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Archive for June, 2011

Peterson finds a new home

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

Former Hawkeye Jeff Peterson has settled on a destination for his final season of college basketball.
After beginning his career in the Big Ten and continuing it in the Southeastern Conference, he will conclude it in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Peterson told CBSSports.com this afternoon that he has decided to compete as a fifth-year senior at Florida State following a weekend visit there.
“I had a great visit and it’s a great situation for me. I enjoyed being with the coahced staff and the players,” Peterson told the website. “It just feels like a good opportunity.”
Peterson will be able to contribute immediately to coach Leonard Hamilton’s program under an NCAA rule which allows student-athletes who have earned degrees to transfer and be eligible immediately if they enroll in a postgraduate program that was not offered at their previous institution.
Peterson, who left Iowa following his sophomore season, earned a business degree from Arkansas in May.
He left the Razorbacks program following the dismissal of John Pelphrey and the hiring of Mike Anderson.
Before choosing the only program he visited after being released from his scholarship at Arkansas, Peterson expressed a desire to play for a program that had NCAA tourney potential, a longshot at best at Arkansas next season.
Peterson averaged 10.6 points and 4.2 assists as a sophomore at Iowa during the 2008-09 season with the Hawkeyes, sat out the following year as a transfer at Arkansas and averaged 6.3 points and 2.4 assists this past season in Fayetteville.

Back on the job

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

Former Iowa basketball coach Todd Lickliter will be returning to the bench next season, hired today as an assistant coach at Miami (Ohio).
Lickliter, 169-116 in nine seasons as a head coach at the Division I level, will join the staff of the RedHawks’ 69-year-old head coach, Charlie Coles, on Friday.
“I’ve always had tremendous respect for Miami University and its rich tradition,” Lickliter said in a statement announcing his hiring. “In addition to being a long-time friend, I think Charlie Coles’ reputation, his abilities and his character are of the highest magnitude. There is not another coach for whom I’d rather work. … There are so many positives, so this was a very easy decision for me. I’m thankful for the opportunity.”
Lickliter sat out the 2010-11 season after being fired by Iowa after a third straight losing season in 2009-10.
Coles said he reached out to Lickliter when Miami assistant Jimmy Lallathin left to take an assistant’s position at Kennesaw State.
“Todd is a long-time colleague in the profession and a friend whose coaching skills and ability to teach the game I’ve valued and respected for many years,” Coles said.
“When the position opened up, I called Todd not sure what his interest would be and he said he was interested in joining our staff.”
Lickliter is now part of a staff which has 64 years of collegiate coaching experience and has 95 years of experience at all levels.
The RedHawks are coming off the program’s 25th consecutive postseason berth, participating in the CBI in 2010-11. Miami returns four starters next season.

The Real World … Colorado Springs

Sunday, June 19th, 2011

There was a little disappointment in the eight words Melsahn Basabe tweeted this morning, telling the world that he failed to make the cut at the USA Basketball U19 World Championships Trials in Colorado Springs.
“Didn’t make the team … Back to my grind,” Basabe tweeted after the 13 finialists were announced who will compete for 12 roster spots for the USA team that is headed to Latvia later this month.
Three Big Ten players – Illinois’ Meyers Leonard, Michigan State’s Keith Appling and Michigan’s Tim Hardaway Jr. – are among the 13 finalists.
The rest of the group includes James Bell of Villanova, Anthony Brown of Stanford, incoming Arizona State freshman Jahii Carson, Joe Jackson of Memphis, Jeremy Lamb of Connecticut, Khyle Marshall of Butler, Javon McCrea of Buffalo, Doug McDermott of Creighton, Tony Mitchell of North Texas and Patric Young of Florida.
The team’s coach, Paul Hewitt of George Mason, said the inside strength he saw at the weekend trials in Colorado Springs was “tremendous.”
“It was a hard decision to come down to 13, and we still have to make one more decision before we go overseas,” Hewitt said.
Basabe will return to Iowa City this week and will hit the court in the Prime Time League, which tips off this afternoon in North Liberty, Iowa.
While he expressed disappointment in not being selected to the team, the experience he received in Colorado Springs can only benefit him.
“Just to have the chance to go there for a weekend and compete against that caliber of competition, it’s going to be a great experience for Melsahn,” Iowa assistant Sherman Dillard said during a recent visit to the Quad-Cities.
“He has so much to gain from an experience like that, probably more than he even realizes. Whether he makes the team or not, he’ll learn from it and it will only help him as he prepares for next season.”

Peterson on the move

Saturday, June 11th, 2011

Former Hawkeye Jeff Peterson is on the move again.
Peterson, who left Iowa following his sophomore season and eventually enrolled at Arkansas, has asked for and been granted a release from his scholarship with the Razorbacks.
“I was a bit surprised that Jeff has decided not to return for his final year,” Arkansas coach Mike Anderson said in a statement issued Friday night announcing the decision. “I wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
Peterson has one year of eligibility remaining and graduated from Arkansas’ Walton College of Business last month. Under NCAA rules, he could apply for a waiver which would allow him to use his final year of eligibility as a graduate student but only while participating in a graduate program that is not offered at Arkansas.
Former Bradley guard Sam Maniscalco has followed a similar path and will complete his career as a fifth-year senior at Illinois next season.
Peterson indicated at the time he left Iowa that he hoped to find a situation where he would be a larger part of the offense.
He redshirted as a transfer in the 2009-10 season and in coach John Pelphrey’s final year at Arkansas, Peterson started 23 games and averaged 6.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists for the Razorbacks last season in his only season of action in the SEC.
In a statement, Peterson gave no indication as to whether he planned to continue his basketball career but indicated he planned to “explore other opportunities.”
“I appreciate everything that the Razorback program has done for me,” he said. “My number one objective when I came here was to earn my degree and I accomplished that in May. The coaches and fans have been great in my two years, but I just felt that it was time to explore other opportunities.”
Peterson is the second player to leave the Arkansas program in the past week.

In the mix

Wednesday, June 8th, 2011

Former Hawkeye and current Iowa video coordinator and administrative assistant Ryan Bowen is in the mix for an assistant coaching position with the NBA’s Denver Nuggets.
According to the Denver Post’s website, Bowen is one of two former Nuggets who have been brought in this week to interview for an assistant’s position with the NBA team. Darvin Ham is also in the mix for the position.
Bowen, a Fort Madison, Iowa, native who lettered at Iowa from 1995-98 and remains the Hawkeyes’ career steals leader, spent five of his nine seasons in the NBA with Denver.
His pro career ended early in the 2009 season and Bowen joined Fran McCaffery’s staff at Iowa last spring.