Horizon

Butler Dominates Horizon League Title Game

Bill Kintner — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:20:15 -0500

INDIANAPOLIS – Here is the key to this game: 66.7percent, 61.5 percent and 100 percent.

Those are Butler’s first half numbers from the field (14-21), from beyond the 3-point line (8-13) and from the foul line (6-6) in their 70-45 victory over Wright State in the Horizon League Championship Game.

Butler’s Shelvin Mack hit a 3-pointer at the 18:56 mark to put Butler up 3-0 and the Bulldogs never trailed in the game.

A 3-pointer by N’gai Evans for Wright State pulled the Raiders within one at 6-5 with 17:18 left in the first half but after that Butler (28-4) just kept building their lead.

The Bulldogs hit double figures for good at the 4:26 mark when Ronald Nored made two fouls shots to make it 32-21 after being fouled by Ronnie Thomas.

By halftime it was 42-28 and that 14 point spread was a close as Wright State (20-12) would get the rest of the game.

Wright State went to a zone early in an attempt to stop Butler from cutting and driving the lane as they did in the prior game they played, however that opened up the outside and Butler lit it up from 3-point land. Mack was 4-6 and Butler’s Zach Hahn went 2-2, Nored went 1-1 and Willie Veasley went 1-2.

“We’re a little thin inside with some injuries and we were hoping we might slow his (Howard) game down and force Butler to make some outside shots. The last time we played, we opened up too many driving lanes and they go to the basket and finished,” explained Wright State coach Brad Brownell. “Tonight they made threes. When they see the ball go in early like that, then you know it’s going to be tough.”

Butler coach Brad Stevens thought that the hot start his team had coupled with some shots Wright State missed set the stage for his team’s runaway.

“When one team shoots it great and the other team misses a few sometimes you feel a lot better. That was the case tonight. I thought our perimeter defense was really good in the first 30 minutes and then they missed a few they usually make, coupled together you have the final score.”

In the second half Butler just kept expanding their lead until it hit 30 points at the 2:39 mark. When Butler and Wright State empties the bench, the Raiders closed the gap back down to 25 points.

Butler’s three victories of the year may have been their three best played games this year. Stevens said it came down to respect for Wright State that drives them to prepare so well for playing the Raiders.

He said, “It begins with a great deal of respect for their program. Our staff and players have a great deal of respect for their staff. Brad (Brownell) and their players are really good. Every time we play them we better bring our “A” game or we’re going to get beat, we know that.”

Wright State guard Vaughn Duggins thought that Butler was well prepared and that was key to their dominating win, along with his Raiders missing shots.

“Butler was well prepared. They obviously scouted our motion offense and some of our tendencies we have,” he explained. “They were on us like glue and they’re hard to shake free. The times we were able to shake free and get shots, we didn’t make them and that’s the more frustrating part, when you get open and can’t knock down a shot.”

One play that stand out late in the game was at the about the 9:38 mark and Butler leading by 25 points at 59-34, Howard dove into the front row of seats to save the ball which was grabbed by Shawn Vanzant and passed to Veasley for a layup.

Stevens pointed that play out as an important indicator of how hard Butler plays no matter what the score.

“That play will be shown for the next 20 years and the teaching point is that we’re up 20 points and he plays the right way to win the possession. I think that speaks to who he is, but it also peaks to who we all want to be everyday.”

Quote of the night:
“I apologize that we didn’t play better. We’re a better team than we showed tonight, but certainly Butler was playing at a high level.” Brad Brownell

Notes:
- Butler is 43-3 in Hinkle Fieldhouse under coach Brad Stevens.

- This is the 5th straight year for Butler and 4th straight year for Wright State that they have achieved 20 wins.

- Butler is ranked #12 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today “Top 25.” They have been ranked each year since 2006-07.

- Former college coach Pete Gillen got here early tonight and held court at the scorer’s desk about 90 minutes before game time. It seemed like almost everyone stopped by to talk with him. He is doing the game for Westwood One Radio Network.

- Brad Brownell is 15-4 all-time in conference tournament games and 5-2 at Wright State.

- The Butler ROTC color guard had four big guys that looked like they could actually defend the country as opposed to a bunch of puny guys and little girls that you see at a lot of schools.

- Wright State had a large crowd there of well over 1000 people.

- Wright State’s three worst losses were to Butler, 12 points, 12 points and 25 points.

College Hoops Tuesday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:37:34 -0500

For all the bubble teams not playing on Tuesday night there's really just one game they need to pay full attention to: the Horizon League final between host Butler and second-seeded Wright State. Point blank: if the Raiders find a way to knock off Gordon Hayward and company at Hinkle Fieldhouse one more bid goes off the board (if you're of the thinking that Saint Mary's wasn't a lock themselves before Monday night). The Bulldogs, as you likely already know, went through Horizon League play unscathed and would benefit from a win in regards to NCAA Tournament seeding with a "preferred" seed being more than possible. The last time these two teams met was back on February 6th, a game Butler won 74-62.

