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NCAA MEN'S REGIONALS SEMIFINALS & FINALS: NEW ORLEANSMarch 25, 2011Matt HowardShelvin MackRonald NoredBrad StevensChase StigallShawn VanzantNEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA COACH STEVENS: Well, obviously you're always excited to be back. You come to these tournaments with a big suitcase hoping that you're packed for four days, and we're excited that on day three we're still here and preparing for the next game. Really good team, obviously, that we're playing. I know that's not anything earth shattering, but our guys are looking forward to it, I think, and certainly I'm proud of the way that they've played up to this point throughout the season to get them here, but throughout this tournament, as well. Q. Matt, can you talk about how you guys are kind of getting used to this? This is two years in a row sitting up on podiums, you see all the blue curtains, just talk about that a little bit? MATT HOWARD: You know, I guess it's a good thing if you are getting used to it, but you can't ever take that for granted, as well, because we know that there's a lot of things that go into being able to still be playing and still to get to this point. So we'd like to still be here and to be doing this again, but you can't take it for granted at all. Q. Brad, could you bring us up to snuff with Smith's condition at this point? COACH STEVENS: I think he's doing a lot better. He's doing a lot better today. He obviously came back into the game. He had an ankle sprain. But he probably will not practice today, but we'll test him in -- the plan is to test him in shoot-around tomorrow morning, and I'd say he's likely to play tomorrow afternoon. Q. Brad, as Wisconsin was making their run yesterday, you seemed to stay very calm on the bench. Is that just genuinely how you are? Are you trying to hide the emotions and stay calm to keep the players calm? COACH STEVENS: I guess the cameras just catch me when I'm calm maybe. I didn't think I was that calm. These guys could probably answer that better. Wisconsin did a good job kind of changing up there. We didn't do a great job handling it, but that's on me. And I think certainly we've been through a lot of situations, we're playing a basketball game. We've still got a four-point lead even when they whittled it down. We've got the ball, so be tough with the ball, handle it, and finish the game out. You know, the game is not going to go perfectly. That's one of the things we talk about going into tournament play, and I think it does take a little bit of the edge off, is the game -- you're not going to play perfect. Let's get it out there right now. People are going to make runs on you, people are going to make shots on you, you're go going to make a mistake, you're going to screw up a play, but if your preparation is good and your will is good and you're all in together, you'll have a shot at the end. Q. Matt, could you talk about just the knack that you guys have had for winning close games not only in this year's tournament but last year's. And are you aware that Florida had that same characteristic during their regular season? MATT HOWARD: You know, I didn't necessarily know that, but the good teams normally will find a way to win close games, and so not surprised that Florida does. You know, we talk about it a lot, that a lot of games are going to come down to one or two possessions, and while we normally end up talking about the last few, there's quite a few throughout the game that you can't relax because that could also be the difference in the game. You know, I think it's important to understand that and to play the game with that mindset, that this possession is also important because we could end up with a one-possession game or something real close. Q. Brad, when you and your wife were on that drive to Buffalo, New York, 11 years ago, did you already have a job lined up at Butler yet, or was it possible that you might not go into coaching, or what was your job market prospects at that point? COACH STEVENS: Like any -- probably like a lot of 22 year olds in their first job, I was trying to figure all that out. I thought I was going to go into coaching that spring, but no, I was not lined up by any means. Thad was the one who hired me at Butler. Barry was the head coach when they got beat by Florida and Thad was actually the one I knew pretty well. A few weeks later when he was named the head coach, that's when the wheels started turning a little bit with going over to help them out in a manager's role, really. Q. As a follow-up to that, what were your options if coaching wasn't available? COACH STEVENS: I had a couple other options at the Division III level to be a graduate assistant some places that I had played and where I had played against. Again, what struck me about Butler was the caliber of student that you could coach and compete at the highest level. Q. Matt and Shelvin, this is y'all's second year in a row making a big-time run. Butler is now known as a program on the up and up. Do you feel this could be a sleeping giant, that y'all could be possibly the next Duke down the road? Do you see that there's the things in place with a great young coach, that this could be a normal occurrence y'all making a run to the Final Four? SHELVIN MACK: You could say that, but