“He’s starting to get more vocal,” sophomore guard Anthony Tucker said. “The first couple of days, he pretty much just watched. He’s been coaching a little more the last couple of days.”
Lickliter expects to return to the bench for Saturday’s game against Drake, two weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a torn carotid artery.
He said after a Thursday practice that he has purposefully not rushed his return.
“I’m probably as active as they would like me to be,” Lickliter said. “I want to do it gradually. I didn’t want to just jump in and dominate. I’ve missed time, been away. I’ve eased back into it day by day, and feel like I’m becoming involved again in the right way.”
Lickliter has been at practice daily since Monday and has been actively involved in breaking down tape in preparation for Saturday’s game, but he has left the bulk of the on-court work to his assistants.
Thursday morning, Lickliter watched most of his team’s practice from a chair placed at midcourt at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
During breaks in the workout, he would step onto the court and speak with players. There were a couple of occasions when he briefly demonstrated to his players what he was talking about and when practice ended, it was Lickliter whom players huddled around for the final words.
The third-year Iowa coach expects to be ready when the ball is tipped at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
“I’ll do my job,” Lickliter said. “I may be in better condition now than I have been all year. I haven’t had a headache since the procedure was done. I believe the problem has been corrected. The doctors told me I might be a tired for awhile, and they were right. I have been a little tired at times.”
Mostly, he said he appreciates being able to return to a somewhat regular routine, and his players welcome the return of their coach.
Freshman guard Cully Payne said Lickliter has been a little less vocal throughout the week, but hasn’t hesitated to get his message across.
“His expectations haven’t changed,” Payne said. “He’s adding important details when he talks to us about what he is observing. It’s been good having coach back. I think everybody is more comfortable with him here.”
Tucker has caught himself looking Lickliter’s way when he has made a mistake during practice.
“There was a time or two when I got away with it because he was looking the other way, but he hasn’t missed much,” Tucker said. “The assistants have done a great job, but it’s good to have everybody back.”
Freshman center Brennan Cougill said Lickliter has been able to provide another set of eyes and additional input as the Hawkeyes prepare for the Bulldogs.
“He provides some good insight,” Cougill said. “He sees a lot as he watches and he doesn’t hesitate to help us whenever he can.”
Lickliter continues to follow doctor’s advice as he works his way back.
“It’s just nice to be involved again,” he said.
