Grass isn't always greener in coaching

He still recruits.

Todd Lickliter, five years removed from a rocky stretch at Iowa and eight years after he led Butler to the Sweet 16, found his latest prospect at a friend's home. His buddy's dog had produced an impressive litter, so he asked Lickliter, now living in Indianapolis after resigning from his post at Marian University (NAIA) in February, if he'd scout the crew.

Soon after he arrived, Lickliter focused on one of the sturdy Italian Mastiffs and took him home. The kid had potential, Lickliter thought. He just required some instruction and discipline. But the former Big Ten coach will need more time to bring the best out of the pup.

"Training a dog," Lickliter told ESPN.com, "it's been a real struggle."

In 2007, Lickliter left Butler to coach Iowa. The Bulldogs reached the Sweet 16 that year and Lickliter won the NABC's national coach of the year award, too. Iowa missed the postseason in 2006-07 after finishing 17-14 overall and 9-7 in the Big Ten. Lickliter had a strong bond with his players and superiors at Butler. But he couldn't say no to a Big Ten job.

Iowa fired Lickliter after three seasons. His squad finished 4-14 in the Big Ten in his final year, 2009-10. Although the team couldn't find a rhythm, Lickliter believed the Hawkeyes were moving forward.

"It was three times the compensation," Lickliter said. "I do have a family. So you do it. The hindsight deal is very true. But I think it was the right move."

A dismissal marks any coach's career, whether the split seems justified or controversial. For coaches who move up and fail after leaving comfortable posts at less recognizable programs, the blemish carries an additional sting.

It's that "the grass isn't always greener" adage, a phrase that coaches know well. It's a simple explanation in a streamlined, wired world that expects easy, instant answers to complicated questions. And it ignores the thickets and weeds -- outdated facilities, bad seeds in the locker room, administrative issues, academic challenges, etc. -- that accompany more lush landscapes at their next stops.

"Things happened, for me, so quickly," said James Johnson, Miami's new director of basketball operations and a former Virginia Tech head coach (2012-14). "After two years, when you finally kind of get to where you're making progress, you're out of the business."

To the administrators and supporters who make key decisions, the value and significance of winning reign supreme, regardless of the obstacles that exist.

That's the pressure Shaka Smart will encounter as he transitions from VCU -- a March Madness darling -- to Big 12 standout Texas. It's the same weight Michael White will carry from Louisiana Tech to Florida. Richard Pitino still feels it at Minnesota, where he's struggled since departing Florida International in 2013 to accept the Gophers job. Andy Enfield is just 23-41 at USC after leaving a Florida Gulf Coast program that reached the Sweet 16 two years ago.

"It's a hard process," Lickliter said. "If you're going to leave [for a step-up job], you have to be confident and have some courage. Even with that, it doesn't always happen."

Herb Sendek knows that.

He's won 406 games during his 21-year head-coaching career. Earlier this year, he was dismissed by Arizona State after amassing a 155-133 record over nine seasons in Tempe. Sendek, who coached at North Carolina State for 10 seasons prior to the ASU gig, will take some time off, and then he'll attempt to find another coaching job next season -- Arizona State still owes him a $2.7 million buyout.

He's aware of the difficult choices coaches must make when intriguing offers come, and the risks they often entail -- especially for those who already possess good jobs.

In 1996, he was a successful, 33-year-old head coach at Miami (Ohio) when North Carolina State called.

"It was a tremendous jump," Sendek said. "It was a great opportunity. ... It was a very personal decision. People put different values on money. Most people would also agree that money isn't everything. You don't want to move up and not be in a place that's as conducive to winning as the place you're at."

It's easy to see why coaches pursue these promotions. When they stumble, however, they're labeled as subpar leaders who can't do their jobs. The X's and O's only comprise a portion of their tasks. Yet, they're the most visible components of the profession.

So, continuous missteps are viewed as failures by fans, media and the game's power brokers. Dismissals tend to bring about turbulent journeys that don't always provide second chances.

After working as an assistant in the NBA Development League as well as at Missouri and Tulsa, Dave Leitao returned to DePaul, where he coached from 2002-05, in March. A new arena should be completed by late 2017. Leitao hopes those upgrades will help him lure good talent from Chicago and beyond.

In 2005, Leitao left DePaul to coach Virginia. His four years at that school ended with a 10-win season in 2008-09.

"The thing that does not get talked about is fit," Leitao said. "And it may not have been the right fit."

At Iowa, Lickliter dealt with challenges that would sound like excuses if he elaborated on them. So he doesn't. He'd rather joke about the circumstances.

After he left Butler, his former assistant, Brad Stevens, enjoyed a five-year head-coaching run with the Bulldogs that led to a prestigious opportunity with the Boston Celtics.

"You can't argue with my ability to hire the right guys," he said.

Still, Lickliter wants another shot at the Division I level.

They all do.

And he understands why folks might question his qualifications.

"Wins and losses," he said. "Those have to be taken care of."

That's the past, though. And perhaps the future.

Training a dog demands most of his time right now. His wife warned him it would be difficult. But he's fascinated by the charge.

When he gets those basketball pangs, he drives to Indiana Pacers practice at nearby Bankers Life Fieldhouse as he tries to stay close to the game.

That's probably the only way to escape the question that Lickliter, and others like him, can't seem to shake.

How often does he ask himself if he made the right choice to leave Butler?

"I'd be lying if ... "

Lickliter chuckles without providing a full response.

He doesn't have to.

We all know the answer.

"It was, pretty much, a green year," Lickliter said about Butler's potential after its 2007 run to the Sweet 16. "We were going to be good again."