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They’ve gone back to that well, hiring their own, for decades. From coaches Thad Matta to Todd Lickliter to Brad Stevens, Chris Holtmann and Jordan. Most have panned out. Brandon Miller and Jordan did not. Some might push for them to truly have a national search and hire the best available. However, if they choose to stay in the Butler family, it doesn’t get much better than Nored — who is seriously interested in the job, league sources told Fieldhouse Files.
Walter McCarty has been fired as Evansville's coach after an investigation revealed additional allegations of off-court misconduct, the university announced Tuesday. Later Tuesday, Evansville announced the hiring of Todd Lickliter as McCarthy's replacement. Lickliter will coach the Purple Aces on Wednesday night against Drake. McCarty was initially put on administrative leave by the university on Dec. 26, after reports of alleged sexual misconduct and violations of Evansville's Title IX policy.
Cornette had spent the past four years working for Priority Sports and Entertainment, an agency based in Chicago. Previously, he was an assistant at both Butler and Iowa, where he worked for Todd Lickliter. Cornette also spent two years as a college basketball broadcaster for ESPN.
Stevens graduated with a degree in economics, but when Thad Matta offered him a low-paying, part-time position in Butler's basketball program, Stevens jumped at the opportunity and resigned from his marketing job at Eli Lilly. He learned alongside Butler assistant Todd Lickliter, who quickly became a friend and mentor. It was Lickliter who stressed the value of a clear mind and fresh legs -- Butler's practices usually lasted no longer than an hour -- and the need to keep the game plan as simple as possible.
Ironically, the NBA honored Stevens on the same day he revealed in an interview with Chris Mannix on The Vertical Podcast that he was rejected by a Division III program when seeking a head coaching job in 2007. “I actually applied for a Division III coaching job a week before (former Butler) coach (Todd) Lickliter left to go to Iowa, and I got a letter in the mail that said I wasn’t one of the finalists because I didn’t have my master’s degree,” said Stevens, who ultimately succeeded Lickliter as the head coach at Butler that year, “because I’d stopped going to school full-time, and they wanted people, obviously, with the ability to teach at the Division III level as well.” For the record, Stevens’ Butler squad reached the NCAA championship game for the first time in his third season as head coach. This marks his third season as head coach of the Celtics. I’ll let you draw your own conclusions.
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Scott Agness: Celtics scout (and former Butler coach) Todd Lickliter also here at Eastern Illinois for EIU v Eastern Kentucky — coming up on @CBSSportsNet
Twenty or so candidates, many with NBA connections, have been floated to FGCU Athletic Director Ken Kavanagh for the head men's basketball position. Through a public records request, Eagle News has learned of a wide-ranging group of candidates who have expressed interest in replacing Dave Balza. The list includes former NBA coach Eric Musselman, former NBA standouts and Division I coaches Kyle Macy and Jan van Breda Kolff, and former Iowa and Butler coach Todd Lickliter.
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