we're really not worried about that. We're just trying to take it one day at a time. Throughout the year you're going to have ups and downs, you'll have an up-and-down season, but you stay the course, great things will happen in the long run. MATT HOWARD: I think that's something that will take its course. You know, hopefully we can be a part of building a program to a certain point. But you know, at this point, like Shelvin said, you can't really let that be your focus or mindset. But I think anybody that's played at a school or a certain program would like to see the program continue to be successful or to continue to improve. Q. I know y'all are probably getting tired of the Cinderella talk. But honestly when you were being recruited, was it ever said to you, come to Butler and we can win a national championship? SHAWN VANZANT: When I was getting recruited my senior year, they made it to the Sweet 16 when they played against Florida, but I honestly thought coming here where you have a chance to make a good run if we had good players and good coaches around us, so I definitely thought we'd make a big run when I came to Butler University. CHASE STIGALL: When I was being recruited, I was being recruited by Coach Stevens. He talked about just doing big things with the upcoming class, and we had six guys coming in at that point. He just talked about bigger and better things than anyone has expected. Q. Question for Matt. You're a team that starts three upperclassmen. I'm wondering how that kind of helped you guys through the ups and downs throughout the course of the season, that experience? MATT HOWARD: You know, I think it is important to have the upperclassmen and to have experience. But still at the same time, we never actually have been through some of the things that we had this year. And I think that's where you really rely on your leader and your coaches and your coach to help you get through that. But you know, it does help when you've had guys that have been there and done certain things that you can rely on. Q. Question for Shelvin. Can Brad Stevens be still play and does he mix it up with you guys at all? SHELVIN MACK: He can still play a little bit. Me and Coach Stevens do a lot of shooting drills. And I won the last one, so he still has a little bit more work to do. Q. For Chase and Shelvin, your coach often gets this label as the best young coach in America, and I wonder if you guys sort of like that, or is it in any way sort of a backhanded compliment being the best young coach? CHASE STIGALL: I don't take it as a backhanded compliment. I don't think coach does, either. Our coaching staff is a bunch of young guys that still have a lot of energy and a lot of hype, so we really enjoy being around them all the time. SHELVIN MACK: I don't think, as Chase said, he's not getting offended by it. I personally believe he's one of the best coaches in America. He continues to do great things year in and year out. Just because you're young doesn't mean that me and my teammates don't respect him. He has a job to do, and I think he's doing a great job of doing his job. Q. Brad, a lot of coaches in your position are referred to as the hot guy, and they anticipated that you will eventually leave for this bigger and better job. Mark Few has not done that at Gonzaga. And I'm wondering, do you envision yourself as the Mark Few of the Midwest, the guy that stays at a program that isn't regarded in the same light as the high powered BCS schools but builds something special where you're at? COACH STEVENS: One of the things I was told early on in coaching is that the most important thing is to be yourself, so I'm certainly not trying to emulate me after anybody else. I just think you have to be yourself. That being said, I've got a lot of respect for Mark. Mark and I are good friends, and certainly he has an unbelievable thing going at Gonzaga, and it's something that I think all of us at Butler have aspired to be, and certainly he's been something -- they've set a tone for the non-BCS teams around the country, and hopefully we've established ourselves in the same manner. Q. Matt, if you make it to the NBA, what will you buy? And fellows, what should he buy? MATT HOWARD: Man, I have no clue personally on either thing. That's a really tough question. I'll have to give that more thought. Q. Well, I've heard you're kind of cheap. MATT HOWARD: I think my teammates would agree with that. I think it's part of how I was brought up. Q. For Matt and Shelvin, guys, last year, I don't want to put words in your mouth, but if you could describe what last year's run was like for you two guys, and how either similar or different this year's run is. I know you haven't achieved the ultimate goal this year, but was it more grins and yucks last year, like you pinched yourself, I can't believe this is us, this year it's more business-like? SHELVIN MACK: Last year was very special for me, growing up in Lexington, Kentucky, not being heavily recruited. So I had a blast last year. I enjoyed it each and every day. But going through the process, you really don't have a chance to enjoy it like you want to. It really hit me when I was watching I think it was the Fiesta Bowl, the championship game for the college football, and I realized I was once at that stage. But going back to this year, this is business. You