	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

NCAA MEN'S 1ST & 2ND ROUNDS: SAN JOSE

March 17, 2010

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA

ROGER ROSS: I would like to welcome the Butler student athletes, we have Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard and Gordon Hayward. We would open it up for questions.

Q. Matt, this Butler team has achieved so much already, but do you feel like a victory in this game is necessity to reinforce everything you've done? Seems like it's almost you're coming in here as underdogs. So many analysts have picked against Butler in this game.
MATT HOWARD: Do I think we need to win? I think we need to win just for ourselves, I guess. I don't ever feel like we need to prove to other people. I don't know about that.

Q. What about Gordon or Shelvin, do you have thoughts on that matter? That you need to reinforce everything you've done all season by winning in this Tournament?
GORDON HAYWARD: I'm just going to say what Matt said. We don't focus on what other people say. Of course we're going to go out there, and we want to win so just kinda what he said.

Q. Shelvin?
SHELVIN MACK: We're going to focus on ourselves. Don't matter who they pick, it's still the five players out there taking care of business.

Q. How do all of you embrace the Butler ethic, the small little school, Hoosiers, everything like that, overachieving? Would you like to be known as a bad ass at some point? Sorry about the language.
SHELVIN MACK: We would like to, but it doesn't matter. We go out and let our play speak for itself. If we're the underdog or picked to win, whatever the media or the analysts pick doesn't mean anything until you go out and play.
MATT HOWARD: Personally as part of any program you want to build to something like that. So sure at some point we want to get to that level, exactly.
GORDON HAYWARD: I think that pretty much covered it. I don't know what else to say. We go out there and what everyone else talks about doesn't matter when we're out there playing on the court. Of course you want to be at that level, but it doesn't matter to us.

Q. Matt, I don't know what planet UTEP got all of these massive players from, but do you see the battle in the paint being the deciding factor? You're almost as tall as those guys, but I don't think you weigh 280 pounds, and UTEP seems to have a squadron of guys that big.
MATT HOWARD: Yeah, you know, maybe. It's a good challenge for me, we've talked about it. Sure, they are a little bit bigger, that means I've got to do my work earlier and make sure they don't get easy post position and get me under the basket.
If I let 'em have position right underneath the rim, you know, someone that's 6'11", 270 is probably going to score over me. I've got to do my work early and make sure I'm battling.

Q. Gordon you grew up 20 miles north of Indianapolis, and you never went to a Butler game. Why was that, and what was the image of the program when you were growing up?
GORDON HAYWARD: I think just the biggest part about that was my parents were both Purdue grads so brainwashed from a very early age that I was going to go there my whole life, and I had no decision on that.
But as I grew up, Butler being close, my dad and I talked about it, and I was still like there is no way because I never watched or went to any games. I was always still about Purdue, and I thought it was just this small school, didn't even really know it was D-1. Like I said, it was just the fact that my parents brainwashed me, they both went to Purdue, and it's a good school.

Q. Were you recruited by Purdue?
GORDON HAYWARD: I always went to their camps when I was a little and recruited by them a little bit. Butler but was always there and just the right fit for me.

Q. You guys are separated far away in the bracket, how would you guys match up? You guys are as good as any team out there, it seems.
GORDON HAYWARD: With Purdue?

Q. Yeah.
GORDON HAYWARD: I don't know how we would match up. I haven't thought about that. It would be fun for all of us Indianapolis guys for sure, probably something that we all thought about, being Purdue or if IU was in it, it would be the same type of thing since we all grew up in Indianapolis.

Q. Gordon, I was wondering what prompted you to record your rap, and also what prompted you to remove that from YouTube
GORDON HAYWARD: It was me and my friends on spring break just having some fun. Really was not supposed to be this big of a deal and kinda got blown out of proportion. We actually came back from the gym, we got some shots up and there was one of my old teammates there and he had gotten really, really big.
So that's where the whole "too big" thing came into the title. It was just us having fun back at home and then actually before -- my dad texted me before and told me that we probably shouldn't have put it on the Internet, so we took it down. But then I guess someone else found it.
Like I said, it was supposed to be funny and college kids having fun I guess.

Q. Who were the other Brownsburg culprits involved?
GORDON HAYWARD: My two good friends, Boris and Geno Calderon. We were having fun with it and trying to be funny. I didn't think it was going to get to this level at all, it was just something that we did for fun.

Q. Matt and Shelvin, have you heard this recording? Just how bad is it?
SHELVIN MACK: I heard it. I think it's pretty funny. I didn't expect that from Gordon. It was pretty good from him, the other two people wasn't too good.
MATT HOWARD: Hoping he doesn't go run our on us now and get a recording.

