Backup guard taking some licks

John Lickliter walked on as a member of the Iowa men's basketball team last year and neither he nor his father, Coach Todd Lickliter, envisioned his having much of a playing role.

Last summer, John Lickliter said he wanted to share a basketball experience with his father, and Todd Lickliter said he wouldn't limit his son to just scout-team duty. In recent weeks, John's role has changed from practice-team fill-in to backup point guard. He plays a significant amount of minutes out of necessity.

Starting guard Anthony Tucker was suspended Dec. 20 after an alcohol-related arrest. Iowa already had a thin, inexperienced group of guards with freshman Cully Payne at the point. Without Tucker, Iowa needed 5-foot-11 John Lickliter, a red-shirt freshman, to play despite his limited athletic ability.

“Obviously, we needed some depth,” Coach Lickliter said. “We had to do something. Anthony had been shifting over and playing the one when (Payne) was not in.

“I wasn't worried about getting him any minutes. John signed up for this to try to help us. He was trying to help us in practice any way he could. But playing time was something that we never really had talked about. It wasn't an expectation.”

John Lickliter's first action this year came against South Carolina State in the 12th game. He's played in every game since and averages 12.1 minutes. His play resembles much of Iowa's season, a few highlights mixed with a few rough plays. During eight minutes against Purdue, he stole a pass at midcourt, raced toward the basket and launched an off-balanced shot that bounced off the backboard into the net.

Against Michigan last Saturday, he played a career-high 24 minutes. Sometimes he spelled Payne, other times the point guards were on the court concurrently. With time winding down on the shot clock, Lickliter launched a 3-point attempt that barely hit the rim during a crucial first-half possession. He made 1 of 7 shots.

“He got put in a couple of tough situations,” Coach Lickliter said. “I really don't want him trying at the end of the shot clock trying to create a shot. It's not fair, it's not a good thing, and he got put in that situation a couple of times.”

In 133 minutes, John Lickliter has 12 assists, five turnovers, four steals and averages 2.9 points.

His presence is polarizing among fans and opponents alike. He routinely enters the game to cheers at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, but Internet message boards sizzle with his first appearance, mostly with criticism. He attracts considerable attention on the road from fans who taunt him with boisterous, unflattering verbal chants.

“He can take it,” Coach Lickliter said. “We understand. He's lived with some of this. He understands. You just have to keep things in perspective and do what you know is right.”