want to get back to that stage and try to enjoy it. I have my camera with me taking more photos and pictures because you never know if you'll have this opportunity come twice in a lifetime. MATT HOWARD: Yeah, I think like Shel said, it was maybe a little bit more of a whirlwind last year. You know, just a situation you hadn't been in before. That's a lot different, and you're trying to take it in and trying to see how you can do things still the right way and manage everything that's going on around you. And so having been there before, you know, at least to this point, you learn how to manage it and deal with it. Q. Similar question for Brad. Given the road that you took to become a coach, do you still take time, or does it still strike you as odd that you're in this position, or do you still -- do you have moments where even now that you say I can't believe this is what I'm doing and this is what our program is doing, or are you past that now? COACH STEVENS: I'm with Shelvin on this one, that it didn't hit me until I was watching the football national championship, to think that there are two schools left, and those are the two that are playing for the national title. That's when it hit me kind of what happened last year. But when you're in the middle of it, like right now, you don't think twice about anything but Florida. Really, I mean, as we're all answering questions, I have to admit I'm going through them in my mind as I'm sitting up here, as well. So it's a -- you become very, very focused on what's next. I think these guys are very much that way. I want them to really enjoy this, and I want us to all take a moment, step back and enjoy it. And I think because we've been through it before, we understand how to manage our schedule appropriately so that there is some time to do that. Q. There's never a time when you're in the hotel room or at practice this week, and say I can't believe we're really doing this? COACH STEVENS: You know, this might sound strange, and I love to win, I love to compete, I love to prepare, I like being around these guys more than all of that, and I like just being a part of a team. I think for me, October 15th is one of my favorite days of the year every year. It's as good as March 15th for me. So it's something that it's kind of what drives you and what really motivates you, and I just like being on the practice court. So I'm glad we're still practicing. I'm glad we're still trying to figure out ways to win. We enjoy trying to solve that puzzle. But it's more about being around these guys than it is about anything else. Q. For Shawn, you're from Tampa. I was just wondering if it's extra meaningful for you to be playing a team from your home state, and if you ever had any interest in Florida or if Florida ever had any interest in you during the recruiting process. SHAWN VANZANT: No, Florida didn't recruit me. My most big offer was Butler. I was looking forward to going to Butler since like my sophomore or junior year. I definitely am looking forward to playing Florida because that '00, '07 team lost to Florida, so trying to get it done for those guys, too. Q. I want to ask Matt and maybe Shelvin about your defensive principles. Looks like you guys put a lot of effort into defense. What do you feel you're going to have to do to limit what Florida does from an offensive standpoint? SHELVIN MACK: I'd say with our defense, we realized coming to Butler throughout the year that offense wins a lot of games. But in order to win a championship, you've got to play defense. Our main job on defense is try to limit them to one shot and one possession. When you're able to do that, you have a great opportunity to win. With Florida, I think our biggest key is what we've got to do the whole tournament is just rebound, because they do a great job of going to the glass. Q. Ronald, Shawn was talking a little bit about the history of Butler against Florida that they've had in the tournament. Are you aware of that history and do you know about those games? You must have maybe seen the one in 2007. And then Matt, when you get to this point, how much do you think coaching plays or makes a difference in a close game like this? RONALD NORED: Yeah, I think everyone in the program is pretty aware of what's taken place, you know, with the guys before us. I've gotten some texts, I don't know if they have, from some of the guys who were on the 2000 team and then some of the guys on the '07 team just about what they went through against Florida, and we've seen some film. Shelvin and I actually, when we came, watched the Florida game from '07 a few times, just to get a feel for the toughness of the tournament before we ever went to the tournament. We're aware, and we want to just do what we can for those guys and hopefully they appreciate our effort tomorrow. MATT HOWARD: Yeah, I think coaching really prepares you and puts you in a position to win. That's really critical at this time of the year when you don't know teams that well. You know, and this is the first time I've ever played against Florida, and if I just went out there -- not going to be really ready to play. So I think being prepared as well as you can makes a really big difference, and execution plays a part in it, but being prepared and ready to play definitely helps. Q. Matt, could you talk about how this year