If Brad Brownell's team is to win one thing they can do is get Matt Howard into foul trouble. The junior forward has had more than his fair share of foul troubles this season but if he's on the floor and allowed to go to work it's going to be a long night. In the first meeting Butler turned the ball over seventeen times but more than made up for it by shooting a blistering 67.5% from the field (23-29 from two-point range). And that was a game in which Howard played just sixteen minutes; Willie Veasley led the way with nineteen points while Hayward added seventeen. Also of note: the average plus/minus for the starters in that contest.

Butler's starting five boasted an average plus/minus of +13 while the Raiders were far below that at -11.4. Todd Brown and Vaughn Duggins are two of those five starters and they must have superlative performances if Wright State is to pull off the upset. The game was essentially a matter of Butler getting whatever shot they desired; if the Raiders are unable to make them work for their shots they'll be in for a long night at Hinkle. As for other games bubble teams will be on display in both the Atlantic 10 and the Big East.

Rhode Island, Charlotte and Dayton all host first-round games and if they should lose there's no need to entertain thoughts of a Selection Show viewing party. As for the Big East, USF kicks things off with last-place DePaul. The Blue Demons may have the edge in regards to being ready to play in this noon tip since they were in the same exact spot against Cincinnati last season (the Bearcats were on the bubble in that game, similar to USF). The crowd could very well resemble that of a "friends and family night", meaning that the team that manufactures its own energy from the start will be at a decided advantage. Seton Hall is also a bubble team and they take on Providence in the first game of the night session. Those two met last Saturday with the Pirates winning on the road, but given the up-and-down styles that both teams play Seton Hall could have their work cut out for them.

Three total tickets to the NCAA Tournament will be punched with title games in the Sun Belt and Summit also taking place. Oakland was the best team in the Summit but it's not like Ron Hunter's Jaguars were that far off. And the Sun Belt was one of the most unpredictable leagues in college basketball this season, meaning that anyone's guess is a good one in regards to the matchup between Troy and North Texas. Before all the other major conferences tip off their league tournaments this will be a good mixture of games.

TV GAMES

Noon ESPN2 USF vs DePaul (Big East Tournament)
2p ESPN2 Connecticut vs St. John's (Big East Tournament)
7p ESPN2 North Texas vs Troy (Sun Belt Final)
7p ESPNU Seton Hall vs Providence (Big East Tournament)
9p ESPN Wright St at Butler (Horizon Final)
9p ESPN2 IUPUI vs Oakland (Summit Final)
9p ESPNU Cincinnati vs Rutgers (Big East Tournament)

OTHER TOURNAMENTS

Atlantic 10 First Round (campus sites)
7p Duquesne at St. Bonaventure
7p Saint Joseph's at Rhode Island
7p Massachusetts at Charlotte
7p George Washington at Dayton
Big Sky Semifinals (Ogden, UT)
6:35p Montana vs Northern Colorado
9p Portland St vs Weber St
MEAC First Round (Winston-Salem, NC)
6:30p Florida A&M vs Bethune-Cookman
9p North Carolina A&T vs Howard

OTHER GAME
8p Pennsylvania at Princeton

ONE PREDICTION

Seton Hall over Providence: Look for this to be the wildest game of the day at the Garden, but the pick here is Seton Hall. Both teams have stretches of lackadaisical play/bad shot selection but the Pirates are the better of the two teams when it comes to turning their opponents over. Seton Hall wins by five.

HL Semifinals Review: Butler & Wright St Advance

Bill Kintner — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:28:13 -0500

Wright St 69 - Detroit 50

INDIANAPOLIS – When a team makes nine 3-pointers in the first half, that generally means they are in a great position to win the game. Then when they hold that team to just 18 points in the first half, that usually points to a win.

Well Wright State did all that and rolled over Detroit 69-50 in the semifinals of the Horizon League Championship.

Led by 6’ 9” center Ronnie Thomas’ four 3-pointer in four tries, the Raiders led 39-18 at the half. The Titans shot just 38.1 percent (8-21) including 1-6 from 3-point land.

Wright State (20-11) didn’t set out in their game plan to set Thomas up to shoot 3-pointers, that is just what the Detroit defense allowed the Raiders to do.

Detroit coach Ray McCallum’s game plan included packing it in around the basket to stop the easy shots, which opened things up for Raiders on the outside where they were 9-14 (52.2 percent).

“We knew they were an excellent 3-point shooting team, but we wanted to take away layups. We didn’t guard the three with our capability,” explained McCallum. “We knew the shooters, we had them identified. It was a quick turn around for our guys, we weren’t able to play Detroit basketball today. “

On the flip side Wright State coach Brad Brownell didn’t draw up any plays to get Thomas shots.

He said, “We didn’t try to have him be our game plan, but Ronnie has shot shots, and had some games where he made more than others. It’s not like we told Ronnie not to shoot. Most teams guard him out there a little differently, and if you leave him open, he’s going to make some shots.”

The game started off just fine for Detroit (20-14) when Thomas Kennedy hit a jumper to put them 2-0. By the 17:26 mark Kennedy hit a 3-pointer to put the Titans up by four at 7-3. That was the biggest lead they would enjoy in the game.

