it looks silly to me…was the quote. Scott Doc believes there is something afoot. What, he does not know. He is much closer to this than I will ever be. But I am not paid to comment as I see things. That’s all.

if three guys leave…then Barta has a serious issue on his hands. He has a coach who cannot fill out a roster. I can see two guys going…I can’t see three.

If I were Barta, I would look at the positive reaction so many fans had toward the false news of Licliters following and then reflect if that attitude is going to sell seats in Carver next year.

What random fans think isn’t Barta’s primary concern. What the big money thinks is Barta’s primary concern, and I’m certain he’s been keeping track of their sentiments the entire way.

you have your next guy lined up. Of course that rule is broken all the time. I can’t imagine who Barta would think is his next guy. The cost to the university would be huge if Lickliter was fired. If he resigns, then the question is how much was he gifted to do that. I don’t see it happening for $1 million. I’ll say that.

…but I’m in Iowa City and I can tell you the reaction has been a BIG “Whaaaat?”

It doesn’t make sense. Fans are not “against” Lick, though things are trending in that direction. Mostly it’s been “give it time.” If next year starts badly I think most people will be against him, but this season he got a pass from most in the eastern Iowa area.

Whaaaa?

They’re not blind to the situation, it’s got to rough on all of them, but if the players are committed to staying, I feel better

He’s undersized and will never be anything more then average. I don’t see one player on this roster that is All Big11. Be honest does anyone here believe we have capable players? How many would start or get good minutes from one of the top tier big ten teams? I love the Hawks but this is team and half the players on it are seriously D2 quality. Its time for a change and if Cully wants to leave see ya. Can the program at this point really get any worse?

and it was surprisingly compelling. Hlas is a voice of reason and he believes the money is there to wash this away. He also believes Barta is calling the family of the recruits and current player families. It strikes me that they have crunched the numbers maybe and think they can buy a new life here.

I find that amazing and have to admit, if those who really call these shots are not convinced that Lickliter WILL turn the program into an upper tier Big Ten program that can compete for the title, then you really have a responsibility to fire him. I would never in a thousand years believe Barta would do this without pressure from above and from the deep pockets that fund Iowa athletics.

If this does end for Lickliter in the next week, I’ll be blown away and impressed (because I don’t think Lickliter is a long term answer and that is really evident in everything I have written in the past month) but I don’t think it will be pretty. I don’t think he will go softly into that good night. He’ll take all his money and make it clear he was dealt a soft hand and deserved more time and support.

I read Doc’s transcript of Lickliter’s answers in the post game about his fate and he did not sound like he was going to Barta’s house for dinner.

There’s a lot of risk here, though. What if you fire the coach, two guys leave, and 1-2 of your recruits say, "Anywhere but Iowa." That’s an IU, Tom Crean situation.

It is now being reported that he had a players meeting (w/o Lickliter and I am assuming his son in the room) to guage their committment. That probably didn’t sit well with TL. Barta has a real dilemma on his hands and his future is about not fucking it up. I think Lickliter should go, but I don’t think they will do it. They do not want a Crean situation and I doubt we would get a Tom Crean to clean it up. Let TL go one more year and you a) save money; b) get a full roster finally; c) maybe turn the corner; d) get your ducks in a row at midseason for a new coach if it does not work out.

Bellanca is right though, 3,250 for an Indiana game next year on a perfectly beautiful day is going to send people in the AD office into a frenzy. I think TL has lost trust of the fans—-the player defections followed by losing basketball. But your next move better be fucking rock solid, if you make one.

assume a significant jump in attendance with the new coach? A bump big enough to cover not only the increased salary of a new coach, but also Lick’s buyout. While Barta (I hope) already considered Lick’s contract money spent, he probably wasn’t budgetting on paying a coach and the buyout. There is simply no way I can see attendance increasing (or not continuing fall) next year even if there is a new hire. Even assuming everyone stays the program is at least two years away from sniffing an NCCA bid.

So the money crunch can only be avoided by paying the new coach less than you paying Lick. Obviously, this drastically reducing the pool of available candidates. If I am a coach with any options (and have no connection to Iowa), the only thing drawing me to Iowa is dollar signs. If Iowa doesn’t offer the money, they are going to have catch lightning in a bottle on coach nobody is looking at. Nothing good comes from this. In most scenarios, this coach will fail and the program’s downslide will continue. If my some chance he is successful, he will likely bolt to a bigger school.

Unless a booster is paying the buyout or pulling the money unless there is a change, financially, I think there is a strong argument to be made that it makes sense to wait a year or two and see what happens.

There aren’t any names that would want this. Jacobsen rules the roost there and if he makes the tourney every 4 years he’ll never go.

Dana Altman has proven he likes Creighton or is afraid of southerners.

What’s his ass at Wichita State would be interesting.

Keno Davis? That’d be my preference