Todd Lickliter Re-affirms Commitment To Prime Time League

Iowa Coach Todd Lickliter confirmed his players will compete in the Prime Time League this summer, which is held at the North Liberty Recreation Center.

Lickliter had discussed the Prime Time League and its inadequacies during a press conference in early March. Now, he’s changed his mind.

“The thing that concerned me more than anything was just … I wanted to develop a real sense of urgency and a competitiveness of it,” Lickliter said. “Sometimes I felt like with the league you played a game and now it’s over and there wasn’t any (penalty for losing). Whereas if you play pick-up games and if you lose, you have to sit out.”

Lickliter and Prime Time League founder and president Randy Larson discussed the league’s format, and that satisfied Lickliter.

“What I’m looking for, and I think what Randy is going to do, is emphasize the competitiveness of it,” Lickliter said. “Hopefully, just by emphasizing it and just by being competitive, and getting the right guys, I think we’ll be OK. I think it’s the right way to go.”

Lickliter told the media in March about his time at Butler University in Indianapolis when former players would return to play pick-up games in the summer against current players. He preferred that type of basketball.

“I’ve mentioned this before, when you’re in a city, you have players coming back,” Lickliter said. “You have more access to players and so open gyms are easier. It’s not quite as easy (in Iowa City)."

“I can the see the need for Prime Time and why it was started and…Randy’s a competitive guy he doesn’t have any problem emphasizing the competition."

Tryouts are held June 6.

“They’ll be up there if they get drafted,” Lickliter said with a laugh.