Ronnie Thomas hit a 3-pointer at the 16:32 mark to get the Raiders within one at 7-6 and then Troy Tabler hit a 3-pointer to put Wright State up for good at 9-7.

Wright State got the lead up to 23 points at 36-13 with 3:03 to go in the first half. When the teams headed to the locker room Wright State led 39-18.

In the second half Wright State expanded its lead to 25 three times, the last coming at the 6:06 mark when Scott Grote made a jumper to make the score 63-38. After that Detroit went on a small 13-6 run to close the final point gap to 19 points.

Tabler with 16 points in the game felt that his team used the week off to their advantage which helped them win tonight.

“It helped getting a week with no games, so we can focus our self in practice rather than focus on a game. This week we were able to get better as a team.”

Thomas led all scorers with 18 points, Eli Homan led Detroit with 12 points.

Butler 68 - Milwaukee 59

For Butler it came down to getting stops on defense which finally caused Milwaukee to fall in the semifinals of the Horizon League Championship 68-59.

Down by one at the half 29-28, Butler came out and took the lead when Matt Howard made a jump shot at the 19:22 mark. Milwaukee’s Anthony Hill made a layup to put the Panthers ahead at 31-30.

Another Jumper by Howard at the 18:41 mark put Butler ahead 32-31 and they never trailed again in the game.

When Butler’s Shelvin Mack made a layup with 11:56 left it stretched the Bulldog’s lead to nine 44-35.

But Milwaukee (20-14) wasn’t giving up. By the time Ricky Franklin hit a 3-pointer with 6:22 left, the Panthers were within a point at 50-49.

As the Butler fans got a little anxious, Butler coach Brad Stevens had faith in his players, so rather than call a time out he let them play.

A couple free throws by Howard, a lay up by Ronald Nored, then a free throw to complete the 3-point play after a foul by Milwaukee’s Ja’Rob McCallum at the 5:20 mark and Butler had some breathing room with a 55-49 lead.

Over the last five minutes Butler (27-4) worked its lead up to double digits, then as time ran tout Milwaukee’s Burleigh Porte hit a jumper to give Butler the nine point win. “It was a tough game, they are a very physical team. I give those guys a lot of credit, third game in five days,” said Stevens. “I thought they played with outstanding effort and they didn’t get tired.”

Hill led Detroit with 15 points.

Matt Howard led all scorers with 18 points and 13 of those came in the second half.

“They were giving me the ball in good spots. I was trying to attack and get the ball up on the rim, it was working today,” explained Howard.

Butler’s Gordon Hayward had 10 points and 13 rebounds.

That tough Butler defense had Milwaukee coach Rob Jeter saying that Butler was able to play their style, while forcing his team out of how they wanted to play and that was a big factor in his team’s loss.

“We got to this point by playing a certain style, and it was too bad we didn’t get a chance to finish that style out.”

Notes:

- Detroit is the first team to post two upsets (by seed) in the tournament since Titans did it in 1996.

- Former Wright State great Mike Grote and his brother former Michigan State player Steve Grote were in attendance tonight, along with Bog Grote, a former Raider great and father of Wright player Scott Grote. Mike Grote played on the Raiders’ national championship team. Those three are some very knowledgeable fans.

- Not to be out done by the Grote boys, Mike Nienabor, coach at Christian Brothers University, Kirk Nienabor, the all-time assists leader at Bethel University when he graduated and Mike Price, the coach of Cincinnati Oak Hills High School were also on hand for the game.

- Milwaukee made their first appearance in the semifinals since they won the 2006 championship.

- With Wright State’s win tonight the Horizon League has five 20-win teams for the first time in conference history. Only five other leagues have as many 20-game teams this season. The Big East (8), Big 12 (7), SEC (6), ACC (5) and Atlantic 10 (5). All those conferences have more teams than the Horizon League.

Finals Notes

- Wright State and Butler play Tuesday night at 9 p.m. on ESPN.

- Butler’s 20 game winning streak is the longest in the country.

- Butler won their fourth straight league title this season and is hosting the tournament for the third straight year.

- Butler is 13-0 at home and 42-3 in the last three years.

- Butler leads the all-time series with Milwaukee 30-10.

- Butler is in the Horizon League Championship game for the fifth year in a row, but lost three of the last four finals, including in 2007 against Wright State. In the HL/MCC only Xavier had a longer run of final game appearances.

- Wright State was in the Horizon League semifinal game for third time in the last four years.

- Wright State’ s baseball team yesterday beat the number one ranked team in the country, University of Virginia 2-1.

- Wright State fans outnumbered Detroit fans about 10 to 1. There were almost 1000 Raider fans in attendance.

- Wright State has reached the 20-win mark for the fourth year in a row under coach Brad Brownell.

HL Quaterfinals: News, Notes, and Results

Bill Kintner — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 09:44:55 -0500

Detroit Frustrates Green Bay

INDIANAPOLIS – For Detroit it was part big man in the middle, part penetrating guards and part taking Green Bay’s leading scorer out of his game. All of this added up to a 62-53 win for the Titans in the Horizon League Championship quarter-final game.

