Basically didn't he claim he took the job bc his son said 'Dad, its the B1G. You have to take it'. If I'm remembering correctly. If so that explains a lot.

I think he said “ dad, it’s Iowa”

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

Stevens tells the story that his bags were packed and he was literally in his car driving to Iowa City to join Lick when he got the call to interview for the Butler job. He turned his car around and the rest is history.

So what you're saying is that we should sign Butler up to have to play Iowa every year, but they're only allowed to play 3 players from their roster and we get to leave our starters in as long as we feel like it, basically from now until we feel like we've been paid back for the years of torment we had to endure?

Is that what Butler and Brad Stevens are telling me?

 

[TampaHawkfan]

Stevens tells the story that his bags were packed and he was literally in his car driving to Iowa City to join Lick when he got the call to interview for the Butler job. He turned his car around and the rest is history.

Son of a...

Might have been interesting to see how things would have turned out if Stevens had come along.

 

[BonzoFury]

Son of a...

Might have been interesting to see how things would have turned out if Stevens had come along.

If Barta was truly a savvy AD and had done his homework, he would've gone after Stevens...not Lick

 

[iahawks10]

Didn’t he have surgery on skull because of migraines? Who knows how much his health change impacted his ability. But yea I think his success was collectively the people he surrounded around him. But strange he was not able to find any other talented assistance again since he did before.

He had a carotid artery tear in Dec 2009 (3rd and final season).

I don’t think his health has much impact on how bad of a coach he really is.

 

[EagleHawk]

Going into his fourth year Lick will have fully implemented his system and will have the players he wants. I would guess you are looking at a first place conference finish and a likely March to the sweet 16. He will show everyone he knows what he is doing! Lol. I will never understand how he was so bad…

To be fair, Lick had several good players here, they just never stayed. Kelly, Tucker, Cole, Gatens, Fuller, May. Marble was a Lick signee, and Brust ended up going to Wisconsin when Fran came in. If he could have kept his players here, he might have had a good team in the next year or two, but rumor (or fact) that Gatens was leaving was enough to see him to the door with the way things were going.

 

[Rifler]

This. We hired the wrong coach.

National coach of the year,... Apparently we weren't the only ones fooled.

 

[HawkRugged17]

 

[HawkRugged17]

 

[CarterHall]

View embedded media

Downtown Evansville:

 

[CloydWebb]

This. We hired the wrong coach.

I looked up his official Evansville bio.

"In 2007, he became the coach at the University of Iowa". That's it!

Kinda like today's history books in German secondary schools:

"In 1933, Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany and during his tenure, the Autobahn was built." The next sentence began "After the war....."

 

[Ronman]

If Barta was truly a savvy AD and had done his homework, he would've gone after Stevens...not Lick

And our fans would have been up in arms for hiring a mid majors assistant coach to fill our vacancy.

 

[hooper56]

Hot Toddy has not had much luck getting to that elusive 4th season anywhere.

 

[CarterHall]

Hot Toddy has not had much luck getting to that elusive 4th season anywhere.

That's rough when he says he needs seven years to turn it around!!🤣

 

[CesspoolHawk]

I looked up his official Evansville bio.

"In 2007, he became the coach at the University of Iowa". That's it!

Kinda like today's history books in German secondary schools:

"In 1933, Adolf Hitler became Chancellor of Germany and during his tenure, the Autobahn was built." The next sentence began "After the war....."

Probably the same book in Florida schools.