OSU coach Matta, Iowa's Lickliter have longtime friendship

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By Steve Batterson | Wednesday, January 09, 2008 |

Tonight’s Iowa-Ohio State basketball game promises to be awkward for the coaches.

The Hawkeyes’ first-year coach, Todd Lickliter, considers Buckeyes coach Thad Matta to be one of his closest friends. Their families are tight, and their relationship has been strong for nearly two decades.

“I don’t like coaching against friends. It’s just not comfortable,” said Lickliter, whose team visits Ohio State at 6 p.m. today.

Lickliter realized that would be part of the deal when he left Butler to become the coach at Iowa last spring. He did not talk to Matta about the position only because Matta was preparing the Buckeyes for their Final Four championship game against Florida on the same day Lickliter agreed to become the Hawkeyes’ new coach.

“He had more important things on his mind that day,’’ Lickliter said.

Matta said Lickliter eventually will enjoy the success at Iowa that he had at Butler.

“He’ll get that program back to where it should be. There’s no doubt in my mind about that. It takes time,” Matta said. “While I was happy for Todd when he took the Iowa job, I was sorry to see him leave Butler. That’s a special place for both of us.”

Lickliter was an assistant at Butler when Matta started as a junior in the 1988-89 season.

The future Iowa coach, who like Matta was the son of a high school coach, appreciated the competitive demeanor he saw as he watched Matta play. Lickliter recalled Matta telling him one day that he expected to become a salesman after college.

“I told him, ‘Thad, no way, you’re going to be a basketball coach’ and I knew that would happen. This game is in our blood, we grew up around it,” Lickliter said.

Eleven years later, they both were assistants on a Butler staff headed by Barry Collier. Lickliter remained as an assistant when Matta became the Bulldogs’ head coach in 2000. When Matta left for Xavier after the 2001 season, Lickliter was named to replace him.

Their teams have met once, with Matta’s Buckeyes defeating Lickliter’s Bulldogs in overtime early in the 2006 season.

“That wasn’t an easy game for us and this won’t be either,” Lickliter said. “We’re both so competitive. The beauty of it is that we know we’ll get each other’s best shot. We’ll prepare well, compete hard. That’s the way we are.”

While both are products of the Butler, each has added wrinkles since working for Collier. Matta adapted as he worked with David West at Xavier and Greg Oden at Ohio State. He suspects Lickliter will do the same as he attracts recruits to Iowa.

“There are similarities in what we do, but we all adjust based on the talent we have. The foundation, though, is still in a system that has proven to work over time,” Matta said. “As I watch tape of Iowa, I see them getting better. Knowing Todd, I know that will continue.”

Steve Batterson can be contacted at (563) 383-2290 or sbatterson@qctimes.com.