The big man part for Detroit was 6’ 10” Eli Holman. He muscled in 16 points and pulled down 11 rebounds.

Detroit’s penetrating guards were Woody Payne and Chase Simon. Payne scored seven points and registered five assists. For Simon it was five points and three assists.

Part III, holding Rahmon Fletcher’s scoring down was what Detroit coach Ray McCallum thought was the key to their win. Fletcher came in averaging 17.1 ppg and when the buzzer sounded he had just three points going 1-10 from the field.

“Or focus was on him. Paying attention to Fletcher and slowing him down.”

The scoring started for Detroit (20-13) when Holman slammed home a dunk at the 18:37 mark and from that 2-0 lead the Titans never trailed in the game.

“One thing our coach preached to us, was going to the glass and I know I’m good at that, going to the glass,” said Holman.

The Phoenix got the score down to one point twice in the first half the last time on a 3-pointer by Troy Cotton with 13:52 left.

The Titans did get the lead up as high as eight points at 24-16 with 6:30 left, but Green Bay (21-12) kept fighting and when Seth Evans hit a 3-pointer with 34 seconds left they briefly got it two within two points at 28-26 before Thomas Kennedy hit a 3-pointer with three seconds left to push their halftime to five at 31-26.

In the second half Green Bay never got closer than five points.

“Without a question, a disappointing and frustrating loss. The key word is frustrating. Give Detroit credit for that, they took us out of what we wanted to do offensively and we got frustrated,” said Kowalczyk.

Milwaukee Takes Down Cleveland State

INDIANAPOLIS – The nightcap was similar to the first game only this time it was Milwaukee scoring the first basketball and going wire-to-wire to win 82-75 over Cleveland State.

The Panthers spread their scoring around with six players scoring in double digits.

It did get a little exciting in the second half. With Milwaukee leading by 20 points at 62-42, Cleveland State’s Norris Cole drove down the lane and made a layup. That led to 13 straight points by the Vikings to make it 64-55 with 5:58 left in the game.

Finally a layup by Milwaukee’s Anthony Hill at the 4:46 mark got the score back up to double figures at 66-55. Cleveland State (16-17) spent the rest of the game whittling the score down to the final deficit of seven.

“We responded, our guys responded with layups to break the pressure,” said Milwaukee coach Rob Jeter.

Panther player Ja’Rob McCallum also pointed out that they also kicked the ball out when pressured.

“We usually have a guy on the baseline and our bigs are in and out flashing high post.”

Cleveland State’s coach Gary Water agreed that going inside was the difference in this game.

“They could go inside anytime they wanted and get a basket,” Waters explained. “Anytime we made a run and went at them, they would go right to the heart of our defense.”

The first half saw Milwaukee (20-13) go up by as many as 11 points before ending the half up by eight points at 32-24.

Milwaukee’s balanced scoring was led by Hill and McCallum with 14 points. Ricky Franklin had 13 points, Ryan Haggerty had 12 points, James Eayers had 11 points, with seven rebounds and Jason Everkamp pitched in 10 points.

Cleveland State’s Tim Kamczyc led all scorers with 20 points, Cole had 16 points, Jeremy Montgomery had 15 points and Lance James had 13 points.

Quarterfinal Notes

- Wright State coach Brad Brownell had his team practice on Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday was an off day, then they practiced Thursday in Dayton and Friday for 90 minutes at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Brownell wasn’t sure if having a week off was a good thing or not. No games for a week, is good for his team, which is down two players due to injuries, so his team will be well rested. But playing either Detroit or Green Bay after they played two games might have them in a flow and his team a little rusty. The Raiders worked on things for each team. Today Wright State spent the bulk of their practice today working on their half court offense.

- Butler coach Brad Stevens had the same practice schedule as Wright State going on Monday and Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, with Wednesday off. Stevens spent this week watching game films against his possible opponents, Milwaukee and Cleveland State. He also watched some film of them playing teams that he thought might be similar to Butler’s style of play. Stevens didn’t reveal anything different his team was doing before their semi-final game.

- This is Detroit’s first winning season in six years (18-13, 2003-04) and they reached 20 wins for the first time since going 25-12 in2000-01.

- Detroit leads the overall series with Green Bay 20-19.

- UWM-holds a 20-14 lead in the overall series with Cleveland State.

- Milwaukee advanced to the league championship game the last four times it reached the semifinals.

- Big Quote: “I can tell you we’re going to be in a post-season tournament. We are going to play in the post-season and we’re excited to play in the post-season.” Ted Kowalczyk

- Detroit plays Wright State Saturday at 5:15 p.m. The game will be shown on ESPNU on tape-delay at 10 p.m. EST that night.

- Milwaukee plays Butler at 8:00 p.m. The game is live on ESPNU.

College Hoops Tuesday: Your Commentary

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 01:02:14 -0500

While three leagues begin conference tournament play on Tuesday there's also plenty of things to be settled in conferences who won't start their tourneys until next week. Florida and Illinois are two teams that look to be in good shape as of right now but both are faced with ranked opponents who would vault them into the Big Dance for sure were they to win. The Gators host Vanderbilt, a team that's still got designs on the SEC's overall title, in a game they can win provided guards Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton make sound decisions with the basketball. Two areas made the difference in the Commodores' 95-87 win on January 9th: the foul line (VU: 26-33, UF: 16-21) and turnovers (VU: 7, UF: 14).

