Fans stopped caring about Hawkeye hoops
I may be in the minority, but I just felt like Todd Lickliter wasn’t given enough time to build his own program.
That was my opinion before he was fired Monday and is still part of my opinion after Monday’s 2:30 p.m. press conference.
I understand it more now because of the apathy in the fan base and the potential of losing a few more of our best players if something wasn’t done.
While I thought he should have gotten a fourth year, I am ready to move on to a new chapter in Iowa basketball. The seats at Carver Hawkeye Arena have not been filled for quite some time and maybe a coaching change will trigger better attendance.
Fans want a slam dunk, home run hire. I would be careful with your wishes because you may get stuck in dream land.
Of course I want the home run blast out of the park. But is it realistic to think that a veteran coach who has a good thing going somewhere else would want to leave to take the job in Iowa City? Probably not.
I think Iowa Athletics Director Gary Barta has to make the call to Tennessee’s Bruce Pearl for the sake of its fan base. And then after pondering it for a few minutes, he will most likely turn down another offer.
So let’s get past him because it is unlikely he leaves Knoxville.
In fact, reports are already swirling that media members in Knoxville have already been contacted, and they said that the university is not worried at all about Pearl leaving for Iowa. They say he is not interested.
So who else is on the wish list? I have heard several names floating around on sports talk radio and the internet. Some are far fetched, some make sense and some are way out in left field.
The first call I would make would be to Vandy’s Kevin Stallings. The rumor was he had an Iowa contract in his hand before turning it down during the last search. He has done a great job getting Vanderbilt to four NCAA Tournaments in 11 years and has done so with stiffer academic requirements. And this time around Barta can sell a new practice facility.
If Stallings says no, I would contact Baylor’s Scott Drew, Oregon’s Ernie Kent, Gonzaga’s Mark Few and maybe even former Indiana coach Mike Davis before I would look to mid-major coaches.
Drew came from Valparaiso and has built Baylor into a powerhouse in a short amount of time. When the Bears were at their worst — from being at the bottom of the Big 12 to teammates shooting each other — he took the job and they are now a N0. 3 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament.
Many media members across the state think a coach at the mid-major level may be all the Hawks end up with. If that is the case, Iowa fans shouldn’t panic. While Steve Alford and Lickliter both came from mid-major programs, it doesn’t mean a good fit isn’t still out there.
In fact, Pearl started at a mid-major conference and has done quite well at Tennessee.
If you need more proof, try these names on for size.
This biggest moves from mid-major to major to find success can be found right in the Big Ten Conference. Thad Matta went from Xavier to Ohio State, and the Buckeyes are a No. 2 seed tis year. Bo Ryan won four championships at UW-Platteville, then went to UW-Milwaukee and is now a dynamite coach at Wisconsin, which is a No. 4 seed in the tournament. Also, Bruce Weber went from Southern Illinois to Illinois, and he has been respectable.
Other examples of positive moves from mid-major to major include Mark Turgeon from Wichita State to Texas A&M, Jeff Capel from VCU to Oklahoma, Travis Ford from UMass to Oklahoma State and Buzz Williams from New Orleans to Marquette.
Stallings was even a successful mid-major coach at Illinois State before turning around Vanderbilt.
If the Hawks are forced to turn to a mid-major, up and comer, expect Barta to give Utah State head coach Steve Morrill a call. I also think Siena head coach Fran McCaffery could be a good fit. Both teams are in the tournament this year. Utah State is 27-7, and Siena is 27-6 and has gotten wins at the NCAA Tournament in the past two seasons.
Lickliter was a nice human being, and many Hawk fans are not happy that things didn’t work out. But seeing 4,000 fans at a home arena that seats 15,500 is just too big to pass up. That is the biggest reason Barta made the move in my opinion.
He is a good coach, and I think his system would have worked had he been given the chance. However, most Iowa fans had already given up and apathy is something athletic directors have to address immediately.
And that’s ultimately why Barta did what he did.
Now it’s up to Barta to make up for what turned out to be a bad hire. He needs to make a splash. Or he may be the one getting fired next time around.
