February 13, 2009

Steve Megargee
Rivals.com College Basketball Staff Writer

MORE: A closer look at Butler's freshmen

INDIANAPOLIS ? The tried-and-true formula for succeeding as a mid-major program is straightforward.

Recruit a bunch of team-oriented guys who probably won't enter the NBA draft as underclassmen. Watch them develop each season. By the time they're seniors, their experience could pave the way for a long NCAA tournament run.

Perhaps no program has exemplified the success of this plan more than Butler, but circumstances forced the Bulldogs to try a different approach this season.

So far, so good.

Butler still has a roster full of unselfish players, but the Bulldogs lack the experience that helped them win 59 games ? the sixth-highest total in the nation ? over the past two seasons. Butler lost five seniors from the team that went 30-4 last season and now features a starting lineup that includes three freshmen.

The Bulldogs' inexperience caused the Horizon League's media and sports information directors to pick the two-time defending regular-season conference champions to finish fifth this season. Butler (21-2 overall, 12-1 in the Horizon) instead is ranked 15th in the nation and already has its fourth consecutive 20-win season as it readies for Friday night's game on ESPNU against Illinois-Chicago.

"I really believe leadership has no age, especially when you're on the court," said freshman forward Gordon Hayward, who leads the Bulldogs with 13.6 points per game. "As long as you stick together, it really doesn't matter what age you are."

Butler's freshmen began sticking together as soon as they got to school. They really didn't have much of a choice. The six-man class arrived in Indianapolis last summer when the campus was mostly deserted, so they spent much of their free time hanging out together. They soon discovered they had something in common ? winning backgrounds.

Hayward captured a state title his final season at Brownsburg (Ind.) High, while Ronald Nored played in a state championship game his senior year at Homewood (Ala.) High. Shelvin Mack of Lexington (Ky.) Bryan Station and Garrett Butcher of Ellettsville (Ind.) Edgewood led their teams to No. 1 state rankings. Chase Stigall helped New Castle (Ind.) Chrysler post a combined record of 79-22 during his four years in high school. Yorktown (Ind.) High posted an 18-5 record in Emerson Kampen's senior year.

These guys weren't about to settle for finishing fifth in their conference.

"We all came in here as winners," Mack said. "That's what we expect to do."

Hayward, Mack and Nored have started every game this season while helping the Bulldogs take control of the Horizon League. Butler hadn't started as many as two freshmen on a regular basis since the 1998-99 season, but the heavy roster turnover forced Bulldogs coach Brad Stevens to turn to his newcomers.

"When you lose five seniors like we lost, the guys you recruit had better be ready," Stevens said. "I felt really good about this whole class coming in."

Their ability to help Butler make a seamless transition has made their school, at least for the moment, the top program in this basketball-crazy state.

No other Division I school in Indiana has reached the Sweet 16 over the past two years. No other major program from Indiana has three consecutive 20-win seasons. No other Division I school in the Hoosier State has won more games over the past three seasons.

"I think people around Indiana in general are really more aware now that Butler has a solid basketball program, and it's not just Purdue, Indiana and Notre Dame," Hayward said.

Hayward's presence at Butler exemplifies that trend.

Hayward, a 6-foot-8 swingman, grew up rooting for Purdue, the school each of his parents attended. Hayward and his father joke that he was "brainwashed" into thinking he also would eventually enroll at Purdue. He never really thought much about the possibility of going to Butler. Yet here he is, even after receiving a scholarship offer from the Boilermakers.

Hayward's father said he appreciated Purdue coach Matt Painter's honesty during the recruiting process, but the family believed Butler offered the best academic and athletic fit. Hayward plans to participate in an academic program that allows him to earn a science degree from Butler and an engineering degree from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

"Players who go to Purdue think they're going to the NBA," said Hayward's father, also named Gordon Hayward. "Players who go to Butler think they're going to play basketball to get a college degree."

Hayward leads the Horizon League with a 3-point shooting percentage of .468 and leads Butler in scoring, free-throw showing (.802), 3-point field goals (52), steals (39) and minutes (32.0 per game). He established himself as one of the nation's top freshmen Dec. 23, when he had 19 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks in a 74-65 victory at Xavier.

"I cannot believe how good of a player he is for a freshman," Xavier coach Sean Miller said afterward.

Hayward isn't the only Butler freshman catching opposing coaches by surprise. Mack ranks second in the Horizon League in assist-turnover ratio (1.8) and third in assists (3.7 per game). He also has averaged 12.5 points per game and is the Bulldogs' third-leading scorer.

"It's the 'KISS principle' ? keep it simple stupid," Mack said. "Just take care of the ball and make the easy play. Don't make the SportsCenter spectacular play."

That approach has helped make Mack an instant success at Butler, even if it didn't earn him more attention from major-conference programs on the recruiting trail.

Mack, who is 6-3, received "token" attention from hometown Kentucky, Bryan Station coach Champ Ligon said. Mack selected Butler after also receiving offers from Akron, Bradley, Evansville and Marshall.

"I was trying to tell coaches as far back as the summer before his senior year that they were missing the boat," Ligon said. "We had two schools come in that acted as though they were really interested. They watched him in an open gym and backed off because they didn't think he dominated our open gym enough.

"I looked at them and said, 'If you want him to dominate the open gym, let me know. I'll tell him, and he will take over instead of trying to make his teammates better.' "

Those characteristics might not have impressed some coaches, but they made Mack a perfect fit at Butler. The Bulldogs play the type of basketball fans have grown accustomed to seeing at Hinkle Fieldhouse, the 81-year-old treasure best known as the site for the state championship game in the movie Hoosiers .

Butler's team-oriented, old-school focus on fundamentals has helped the Bulldogs continue to win consistently without a single senior on the roster. Hayward, Mack and Co. came in and immediately picked up where former Butler stars A.J. Graves and Mike Green had left off.

"A lot of it has to do with the system that's been set in place at Butler," Hayward said. "It's a great system. Give credit to Coach Stevens. He's done a great job and has put us in places where we can do our best. He knows the game really well, and that goes for the whole coaching staff.

"I don't really know if there has to be senior leadership as much as coaches and players working together as a team."

Of course, at least some of the credit for Butler's success belongs to these fabulous freshmen. Stevens' system has worked because his newcomers have bought into it.

"They're really smart," Stevens said. "They're really easy to coach. There are no individual [agendas]. They're out there playing for the team and helping the team win, and they're just happening to play a huge role in that."

The refreshing lack of cliques is evident everywhere the Bulldogs go. Butler's freshmen don't have to worry about handling the upperclassmen's luggage or performing any of those other menial tasks given to newcomers or rookies on other teams.

"We don't have any of that stuff around here," Mack said. "Everyone's treated equally."

Why should he worry about carrying anyone's bags? Mack and Co. already have their hands full lifting Butler back into the upper echelon.

Steve Megargee is a national writer for Rivals.com. He can be reached at smegargee@rivals.com.