A.J. Ogilvy and Jermaine Beal combined for forty-seven points while the aforementioned Florida guard tandem scored fifty, but neither Chandler Parsons nor Vernon Macklin was playing as well as they have been of late. Add in a raucous atmosphere in Gainesville and this sets up as a game the Gators can win. As for the Fighting Illini, they've got to visit Evan Turner and company in Columbus with the hope that point guard Demetri McCamey can show off the ability that caused Turner to peg him the best point guard in the Big Ten in an interview Monday. In their meeting on Valentine's Day the Illini shot just 34.3% from the field as McCamey, Mike Davis and D.J. Richardson all struggled from the field. Also, keep an eye on the Buckeyes' offensive efficiency; twenty of their twenty-six baskets in the first meeting were assisted.

Other games of note on Tuesday include Cincinnati needing another high-profile win to move their way onto the "good" side of the fence, Louisville and Marquette facing off in a game that may have more of an impact on the seeding of both (they look like solid bets to make the NCAA Tournament). Georgia Tech and Clemson are both needing another win and UTEP visits Marshall with the opportunity to clinch the Conference USA title outright and that would be the first time since expansion that someone other than Memphis has done so. And top-ranked Syracuse hosts St. John's in their first home game as the number one team since the 1990 season.

TV GAMES

7p ESPN Vanderbilt at Florida
7p ESPN2 Villanova at Cincinnati
7:30p ESPNU USF at DePaul
8p Raycom Miami at North Carolina
9p ESPN Illinois at Ohio St
9:30p ESPNU Louisville at Marquette
9:30 MTN Air Force at Wyoming

OTHER GAMES

7p St. John's at Syracuse
7p UTEP at Marshall
8p Georgia Tech at Clemson

CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS

Three league tournaments get underway on Tuesday with top seeds Coastal Carolina (Big South) and Murray State (Ohio Valley) looking to make their way to the NCAA Tournament (the top two seeds in the Horizon League have byes to the semifinals). In leagues in which one bid is the most they'll receive March can be a brutal month for regular season champs if they aren't careful. Billy Kennedy's Racers were without a doubt the best team in the OVC outside of a two-point loss at Morehead State on Thursday but none of that matters now. "We remember last year's experience and how demoralized we were after losing to Austin Peay (in last year's tournament)," said Kennedy on Monday.

He added that the loss to Morehead State last week served as a reminder to his team of how quickly the season can end at this stage in the season. Prior meetings can be scrutinized until one's eyes burn but the saying "on any given night" rings especially true this time of the year. Morehead State gets Tennessee State, who's an entirely different team now than they were in either of the two regular season meetings and their youth could mean that the Racers take on a team more than willing to throw caution into the wind. And Cliff Ellis' Chanticleers have a tricky matchup themselves in VMI, and with the Keydets more than willing to run up and down the floor this isn't your "conventional" first round conference tournament game.

In the Horizon seeds three through ten play with the higher seeded teams hosting all four games. Detroit and Valparaiso could be the most evenly matched game on the schedule yet outside of Youngstown State beating Green Bay it wouldn't be a major shock if a lower-seeded team pulled an upset. The winners move on to Friday's second round at Hinkle Fieldhouse where one more win would mean a matchup with either Butler or Wright State.

Big South Conference (Big South Network)
Horizon League (Horizon League Network)
Ohio Valley Conference (OVCSports.TV)

ONE PREDICTION

Villanova over Cincinnati: The Bearcats desperately need this win if they're to leap back into the at-large discussion and it's one that could push them past a Connecticut team they've swept should they get it. But the Wildcats should have better luck going up against a team that doesn't have as many offensive options as a team such as Syracuse. Villanova will keep the fouls down and pick up the close road victory.

Q&A w/ Billy Shepherd: Butler's All-Time Leading Scorer

Jon Teitel — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:00:52 -0500

Billy Shepherd is Butler University's all-time leading scorer, a former Indiana Mr. Basketball, and former professional who got to play with Dr J & George Gervin. CHN's Jon Teitel was lucky enough to spend some time with this Indiana basketball legend:

Jon Teitel: You played at Carmel High School for your father: what was it like to play for your dad, and what did you learn from him?

Billy Shepherd: If you play for your dad in high school and, it usually works out well. At the time it was a small high school that had not experienced much winning, so it was a neat time to play there and have the community rally around us.

Teitel: In 1968 you scored 70 points in a game vs. Brownsburg, and you were selected as Indiana's Mr. Basketball: what are your memories of the 70-point game, and what did it mean to you to win such an outstanding individual honor?

Shepherd: The 70-PT game really put me on the map. Back then we did not really make a college choice until our senior year, so it put my name among the most elite names. It was big news around the state, and probably helped me get the Mr. Basketball award, which is the greatest honor ever bestowed on me. In this state they remember how you played in high school: I never played the game to win that award, but it was tremendous.