you added three-point shooting to your weapons and whether the evolution came more from yourself or from the coach's advice? MATT HOWARD: It was a little bit of both, and we had -- our center has really done an incredible job this year, and I'd always played the post the three years prior, and so he's really -- his evolution has really helped me expand my game. It's something I had been working on for a while, and we didn't necessarily need it the last few years. And fortunately, Andrew, he's been unbelievable this year, and it's really helped me expand my game. Q. Brad, Florida returns all five of its starters and you have the maturity of your quarterback. Is this the kind of game in this one-and-done era that kind of shows the value of experience? COACH STEVENS: Yeah, I think experience is a factor in everything, but I think at the end of the day good players are a more important factor. And I think there's a lot of people that return in college basketball. But Florida is here because they've got five good returning guys, more than that. They've got guys that have been there and done that and a staff that understands this whole process and this whole journey, not only through the regular season throughout the tournament. But certainly experience plays a role. And you know, at the end of the day, though, the game is going to start at 3:40 tomorrow or whenever it tips, and you have those 40 minutes to play. And does experience play a role? Sure, but it doesn't play the same role as preparation does and it doesn't play the same role as performing in those circumstances. Q. Ron, you mentioned you were getting text messages from 2000 and 2007 players. What's the weirdest one or funniest one that stands out in your mind? RONALD NORED: I don't think they're weird or funny, but I think they're just more, how do I explain it, excited for the next opportunity for Butler to play Florida. Those guys have a lot of pride in what we've done, and they came around when we were in the Final Four last year. So I told Coach Stevens I was pretty excited to get a text from one of the older guys this morning because they're excited about what we're doing. Whether we're playing Florida or not they're excited, but because those guys had some experience against them, I think it's exciting for them. Q. Any advice they're giving you? RONALD NORED: Not any advice, they're just normal "good luck" and "hope you guys go out there and play hard," and they're really happy for us. Q. Matt, how did Brad handle that three-game losing streak since it was sort of the first of its kind for you guys in the last two years? MATT HOWARD: You know, it was a little bit of -- you know, there's things that we can do better, and yet when you're in a skid like that, you need to instill confidence in the players. While we were going over things that we could do better, he's still trying to make sure that we're getting our minds right and get our confidence back. Both of those things were really critical in the next game, and to be able to get on the run that we were -- or that we're on right now. Q. So was he even? MATT HOWARD: Pretty much, yeah. Q. This question is for either Matt or Shelvin. Are you guys past the point where this Cinderella label -- does it annoy you in any way, or is it something you just sort of shrug at and the fact that you're not a high seed in this tournament, is it something that you can easily shrug off, or are you tweaked by it at all? MATT HOWARD: I think right now it doesn't bother us that much. I know from an alumni and fan base, they probably don't like it. And I mean, that's understandable. But for us, if we're still being called Cinderella, so be it. We're continuing to move on and we're fine with that. But I know from the outside perspective and from what our fans think, I know they probably don't enjoy that so much. Q. Is recruiting getting easier now for you? You don't have to go into people's homes and people are like, where is Butler at? Now it's like we play in national championship games, we're on national television all the time. Is it getting easier to go to homes now and sell your program? COACH STEVENS: There's more awareness when you make a call or when they visit campus. There's just more awareness and more interest in the school in general. That can make recruiting more difficult and easier. I mean, it's just -- the recruiting isn't about how easy it is, it's about being right and making sure that the right guys choose to come to Butler and that they are guys that are passionate about coming to Butler, that they want to come to Butler, they want to represent themselves and their team well and ultimately be a great student. And do all of those things all collectively, you know, add up to give you a chance, and it gives you what these guys have done. I think that's something that we've continued to try to prioritize. The one thing we're not going to do is try to be something we're not, and I think that's really important, and we've tried to stay the course with that as well as we possibly can. Q. Brad, you said, I think, last night that you talked about Billy Donovan mid year just about some advice of coming off a national championship game. Could you delve a little further into the advice he gave you and if you see some similarities between you and Billy because it wasn't