Lickliter back at practice with Hawks

Iowa Coach Todd Lickliter returned to practice Monday morning, nine days after a stent was surgically inserted into his carotid artery at University of Iowa Hospitals.

Iowa (3-7) practiced at 11:30 a.m. Monday, and Lickliter guided the team through drills. Because of semester finals this week, Iowa's practice schedule varies each day. The Hawkeyes don't play a game until Saturday when it hosts Drake.

“I'll go back and be involved in practice at the energy level I can,” Lickliter said Monday on the Big Ten Coaches Teleconference. “I think I'm fine, and we'll just ease back into it and go from there. I think I'll be back for (the) Drake game; that's what the doctors suggested. So that's the plan right now.”

Lickliter, 54, had surgery Dec. 5 after experiencing several migraine-type headaches. He has missed the team's last three games, and Iowa assistant Chad Walthall served as the team's interim coach in Lickliter's absence.

Lickliter fought the urge to return more quickly, but his doctors convinced him to rest.

“Once I decided to do the procedure I said ‘OK, I'll do whatever the doctors tell me to at that point,'” he said. “It didn't make sense for me to decide on things. They say, ‘Hey you need a week to rest and stay away. It's not an easy thing, just to sit around, to be quite honest with you.

“I watched the games; that wasn't easy, either. To sit around and watch them on TV, that's not easy.”

Iowa lost both games to in-state rivals last week. UNI dumped Iowa 67-50, while Iowa State toppled the Hawkeyes 81-71. Drake has beaten Iowa the last three seasons, although Iowa never has lost to all three in-state schools in the same season.

Iowa Coach Todd Lickliter returned to practice Monday morning, nine days after a stent was surgically inserted into his carotid artery at University of Iowa Hospitals.

Iowa (3-7) practiced at 11:30 a.m. Monday, and Lickliter guided the team through drills. Because of semester finals this week, Iowa's practice schedule varies each day. The Hawkeyes don't play a game until Saturday when it hosts Drake.

“I'll go back and be involved in practice at the energy level I can,” Lickliter said Monday on the Big Ten Coaches Teleconference. “I think I'm fine, and we'll just ease back into it and go from there. I think I'll be back for (the) Drake game; that's what the doctors suggested. So that's the plan right now.”

Lickliter, 54, had surgery Dec. 5 after experiencing several migraine-type headaches. He has missed the team's last three games, and Iowa assistant Chad Walthall served as the team's interim coach in Lickliter's absence.

Lickliter fought the urge to return more quickly, but his doctors convinced him to rest.

“Once I decided to do the procedure I said ‘OK, I'll do whatever the doctors tell me to at that point,'” he said. “It didn't make sense for me to decide on things. They say, ‘Hey you need a week to rest and stay away. It's not an easy thing, just to sit around, to be quite honest with you.

“I watched the games; that wasn't easy, either. To sit around and watch them on TV, that's not easy.”

Iowa lost both games to in-state rivals last week. UNI dumped Iowa 67-50, while Iowa State toppled the Hawkeyes 81-71. Drake has beaten Iowa the last three seasons, although Iowa never has lost to all three in-state schools in the same season.