Teitel: You turned down a chance to go to UCLA and play for John Wooden in the middle of his streak of winning 7 straight NCAA titles: how close did you come to heading west, and how big a factor was the fact that your Dad is a Butler alum?

Shepherd: UCLA was 1 of my final 4 college choices. I never visited their campus, but I got to meet Coach Wooden and his players during a game they played at Purdue. I chose Butler because I wanted to play for Coach Hinkle (as my dad had also played for him). Coach Hinkle was getting old, so I thought that my dad might eventually take over for him.

Teitel: Your original coach at Butler was Tony Hinkle, who introduced the orange-colored basketball (it had been dark brown for the 1st half of the 1900s): what was it like to play for Coach Hinkle, and what did you learn from him?

Shepherd: I attended many Butler games growing up, and Coach Hinkle was legend: he was the Bob Knight of his time. I had thought about eventually becoming a coach, and Coach Hinkle was well-known for having players who became coaches. We ran the Butler system in high school, so it was an easy adjustment for me. He was a great man, and I learned more life lessons from him than basketball lessons.

Teitel: In your 1st year on the varsity you averaged 27.8 PPG, which is still a school record: how were you able to come in and contribute from the start, and how high were expectations for you the following season?

Shepherd: I knew that I would have an opportunity to play as a sophomore, as we beat the varsity during our freshman year. I knew they had great supporting cast, but I could visualize the chance to become their leader, so I could not wait for my freshman season to be over. It was a great group of team players, and I ended up scoring at least 21 PPG in every single game that season.

Teitel: In 1970 you scored a career-high 49 points in a loss to Arizona: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were "in the zone"?

Shepherd: It was a fast-paced up-and-down game, so I got to take about 30 shots. If we had played with a 3-PT line back then, I probably would have had finished with about 63 PTS.

Teitel: In 1970 you scored 38 points in a seven-point loss to Notre Dame (Austin Carr had 50 points): was Carr the best opponent you ever played against in college, and could you tell at the time that he was going to become a star?

Shepherd: He was a tremendous player, and a big guard. We played 9 of the Big-10 schools that season, so we had a tremendous schedule. Carr was great, but we also played against guys like Jim McDaniels, Rick Mount, etc.

Teitel: You career scoring average of 24.1 PPG is still the highest in school history: did you realize at the time how prolific a player you were?

Shepherd: Not really: it was the same with my high school career. When you are playing, you are not going for records: I did not read the sports section to see how I was doing. I was just blessed to play in an era where you were expected to shoot when you were open. I was hurt almost my entire senior year, otherwise I would have scored even more.

Teitel: In 1972 you played for Virginia in the ABA with Dr. J and George Gervin: how did you even get on the court with those legends, and which 1 were you more impressed by?

Shepherd: I suffered a knee injury and missed the 1st eight weeks of the season. The ABA was a great life lesson and an eye-opening experience, as it gave me an appreciation for my former teammates who had to sit on the bench and just be a practice player. I cannot separate the 2 legends because they played different positions, but I tell people that I had the best seat in the house. Gervin came to our team late in the season, but I remain friends with them both. Dr. J was the Michael Jordan of his era, and Gervin had a great career with the Spurs.

Teitel: In 1973 you played for San Diego and Coach Wilt Chamberlain: what was it like to play for Wilt, and what did you learn from him?

Shepherd: It was great for me to go to a situation where I was starting and playing 35-40 minutes per night. I think Wilt was misunderstood, as many people thought he was just coaching because it was something to do. He signed with San Diego to be a player-coach, but the NBA filed an injunction that kept him playing. Wilt had a great appreciation for guys who could get the ball inside, and that was the main reason I was able to play pro ball: my best skills were ball-handling and passing.

Teitel: In 1974 you played with Memphis and led the ABA in three-point shooting (42%), ahead of such stars as Louie Dampier and George McGinnis: could you have succeeded in the NBA despite its lack of a three-point line, and what is your secret for three-point shooting?

Shepherd: I think so, but the three-point shot was instrumental to my career. Another reason I went to Butler is because I wanted to play in a town that also had an ABA team (the Pacers). Long-range shooting was 1 of my strengths, but there were not a lot of jobs in pro basketball due to there being so many great players. It was definitely a thrill for me, as it is nice to set a league record.

Teitel: You averaged 5.7 PPG and 3.9 APG in your professional career: how satisfied are you with your career, and how do you want people to remember you?

Shepherd: I am real satisfied: it was always a goal of mine to play pro ball, and accomplishing that was very satisfying. My career turned out about as I expected. I was a scorer in high school and college, but I had pro teammates who were great athletes/scorers, so I was happy to just feed my teammates.

Teitel: After retiring you worked as a scout for Marty Blake: what was it like working for Marty, and who was the best player you ever scouted?

Shepherd: Larry Bird at Indiana State was the best player I ever scouted, but I was lucky to see a lot of great players. It was fun to work for Marty, and I was in charge of college scouting for the state of Indiana. It was a fun organization to work for, and it kept me around the game I loved, but it did not pay all the bills, so I also spent some time working for Converse.

