Iowa basketball coach Todd Lickliter hopes the Hawkeyes make progress during his second season at the helm. A year ago, the Hawks suffered through a 13-19 overall record and 6-12 Big Ten mark.

Lickliter says the fans have remained patient while he tries to rebuild the program. Lickliter says no one is happy with where they were as far as the position in the league, wins and losses, including the coaches and the players.

He says the fans stayed with them and supported them and he’s encouraged, as he says when they do begin to play the way he knows they can play, it will be exciting. Lickliter says the players and coaches are much more comfortable heading into their second season. He says they know what they can do and the players have developed a trust. Lickliter says the players now know what they need to do for the benefit of the team.

To make progress the Hawks will need some young players to contribute. More than half of the roster is comprised of first or second year players. Lickliter says he looks at that as opportunity. He says he can’t guess yet who will be the players to take advantage of the opportunity.