Q. Matt, were you on the team with Moultrie?
MATT HOWARD: These two guys.

Q. I understand there was texts exchanged and going back to last summer about you guys playing in the Tournament.
SHELVIN MACK: Me and Arnett had fun. Couple of teammates talking over the Tournament and stuff. We never thought we would have the opportunity, but it was friendly talk, nothing serious.

Q. Do you guys -- does it ever go through your mind that this road ends at home, in Indianapolis? Do you even think about that, getting there?
SHELVIN MACK: To a certain extent but also the road can end here in San Jose, so you've got to worry about tomorrow's game instead of looking ahead.
MATT HOWARD: That's exactly right. Start thinking about what could be ahead and then you're not focussed enough on UTEP. At this point you start thinkin' beyond UTEP you're going to get yourself in trouble.

Q. Matt, you guys haven't lost since before Christmas. How did the team prepare for NCAA compared to previous teams?
MATT HOWARD: You mean compared to last year?

Q. Yeah.
MATT HOWARD: I would say you're on a little bit more of a roll. Couple of games last year we -- I think we would have won those this year. Being able to finish out in tough situations and maybe just this team being a year older, a year smarter, you know, being better in those situations.

Q. Fellas, we heard how Gordon ended up at Butler. How did you guys end up there? Follow up question, Butler is a big enough name in college basketball where it's probably not applicable. But do you guys feel like you fly under the radar a little too much? Kind of like Gonzaga flew under the radar until they got so big, you guys in the same boat?
MATT HOWARD: I think it's hard to when you've been ranked as much as we have been in the last couple of years. Sure, maybe it doesn't always pan out sometimes. But I think for the most part we've grown to the point where most of the games we play, especially in league play where you've got a target on your back every game, so I think it's hard to fly under the radar when you're name is in the top 25 a little bit.
ROGER ROSS: We'll let the Butler student athletes head off to practice, thank you everyone.
We now welcome Butler Coach, Brad Stevens.

Q. What kind of cautionary tail is Todd Likliter's situation at Iowa that maybe the grass isn't always greener, not just for you, but for any coach.
COACH STEVENS: I don't even look at it as a cautionary tale, per se, but rather a friend. I think, obviously, people talk about the coaching carousel, and it's easily discussed and talked about and to me and to people that are in it and to people that are affected by it with friends and their families and their assistants and everybody else, it really hits home, obviously. There is no question about it.
I feel bad for all those guys. I've talked to 'em, and they'll end up in great shape, they're all great people and like I said earlier, the guys at Iowa, the kids at Butler, everybody that's played for Coach Likliter is better because of it, and that's a great way to be valued and judged as a coach and it's not always the case. It's not always the way decisions are made.
But, you know, I really, really appreciated my time with him. As far as learning from it, I think every situation is probably unique and different, and I'm happy to be where I am, and I'm lucky to be where I am.

Q. Brad, is there any need to reinforce everything you've done this year with success in the NCAA Tournament? We've talked before about how much there is so much to college basketball besides March but the way this sport has evolved it's become almost everything is about March. How important is it to reinforce everything you've done with this success in this Tournament?
COACH STEVENS: I don't think there is any doubt you want to play well within what you do.
We all find out on Sunday night who we play. We turn around and play Thursday. The winner gets a chance to turn around in one day and prep and play the next one.
So it's about who executes well and who does their stuff better, so the whole time that we've been practicing, not only over the last couple of weeks, but over the last four months it's been about -- certainly you have to take into account what the other team does, but you've got to get to a point where you're doing your stuff as well as possible.
So you're playing as well as you can late in the year, that doesn't guarantee anything because it's still a 40-minute game on any given day, but certainly -- I've been pleased, you know, you've been around us, I've been pleased with how we've practiced and played day-to-day as far as improvement goes over the last few months.

Q. In some ways this could be construed as an inappropriate pairing because Butler and Texas El Paso statistically and rankingwise are very close, and here it's a 5-12 game and a lot of people are picking UTEP to win.
COACH STEVENS: I don't look at it as a 5-12 game. I don't think UTEP looks at it like a 5-12 game. I think that you can throw 3 through 14 in a hat, shake it up, pair them all together and not put numbers next to their names, and I don't know that you could come out with favorites.
So it's not about that for us. It's about playing basketball against three or four future pros and knowing we have to play our "A" game just to have a chance to win.

Q. You have won 20 in a row, leading the country, 5 seed the second time in three years. Do people realize that? And did you want to be like that? Where are you without those favorite NBA pros.
COACH STEVENS: It's such an honor to get a chance to participate in this Tournament that you want to be here every chance you get. So you don't worry about the number next to your name but it's nice to be recognized among the higher seeded teams and get a chance to wear white in the Tournament and wear your home colors.
Certainly once you get here you're playing such good teams, and we don't get too caught up into the upset discussion because I guess if it was that much of an upset somebody might pick us somewhere in the country.