long ago that Billy was the hot young coach? COACH STEVENS: You know, he's one of the best coaches in the business, and I've been fortunate to spend some time down there with them at the annual clinic that they run in the fall. I just reached out to him maybe at the start of that losing streak. We lost a couple more games after that, but -- and just talked about the ups and downs following a championship season. And we did not win the championship like they did a couple times, but certainly the target is relatively the same at that point. He just shared insights, shared thoughts. You're just two coaches on the phone talking for 30 or 45 minutes about -- and just sharing stories and sharing ideas, and you're just looking for anything at that moment in time to flip a switch because it's -- you know, this is a long year, and it goes from, like I said, October 15th through whatever today is, I have no idea. It's late March sometime. And I think that you want to stay fresh and you want to always continue to grow. That's something I really respect about Coach Donovan is he's won two national championships, he's been to a Final Four before that. You know, he's at the pinnacle of this profession. And he's the one that I think is just always trying to grow and get better, and I've always been very impressed with him for that. Q. Brad, what's the youngest age that you're mistaken for? COACH STEVENS: I don't know. I don't know. Nobody has ever come up and said one specifically. I was asked if I was a player a couple years ago; that was flattering. We wouldn't be sitting here if I was. But certainly I don't mind it, that's for sure. Q. Could you talk about the contributions that Khyle Marshall made last night, and especially with Andrew being maybe limited Saturday, how much -- and a more physical Florida team how much are you counting on him? COACH STEVENS: I think Khyle Marshall has 13 points and 13 rebounds the last two games. Pretty good for a freshman in the NCAA Tournament against Pitt and Wisconsin. He's really had a great season for us. Like most freshmen, it's had its moments where it's been really, really high, and some moments where he didn't quite play as much. But he has a high ceiling. He has high aptitude. He's going to be a really good player at Butler. I think you saw yesterday his quickness off the floor, his ability to put the ball on the floor, his ability to shoot it a little bit has really improved throughout the course of the season. And I truly believe this: I think his first year is almost over and he's one great summer of individual work ethic away from really taking that next step. Q. With regards to your contract extension last April, I'm just curious, play with me for a second here; when you're negotiating this contract, how do you settle on 20, 21, 22 as the ending point? COACH STEVENS: There was -- I've been asked that a few times before back home, and the unbelievable part of that, there was no negotiating. I walked in, I've got one of the best bosses in the world, and he just said, you know, this is something that we appreciate the way that things are going in the program, we like the way that your guys are representing Butler on and off the court, and this is what we think is the right thing for now, so that's how that happened. The only thing that I'm thinking of in terms, and to be real honest, is I'm thinking my son is 16 at that point, and that's the only terms I'm thinking of when I think 12 years down the road. Q. You finished runner-up and got a 12-year extension. What if you win this year, what's going to happen? COACH STEVENS: Yeah, I don't know. I really -- I'm the furthest from trying to negotiate and figure out years and all those things. I've always believed if somebody wants you to be there, that's a pretty empowering thing. Just really blessed to have that, and if it stays on 12, it stays on 12, and if they want to go higher, they want to go higher. Yeah, I'm just looking forward to coaching tomorrow, and hopefully here as we continue down the road. Q. Two questions: One, how fulfilling is it to make a deep run after getting to the championship game, and everybody says, hey, that's a program, that's not a one-year wonder. And two, the question was asked earlier to one of the players, Florida has won a lot of close games, you guys have won a lot of close games. What do you think makes that happen for teams? COACH STEVENS: Well, good basketball teams win close games. A couple years ago we were 26 and 6. You turn around our three possession wins and we would have been 13 and 19 had we lost those games. There's a very fine line between being mediocre, being good, and being great. And you just have to manage your opportunities as well as you possibly can. You know, as far as is this something that is -- something that we've proven ourselves or whatever, I think that this program proved itself long before last year's run. You know, I think we were eight NCAA tournaments since 1996. The way that our kids have performed again on and off the court, you know, we felt like we could be stacked up against anybody around. Last year certainly validated that in a lot of people's eyes from a public perception standpoint. This is probably as proud of a group as I've ever been and in one of the most difficult seasons that we've gotten an opportunity to wade