Teitel: You operate a website (www.askbillyshep.com) that helps parents deal with raising a son or daughter who is an athlete. What is the key to dealing with young athletes, and what is the biggest difference between young athletes from your era and young athletes today?

Shepherd: The key is that the passion has to come from that child rather than from the parents. Kids have many more choices today than they did 30-40 years ago, as there is a lot of competition outside the athletic arena. Parents must also be supportive.

Teitel: Speaking of family, yours has a very impressive athletic lineage: your dad coached for 40 years, your brother David was Indiana's Mr. Basketball in 1970, your son Scott made it to the Elite 8 with FSU in 1993, your son Jeff was a 3-time All-American basketball player at Huntington University, and your daughter Karli was a 2-time high school state finalist in golf. Is it a coincidence that you have such an athletic family, or do you credit at least some of their success to genetics?

Shepherd: I think genetics has something to do with it, but it is more about being around sports than being born into a sport. My parents were very supportive of me growing up: they were fans of athletics in general rather than just basketball. I was hoping that my kids would turn out to be basketball players, but I just wanted them to have the chance to become an athlete: be part of team, make sacrifices, put forth a lot of hard work, and just compete.

Teitel's List: Horizon League's Best ABA/NBA Products (by school)

Butler: Billy Shepherd (1973)
Cleveland State: Franklin Edwards (1982)
Detroit: Dave DeBusschere (1963)
Wisconsin Green Bay: Tony Bennett (1993)
Illinois Chicago: Sherell Ford (1996)
Loyola Chicago: Les Hunter (1965)
Valparaiso: John Janisch (1947)
Wisconsin Milwaukee: NO ALUMNI IN ABA/NBA
Wright State: Vitaly Potapenko (1997)
Youngstown State: Leo Mogus (1947)

A Night in the Horizon League: #18 Butler vs Wright St

Bill Kintner — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:47:54 -0500

INDIANAPOLIS -- It is Saturday night in the Horizon League, the crowd is big, ESPN2 is televising the game and the first and second place teams are playing.

For a college basketball fan it doesn’t get much better than this and watching this all happen in historic Hinkle Fieldhouse, almost guarantees a good night for all the 8528 fans that came out to enjoy the action.

They got quite a show as Butler shot an incredible 67.5 percent (27-40) for the game to beat Wright State 74-62.
It started out like most fans would expect a game between these two teams as Matt Howard scored the first basket on a jumper at the 18:14 mark. Then they started trading baskets with the Raiders leading by as many as three points and Butler leading by as many as four points.

This went on for the first 18:45. Then a layup by Butler’s Willie Veasely, followed by a jumper by Zack Hahn and jumper by Shelvin Mack and the Bulldogs jumped out in front by six points at 35-29 going into the locker room at halftime. There were nine ties and 10 lead changes in the first half.

That was as close as Wright State (15-9, 8-5 HL) would get the rest of the game.

Coming out in the second half Butler went on a 10-2 run and the Raiders would never get closer than 10 points rest of the game.

What was most amazing was Veasley going 9-9 from the field to lead all scorers with 19 points.

“It’s a first for me to be perfect from the field,” explained Veasley after the game. “My teammates found me when I was around the basket, so that is why I hit a high percentage.”

It wasn’t like Wright State couldn’t shoot, they shot a solid 46.9 percent (23-49) from the field.

Wright State coach Brad Brownell thought his team played well for the first 18 minutes of the game, but gave credit to Butler for overwhelming the Raiders.

“I think we played well the first 18 minutes and then got out-played the last two minutes of the first half,” said Brownell. “You can’t spot Butler that many points and expect to win. They are a very good team. They are 20-4 and have won all their league game.”

Wright State changed defenses several times and Butler ((20-4, 13-0 HL) it didn’t slow the Bulldogs down. Wright State tried pressing and it didn’t slow Butler down.

Wright State had a good crowd that came over from Dayton for the game and they were loud in the first half as the game went back in forth, but during the second half Butler’s offensive display took got them to sit back down, as they found they didn’t have much to cheer about.
Butler man-handled the Raiders under the basket too, out-rebounding them 25-16.

One bright spot for the Raiders was Vaughn Duggins, an Indiana boy that scored 18 points during the game and earned every one of them as several Butler defenders smoother him all game. Somehow he managed to wiggle free and make six baskets on 11 attempts.

Butler coach Brad Stevens thought they would have to play their best to beat Wright State, he probably didn’t think that would include shooting close to 70 percent for the game.
Stevens thought the tough schedule they played in December helped them get to the point where they are now, having won 12 games in a row.

“We are better than we were early on this season. We were tested by our tough schedule and it allowed us to assess where we were as a team,” he said.

The game ended with Butler dribbling out the clock for the last 20 seconds of the game. The players shook hands and the Bulldogs briskly walked off the court with their win as they are accustomed to doing.

The Butler pep band kept playing after the game, the fans cheered a little more before they bundled up to head out into the snow to head home. A few fans stayed around so their children could go out onto the court and shoot a few baskets, a long time tradition at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Just another night in the Horizon League.