Q. And a follow-up, what could you do as a coach with a new building? I know that's never been discussed and probably never will be discussed at Butler, but could you ever get to that point where it could lure one or two top prospects?
COACH STEVENS: I don't know that -- to say it nicely, I don't know that I would want to still be there. I think Hinkle Fieldhouse is part of what Butler is all about. It's part of the people, the tradition, it's part of the history, it's part of the "we" attitude. It's bigger than anything new or plush or fancy can do, and Butler is unique and Hinkle Fieldhouse is a good representative of that.

Q. Coach, can you talk a little about the challenges that the frontline of UTEP presents and maybe a couple of things you noticed in watching film this week?
COACH STEVENS: I guess I could start by saying "very challenging!" There is no doubt about it, Derrick Caracter is a fantastic player, everybody has known about him and the rise that he's been on since 8th or 9th grade. I think he's a guy that everybody has been well aware of how talented he is.
Everybody that I know has targeted him as a future pro forever. He certainly looks like one to me, there is no question about it. He's outstanding on the low block, he has great touch, shoots free-throws well, he shoots out to the 3 very well. He looks good shootin' it.
His duck ends are outstanding, and then you look at Moultrie and he's an obvious pro prospect 6'11", ability to switch ball screens, ability to move his feet, to handle the basketball and shoot the basketball and those things and you bring Claude Britten off the bench at 6'11", 270, it's a guy that we don't see very often, obviously. Williams, the way they've played since inserting him into the starting lineup and his abilities to defend, get to the rim and shoot at a high percentage, that's a heck of a frontline. I don't know that we've played against a better frontline and we've played some pretty darn good teams this year.

Q. Is there anything negative about winning 20 in a row coming into the Tournament? Would you rather have a loss somewhere in there?
COACH STEVENS: I don't like losing, Alex, so -- you could argue it, and certainly if we don't play well tomorrow maybe that would be something that would be bantered about. But at the end of the day we're trying to win every game. Not because you're just playing for that reason, but because you're trying to be better every day and challenge yourself and come out and see how you can do.
We've got great guys in that locker room. They're going to try their best to do well tomorrow, and if that results in a win then we'll be excited. But if that results in a loss then our guys won't have anything to hang their heads about because the way they prepare and the way they approach things.

Q. Coach, simple question, how have you been able to do this? You're sitting in the middle of the Big 10.
COACH STEVENS: Simple answer, people, great people! It's not about me. I'm a small part of this, so it's not me doing it. We've been doing' it for a long time because of great people, because there is -- not necessarily a continuity in people but a continuity in belief, and a continuity in belief that there is a bigger picture than one person, and we all need to try to stick together and try to, you know, do the very best we can with every opportunity that we are given.

Q. The comparison I always hear is Gonzaga, is that legit?
COACH STEVENS: I don't know enough about Gonzaga on the inner workings of the program, but I know what they've been able to accomplish and certainly they've been an unbelievable leader in that regard in the known BCS level with 10 straight Conference Championships, and what they've been able to do, no one else is at that level right now.
We're not trying to be Gonzaga, because they're their own unique entity. We are Butler, and we have some great, great things to offer and what we have to do is figure out where our niche is and continue to try to get the right people to fit into that. Again, it goes back to recruiting the right people, hiring the right people, all working together for one goal and thus far we've been able to do it.
It's not just coaches, it's not just players, it's from administration on down.

Q. Given the win streak, the starters extra experience from last year, is this team much more prepared to go into the Tournament?
COACH STEVENS: I'm not looking at it as a run because you've got to understand from a coaching standpoint you're watching UTEP and saying"wow". You're blown away with how good they are.
So we need to play well tomorrow. Will our experience help us? I hope it will, but at the end of the day it's a 40-minute game and our inexperience hurt us for 2 minutes last year, and we're now 9-0. It may have end up hurting us in the long run of that game, and for the rest of the game we played well.
I think that's what a lot of teams do. There is a minute or two that catches you off guard, but certainly once guys get between the lines it's time to play. They're good at what they do, and I don't anticipate either team tomorrow playing tense or anything else, I think it's going to be a great basketball game with two teams playing the right way, and we hope we can be 1 point better.

Q. Brad, have you heard Gordon Hayward's rap and if you were an American Idol judge how would you evaluate it?
COACH STEVENS: I have absolutely no talent, so I'm not going to judge someone else in that regard. I asked when I heard that he had decided to do that I just asked, is it clean? Because I figured it would be, and I was guaranteed that it was and I was guaranteed that he wasn't that good, so I just said I'm not going to listen to it. So, no, I haven't heard it yet.
ROGER ROSS: All right, everyone, thank you for your time, Coach.

End of FastScripts

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297