Dec. 8, 2009
Head Coach Todd Lickliter on Hawkeye Radio Network pre-game show prior to Iowa game at Northern Iowa
Coach Lickliter was released from University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics earlier Tuesday…
“I wish I were there, it’s good to have the chance to talk to Hawkeye fans everywhere.”
“First of all, John Streif and our medical staff is terrific. I’m so appreciative. They made sure I was evaluated Friday at the neurology clinic, they ended up keeping me in the hospital. Dr. Recober, was so thorough, I don’t know that you could be in a better place than the University Hospitals.”
“Dr Adams, Dr. Ludwig, who is a neurovascular radiologist, Dr. Ellison, and their teams, were outstanding. I had to make a decision Friday night and Saturday morning, to go ahead with the procedure, which ended up being stenting the carotid artery. Everyone I talked to back home, long time friends in Indianapolis in the medical field, said without question it was something I needed to do. “
“I’m appreciative and thankful for the care. I feel like I am on the mend, and I’m extremely thankful for the prayers. I’m a firm believer in that, and I know there were a lot of prayers. It means a great deal to me and my family.”
“I was having headaches when we were in Kansas City. It turned out to be the beginning of a tear in carotid artery. I’m thankful for the thoroughness of the medical staff, very thankful for that. They ran all the scans, they made sure of the diagnosis, then made a decision on what to do. It was not an easy decision, it was very stressful. I’m thankful, because it’s something that I might have dismissed. Our medical staff would not let that happen, they made sure I got to the right people.”
“Joez has been terrific, and my three sons have been with me the whole time. Joez is a pharmacist, she understands the medical field, I’m lucky.”
“The doctors have said I probably need this week to try to recover, it’s been pretty stressful. I love the game, and I’m thankful for the opportunity to coach basketball and to be the head coach at Iowa. But at the same time, your health has to take precedent over everything. I hope everyone will pay attention to the way they feel and follow up. I had bad headaches and a few other symptoms. The physicians were well in tune. When I gave them the symptoms, they were great in following up.”
“I respect our fans and appreciate them. Most everyone who knows me knows I’m not going to miss basketball unless it is an emergency, and that was the case. It was something where I had to make a decision on to get better. We went with what the medical team told us, and they wanted to do it right away.”
On team and assistant coaches…
“I’m proud of my assistants and our team. I have an incredible staff, a great group of guys on this team. They are just a pleasure to coach. They must have played really well Saturday; we’ll have to play well tonight against a great team in Northern Iowa.”
“Tell the team to play with the spirit they have been playing with, do the things they are capable of doing. Don’t make it tougher than it is. You can’t be casual, but you can’t be uptight either.”
“Thanks for letting me come on and tell my story.”