Iowa Athletic Director Gary
Barta
“When I left Iowa
City to find a coach, I had a plan in hand and a list of
names. Coach Lickliter was in the
top list of names. As I went
through the list, I found several coaches that could win and several that were
committed to academics. But that
third piece, that had to do with the value system, the work ethic and the
Iowa feel;
somebody that is like us, somebody that wants to be here. I found the right person. I was feeling good through the
process, and it was the eve of the final meeting, and never once did he tell us
what he had been doing the night before.
President Fethke’s wife called us and said ‘did you know where Coach
Lickliter was last night?’ We said
no. She said he was named the
NABC’s Coach of the Year. (Cheers).”
“What’s great about that story, to me, and again going back to that value
system, the humility, is that he never told us and he never would have told
us. What is important is coaching
basketball, creating relationships and education. Without further adieu, it’s a tremendous pleasure to introduce
Todd Lickliter.”
Iowa Head Coach Todd
Lickliter
“Thank you. I don’t think
that thank you is enough. Gary mentioned that he wanted someone that
wanted to be here. I can’t imagine
anyone not wanting to be here. How
could somebody not want to be here?
You’d have to be crazy. I
thought that was the case, and you may have heard that I jumped on the plane to
come here and left my car down there.
After this, I don’t care if I go back to get it. They can have it. I would just as soon stay.”
“I can only imagine as I walked in here and have heard about our fans, I
can only imagine this being filled and this team coming out and competing every
night with a great spirit and a crowd that sees us through. Why can’t this be the most difficult
place in the nation to play?”
“If we fill this, and you cheer with spirit, I promise we will play with
it. I will be brief, but Gary mentioned the coach
of the year award. I am honored,
but I received it on behalf of the coaching staff and there is no way I could
have done it by myself, and most importantly the players. I was very fortunate and am very
fortunate, and I have a feeling that I will be again. I think it would be better for these
guys to stand up, than for me to stand up.
Here is your team (current Iowa players to cheers).”
“This isn’t what they planned, but they will respond well. I look forward to getting to know them
well and to work together and to develop a team that this great state, the fans
everywhere, will be proud of. Twice
today I heard that it’s a football school, and I think it is. I think it’s a men’s and women’s
basketball and a wrestling school, and on and on. I don’t mean to leave anyone out; I just
don’t have enough time to mention it all.
If you are a Hawkeye you are a Hawkeye. I have been told that once you are a
Hawkeye, you are always a Hawkeye.
I would feel good if you allow me to become one, and I promise to always
be one in my heart as I will always remember how I have been received. I want to thank you for being here and
for this opportunity.”
FAN Q & A (Questions from fans, answers from Coach
Lickliter)
Q: Can they get the names
put back on their jerseys?
A: They will
have to, how else would I know who they were? I have to know. I didn’t know you didn’t have them. Absolutely.
Q: What will
be the biggest challenged between the Big Ten and the Horizon
League?
A: We played Indiana and Purdue this year,
and we had success against them.
(cheers). I don’t think that
I have to adapt. These guys and the
guys coming in have to play at a high level. We know it’s a challenge, it’s a great
conference and we want to compete for the championship not just next year, but
every year. What we need to do is
do what champions do, today. We
need to do what we need to do today to prepare. Right now, that is lifting, conditioning
and hitting the books and take care of their business in the
classroom.
Q: What do
you think about keeping our stars from Iowa in the
state?
A: I will
take stars. We love stars, and if
they are in Iowa, that makes them especially nice. We will take stars that are serious
students and fit the program. If
they want to stay in the state and go here we will take them.
Q: Do you
plan on beating Iowa State?
A: Do I plan on beating Iowa State? I plan on winning the next game, and
when they become the next game, I hope that we are prepared well enough to get
that done, so we will prepare to get the next game.
Q: What is your time frame for assembling your staff and
have you had a chance to talk with Coach Garrett or Coach Buckley (members of
Steve Alford’s staff)?
A: I have had a chance to say hello. We knew each other previously, but we
have not discussed openings. As I
told this team, my main focus initially was speaking to the young men that I
coached this year and I did that last night. Then my focus was to introduce myself
and spend some time with this team and now we will move to the next thing and
hiring the staff is on the agenda.
We want to hire the right staff.
Q: What did your Butler players say when you told them you were
leaving?
A: This is the way that we run our
program. If any one of them had an
opportunity to better themselves, we would encourage them to do so. We would miss them. It’s different for college
athletes. They have four years and
they will be there then move on.
For a coach, there is never a good time. If you have good players, a good team
and good people there is never a good time. I am fortunate because these young
people were happy for me and supportive.
I know their AD, Barry Collier, will get a very capable replacement that
will help them. It’s hard to leave
them, but I don’t know that I could leave them for a better place than I have
here.
Q: I gave
someone a hawk key chain that plays the fight song, it was supposed to end up
with you to teach you the song.
A: I need the words, because we have a
tradition at Butler that after every win, we sing the fight
song in the locker room. I am
assuming we will carry that on here.
I will have them teach me.
Hopefully we will learn it very quickly after a few wins.
Q: It might be early, but can you appraise us of the
recruiting situation?
A: It is early. You are not allowed to speak about
specific recruits that are not signed.
I know that three signed in the fall, that have committed. We need to follow up and find out where
we are at. I am assuming that if
you committed to Iowa, you will be here and I don’t blame
them. We will work diligently to
perform at a high level next year.