Lickliter faces tough times
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By Steve Batterson | Thursday, June 12, 2008 |
There isn’t any coaching textbook or class that prepares a person to deal with what Iowa basketball coach Todd Lickliter has faced in recent days.
Before speaking at Wednesday’s I-Club banquet hosted by the North Scott and Quad-Cities I-Clubs, Lickliter found the words and emotions difficult to describe when talking about the death of the mother of Hawkeyes guard Jake Kelly in an airplane crash last weekend.
“What can I say? We’re all so shocked and so saddened,’’ Lickliter said. “It was so unexpected. About the only thing we can say to Jake is how sorry we are and reassure him that we will all be here for him and that we will be ready to support him the best we can.”
Lickliter said a number of Iowa coaches and Kelly’s teammates plan to attend funeral services for Julia Kelly this weekend in Indiana.
Mostly though, he expects all of those same coaches and teammates to be there for Kelly once he returns to campus.
“That is what is important. When Jake gets back we’ll be there to support him,’’ Lickliter said. “We all will be there for him.”
The hope is that Kelly will find strength from the support he has around him, something Lickliter has come to appreciate more than ever as he works toward the start of his second season on the Hawkeyes bench.
He mentioned the work being done by volunteers filling sandbags to protect homes and the campus where he works in Iowa City and how a neighbor has offered Lickliter the use of his driveway because his own is impassable.
“I know they would open up their home if that would be necessary,’’ Lickliter said. “That’s Iowa. That’s something I’ve been able to see and appreciate first hand as I’ve watched people rally around each other and deal with adversity. It’s amazing, but not surprising given what I’ve learned about people in this state.”
Wednesday’s dinner at the Davenport Country Club not only marked his first Quad-Cities appearance at an I-Club event, it also completed Lickliter’s first two-year rotation through Iowa’s extensive I-Club circuit.
At each stop along the way, he has found encouragement from fans.
“Especially following a year when it was tough to find many positives — and there weren’t enough positives — it’s good to hear people say that they believe in what you are doing. I’m so thankful for the reception I’ve gotten as I’ve traveled around the state,” Lickliter said. “It’s a great motivator as we move forward.”
Lickliter told the audience that he believes the Hawkeyes will move forward from last season’s 13-19 record.
With six newcomers joining the program for the 2008-09 season, there will be only three players on the Iowa roster who have been coached by anybody other than Lickliter and his staff at the collegiate level.
“The guys we have returning worked diligently last spring and although we cannot be there to monitor them, I suspect that will continue into the summer. They weren’t satisfied with last season, either,” Lickliter said.
“Now, everyone will know what the expectations are. I was very patient at times last season. I had to be. That probably won’t be the case as often this season.”
I-Club notebook
It has been less than three months since the Iowa wrestling team hoisted its first NCAA championship trophy since 2000, but Hawkeyes assistant Wes Hand is moving on.
“I’m getting tired of talking about last year,’’ Hand said Wednesday night at the I-Club banquet hosted by the North Scott and Quad-Cities I-Clubs.
“In my mind, that’s already in the past, and it won’t mean a thing next season. All of our guys need to be thinking that way.’’
Hand said that is the one dynamic that has changed in the past year.
“Summer will always be an important time for us, but we have to find a way to keep that hunger that was there a year ago. We can’t let up,’’ Hand said.
“In reality, only two of our wrestlers achieved their goal last season (by winning national individual titles) and only one of those guys is back, so we should have nine guys who are still pretty hungry and are ready to work.’’
Hand said that mentality is what longtime Hawkeyes coach Dan Gable brought to the program and remains at the core of what Tom Brands wants Iowa to become as he prepares for his third season as the program’s head coach.
“Gable never wanted his wrestlers to be satisfied, and we shouldn’t be satisfied. We won one championship, but there is another one out there for us to win next season,’’ Hand said.
Settling in
Iowa receivers coach Erik Campbell said he is settling into his new role after spending the past 13 years on the staff at Michigan.
“There are a lot of similarities between the two programs, and that has made it easier,’’ Campbell said. “Ken O’Keefe’s offense is similar to what we had at Michigan, very similar, and there is talent in this program. I found that out this spring.
“We dropped a few too many balls, but that will change, that will change.’’
Campbell, who took the place of Carl Jackson on the Hawkeyes staff, is also taking over Jackson’s primary recruiting territory of Texas.
“Big shoes to fill, I know that,’’ said Campbell, who will assist Iowa’s recruiting efforts in the Detroit area.
Quick change
Jan Jensen, the assistant head coach for the Iowa women’s basketball program, arrived just in time for Wednesday’s I-Club outing.
The Hawkeyes are hosting camps this week, and Jensen was caught in traffic in Iowa City, where a number of streets and bridges are closed because of flooding.
“My problems are miniscule to what some people are going through, but I had to hurry to get here,’’ Jensen said. “I had to check to see if I still had my high tops on.’’
High tide
Floodwaters are rising in the Iowa City and Coralville area at a time when Iowa coaches are welcoming a number of potential recruits to campus for summer camps.
Men’s basketball coach Todd Lickliter and his staff will host an elite camp during the next week, and Lickliter said he is keeping a close eye on the rising Iowa River that splits the Iowa campus.
“We’re getting a good reception from recruits, and hopefully once they get here there will be still be a campus for us to show them,’’ Lickliter deadpanned. “We do feel like things are going well from a recruiting standpoint and we feel like we have a lot to offer.’’
Steve Batterson can be contacted at (563) 383-2290 or sbatterson@qctimes.com.
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