through together, and it's been -- it has been very rewarding to do that as a team and to stay together as a team throughout all those -- again, I hate to use the word "adversity." This isn't real adversity when you lose a basketball game. But to stay together through a tough time here or there is a very positive thing when they leave school and they're faced with some real adversity down the road. Q. You made the reference about listening to the Butler-Florida game on radio. Did you actually pull over to the side of the road to listen to it? COACH STEVENS: We just pulled over because it was getting a little too intense to drive and listen, and we probably needed gas, I'm guessing. But I don't know where we were. It was somewhere in Northeastern Ohio, maybe it was going out by then, but I know we heard the end and we were all devastated by it. Q. Were you more devastated by that or by what happened when Indiana went up against Pepperdine? COACH STEVENS: I just had a friend who played for them, so I didn't -- I was just there, and I was a fan of basketball and a fan of the NCAA Tournament. It was a nearby site, or at least reasonably close, and close to my wife's hometown of Cleveland. You know, I was -- I would say that by then I had worked Butler's camp a few summers and was friends with Coach Matta and knew a little bit of the staff and a couple of the guys. Any time you know somebody, you're rooting for them a little bit harder. Q. Also to kind of segue off that, could you elaborate on how really it seemed like both losses that Butler had to Florida in the NCAA Tournaments were sort of influential in moving the program forward? I know you came on board right -- the summer after the 2000 loss, but then carrying -- taking the National Champion Gators to the last four minutes in which Butler led and you were on the bench for that, it seemed like -- what do you think influenced those two games had on kind of maybe pushing Butler forward or exchanging the perception of -- the own team's mind of what could actually be achieved? COACH STEVENS: I think two different sets. You know, you've got -- first time I went to the tournament, I think we played Cincinnati in '96, '97, or the first time in 30 plus years we had gone and we got beaten pretty good. And then we went back, played New Mexico, and got beaten pretty good again, went to the NIT. Then played Florida that third our of fourth year, which was 2000, you know, my year that I was at Lilly that we've talked about. But I think from what I've been told and from what I saw the next year as a part of that staff, that established, and I don't know if it was the players at the time in the program or if it was the program as a whole, a real belief that, hey, we can go there and advance and we can go there and win, because not only did we get beat on a last second shot by a really good team, they went to the national championship game and that really propelled them, and they had a great team that year with Hassell and Miller and all those guys. And it really helped us the next year. We get to the tournament and we beat Wake Forest handily in the first round, and then just happen to run into an Arizona team just chock full of pros up and down the bench. It was an unbelievable team. But the second Florida game in 2007, I think that -- we're sitting out there, and that team had just over achieved so much the entire year, winning the preseason NIT, A.J. Graves and Mike Green had unbelievable years, but our doctors and dentists on the front line now, Drew Streicher and Crone and Campbell, and those guys, they were just unbelievable role players and terrific in their own regard. To have a team like Florida, to be in the game with a team like Florida with three minutes to go at that time certainly gets you dreaming, and you're excited because a lot of those guys are coming back the next year, and you know Matt Howard and his class are coming in following that, and you think you can build on it a little bit. Q. When you started at Butler, your title was the Coordinator of Basketball Operations; is that right? COACH STEVENS: I was basically a volunteer manager before that, but yeah. Q. What were some of the interesting or unusual responsibilities that you had? COACH STEVENS: Well, the coordinator of basketball operations, which we have one now, Darnell Archey, who played at Butler, is responsible for a lot of the administrative details of the program, whether it be working on coordinating booster fundraising events, whether it be doing team travel, just a number -- getting films from other teams so the assistant coaches can work on the scouting reports, those are the kinds of things that you do as that. Fresh into the business of college basketball, you learn a lot just by watching and just by being around, and you're pretty wide-eyed to, wow, this is a lot more complex than I thought it was. And I think that that was one of my most enjoyable years that I've ever had because I was just constantly learning, and I didn't have -- whatever I did didn't -- if we got -- as long as the food was cooked and the pillows were fluffed, everything was good, right. But it was really important to learn that role, and I've utilized and leaned on that a lot now. Those things are as important now as they were then. I was working with Thad Matta and John Groce