America East

Horizon League Preview: 2009-10

CHN — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:44:39 -0500

Butler, with legitimate Elite Eight aspirations, should be the dominant force in the Horizon. An infusion of Juco talent and returning injured players should help the quality of play throughout the league.

Conference Rank: 12th

10 year average: 15th

Conference Page

All-Horizon Team
Pos.	Player	Team	Yr.

G	Shelvin Mack	Butler	So
G	Norris Cole	Cleveland St	Jr
G	Vaughn Duggins	Wright St	Jr
G/F	Gordon Hayward	Butler	So
F	Matt Howard	Butler	Jr

Player of the Year - Gordon Hayward Freshman of the Year - Seth Evans (Green Bay)
CHN Award Winners		Leaders
CHN All-Americans Gordon Hayward Mid-Major All-Americans Gordon Hayward (1st Team) Matt Howard (1st)		Best Scorer: Gordon Hayward Best Rebounder: Matt Howard Best Passer: Spencer Stewart

Horizon League Standings
Nat'l	Team	League	Tourney

11	Butler	Horizon	1	NCAA
57	Wright State	Horizon	2	NIT
87	UWM	Horizon	3	CBI/CIT
111	Green Bay	Horizon	4	CBI/CIT
152	Cleveland St	Horizon	5
177	Valparaiso	Horizon	6
200	Illinois Chicago	Horizon	7
231	Detroit	Horizon	8
281	Youngstown St	Horizon	9
310	Loyola Ill	Horizon	10

*Click on links for full Top 144 team preview

Poll: Who Do You Think Will Win the HL?

College Basketball Preview - 348 Team Ranking - Alphabetical Ranks/Previews

Poll: Best Non-BCS Conference in 2009-10?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:05:41 -0500

Butler Basketball Preview: #11

Joel Welser — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:39:37 -0500

Overall Rank: #11

Conference Rank: #1 Horizon League

2008-09: 26-6, 15-3

2008-09 postseason: NCAA

Coach: Brad Stevens (56-10 at Butler, 56-10 overall)

Coach Brad Stevens has lost a grand total of ten games during his two years at Butler. That average of five losses per season could become even more impressive after year three. The Bulldogs return absolutely everybody from a team that was given a nine seed in the NCAA Tournament and lost in the first round to LSU.

Key Losses: none

Key Newcomers:

With nine players back who averaged ten minutes per game or more, it will be difficult for the newcomers to make much of an impact. However, the Bulldogs could always use some more size and Andrew Smith and Emerson Kampen should provide just that. Smith, a true freshman, is 6-11 and 239 pounds, making him the biggest player on the roster and Kampen, a walk-on who turned down scholarship offers from other schools, is 6-9. The other newcomer is redshirt guard Chase Stigall who could be a steady contributor in the future.

Backcourt:

Starters Shelvin Mack and Ronald Nored were big surprises for Butler during the 2008-2009 campaign. Nobody really expected the freshmen to step in and immediately be so productive. Mack is the more dynamic scorer of the two after averaging 11.9 points per game. His outside shooting was a little inconsistent at times, but Mack was still second on the team with 1.8 three-pointers per contest. Just as importantly, Mack dished out 3.5 assists and grabbed 4.4 rebounds per game. Nored started all 32 games, but he averaged just 4.2 points per game. He is a solid ballhandler and will only get better with experience. The elder statesman of the backcourt is Willie Veasley. The 6-3 senior is a versatile glue guy who averaged 8.9 points and 4.3 rebounds last season.

Frontcourt:

The frontcourt has two superstars if you count Gordon Hayward as a frontcourt player. The 6-9 wing was yet another freshman who exceeded expectations and tallied 13.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game and proved to be a superb outside shooter. His presence made things much easier for Matt Howard, who was named the Horizon League’s Player of the Year last season and Newcomer of the Year two years ago. During the 2008-2009 campaign Howard led the team with 14.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. Howard will be the go-to-scorer once again, but that may change as the rest of the team gets more experienced. With Avery Jukes and Garrett Butcher joining the newcomers, the frontcourt has more than enough depth.

Who to Watch:

However, depth in the backcourt is a minor issue. Since Nored is not much of a scorer, somebody needs to step up and provide a spark off the bench. Zach Hahn did a decent job of filling that role last year, connecting on 41.0 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc, but Shawn Vanzant and Grant Leiendecker both have the potential to play a significant role if they can score more consistently.

Final Projection:

There is nothing stopping this team from winning 25 games again. The Horizon League is not too bad, so they might not cruise through the conference, but Butler fans should hope their conference can do better as a whole this time around or Butler will once again lose just a handful of games and then be stuck with an eight or nine seed when they deserve a three or four seed.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

Projected Starting Five:

Shelvin Mack, Sophomore, Guard, 11.9 points per game

Ronald Nored, Sophomore, Guard, 4.2 points per game

Willie Veasley, Senior, Guard, 8.9 points per game

Gordon Hayward, Sophomore, Forward, 13.1 points per game

Matt Howard, Junior, Forward, 14.8 points per game

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