who's at Ohio U and Todd Lickliter, who I think has been one of the great people in our game for a long time, and Mike Marshall who played at Butler and on down the line, all the players that were there. It was just a fabulous group and fabulous learning environment. Q. Do you have any good stories about a hotel situation or a meal planning or something that went haywire? COACH STEVENS: The best story would probably be I'm sitting there on December 23rd, we're supposed to fly out to play in Arizona's tournament on December 26th, and I don't remember if it was Delta or whatever airline we flew cancelled all their flights for the day, for that day, so we had to find a way to Tucson over the Christmas holiday. So I'm at the ticket counter on Christmas Day trying to get enough tickets. We have to go on like three different flights, we go through Minneapolis -- we bus to Cincinnati, fly to Minneapolis, fly to Phoenix, want to get on a bus from Phoenix to go to Tucson but the bus caught on fire so we couldn't do that, engine caught on fire. Thomas Jackson who was our point guard at the time, stoic, calm demeanor, we walked behind him, Thomas, why aren't you on the bus. He goes, "bus is on fire." Luckily nobody got hurt. It wasn't really a fire. We drove to Tucson and got in about 3:00 in the morning and played the team that we ended up getting beat by in the tournament ironically two days later. And Coach Matta's joke was at the time, hey, we could either play that team or just schedule the Pacers. Probably the same result looking back on it. But that's probably as good of a travel story as we have. Q. Throughout the season Billy has said the players have had to kind of take his word on things because they're doing a lot that they haven't done in their careers. Does that give you some sort of advantage with your guys, that this is maybe more familiar for them than it is for the Florida players? COACH STEVENS: You know, again, I think that can go both ways. We didn't have any familiarity with this Elite Eight last year, and we played as hard and as tough and as focused as we possibly could, all the way through the national title game. I don't think that's going to play a big factor either way to be honest. I think anything that they don't have from a playing experience, they make up for on their staff, and their staff does such a great job. They'll get their points across. I think it'll be a good basketball game between two competitive teams that pride themselves on a lot of similar things. Q. How anxious were you about getting a berth going into the Milwaukee game in the Horizon League tournament title game? COACH STEVENS: You know, I didn't know if we'd get in or not. I didn't know how that would work itself out. But at that point it is what it is, and you can't fret about it. You've just got to go prepare and play. That game and the way we played in that game gave me the indication that we were going to be a tough out once we got to tournament play. I thought we played really well, as well as we had played in a while. So you know, like I said last night, I hope that what this does is it opens people's eyes to the fact that you can go 13 and 5 in a non-BCS league, playing in conference is hard. Every game we play out of 18 games in our league is a Superbowl. Our games are not maybe equal to other people's games that are in the middle of bigger leagues, and so what we went through to get there was a really positive thing for our program, really positive for our guys. And it was like I told Matt Howard, I said this last night, after we lost to Youngstown, I said this three-game losing streak will be the most valuable thing you experience at Butler. It might not be as fun as a lot of other things, and he's won 115 games or whatever he's won now, but it'll be the most valuable because you're going to have to react to this and you're going to have to tread your way through it this, and you're going to have to do it together. And if you do it together, it'll be really rewarding. I think those are the type of things that you just focus on. You don't focus on whether or not you're in. You focus on how do we give ourselves a chance to play well in the conference tournament and hopefully beyond. Q. What month of the year does this clinic happen at Florida, and essentially what goes on at this clinic and just how did you get hooked up with Larry Shyatt on it? COACH STEVENS: Larry Shyatt would be able to tell you more about the history of it, but they've been running it forever. And I've been three of the last four years. It's a collection of NBA and college guys that all get together and just talk hoops for a couple days. It's a great time. Sometimes they have multiple speakers, sometimes you just get in discussions, sometimes you just throw 50 minutes' worth of situations up on the film and watch it and talk about it, what would you do here, what would you do here, why do you do that, all those things. So it's a hoop junkie's dream. Not a lot of sleep, a lot of talk about stuff that would probably bore most people, but stuff that we're all pretty motivated by. Q. What month, September? COACH STEVENS: Usually right before school starts in August. Q. And two days? COACH STEVENS: Two days. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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