Is the Butler story over?

[Peacefrog]

It looks like they may be ready to sink back into obscurity losing at home today to Valpo. They also lost to Evansville and edged Gardner Webb by only 2 points. They haven't beaten anyone of note. Their record stands at 4-4. Should Brad Stevens have gotten out last year?

 

[mets1090]

Stevens is a great coach so I don't think the Butler "story" is necessarily ever going to be over while he is there. They might lack talent this year (honestly I know nothing about their team) but I wouldn't expect one bad year to bury the program. Him leaving for a bigger school probably would.

 

[Gurleyman]

They actually were saying some of the same things four years ago - when they graduated four starters. Then again early last year, when they lost big to Louisville and lost at home to Evansville early on (although this year has been worse). However, the nature of college hoops means that you are going to have down years, and it looks like this may be one for them, but I think they've reached a Gonzaga level where the down years will be the exception. As for Stevens, I think he made the right move for him - he can have a lot of down years at Butler before they start to consider other coaching options. The guy before him at Butler jumped to Iowa and lasted three years (Lickliter).

 

[Waquoit]

Should Brad Stevens have gotten out last year?

Hell yeah. He could have signed a big money deal and if it didn't work out his next job after that would have probably been at the Butler level. He was the Boy Genius of coaches until Calhoun game coached rings around him and left naked and exposed. He's yesterday's news.

 

[huskyniner]

I see them moving into the same category as Gonzaga. Good programs with good coaches that will attract decent recruits for years to come. Not over by a long shot.

 

[uconNYC]

After 2 NC games, Stevens probably has a 3-4 year "grace" period where he could easily land a job at a top 15 school.

 

[Peacefrog]

I see them moving into the same category as Gonzaga. Good programs with good coaches that will attract decent recruits for years to come. Not over by a long shot.

I was thinking about the Gonzaga comparison myself. It seems they (Gonzaga) have been up there pretty much every year for a dozen or so years now. At this point I guess I'd say I'm skeptical that Butler is going to reproduce that kind of performance.

 

[progrocks]

There is so much talent in that state that even after IU and pursue take what they want you can have a very good team built with what is left. Butler is not done by a long shot.

 

[Kitaman]

I hope not, we need mid major powerhouses, it definitely adds to the drama in March. Stevens is no fluke and therefore as long as he's a Butler they have a good future.

 

[Palatine]

Stevens is a good coach. But it's highly unlikely that Butler will return to a final four in this decade. Their run was magic and that they did it twice was beyond magic.They should remain as a good team but not see deep NCAA runs very often.

 

[Mr.Phat]

Hell yeah. He could have signed a big money deal and if it didn't work out his next job after that would have probably been at the Butler level. He was the Boy Genius of coaches until Calhoun game coached rings around him and left naked and exposed. He's yesterday's news.

I'm convinced he would be a sensational get as UConn's next coach. Calhoun is 70, Stevens is half his age so yes I would suspect a Hall of Fame coach with three NCs would outcoach someone as junior to JC as Stevens. This takes nothing away from him. He's a mature, thoughtful fellow working in the hothouse of big time college athletics. And he's proven he can recruit and win.

 

[Prezidint]

You give Stevens the UConn brand with which to recruit, and I'd expect big things. Would love to have him as the next coach.

 

[Scoe]

the loss of Mack and Howard were huge, Butler did have some bad losses last year too btw, its very doubtful they will get back to the FF this decade like the previous poster stated, as a mid major power they will be fine.

 

[Donyell]

His whole life has been in and around Indy. Born there, went to school there, worked there before coaching there and got married there to a local girl. He is comfortable there for sure. May never leave.

 

[HuskyBballFan]

His whole life has been in and around Indy. Born there, went to school there, worked there before coaching there and got married there to a local girl. He is comfortable there for sure. May never leave.

He'd leave for Indiana. Crean's recruiting well enough to buy himself some time however.

May be a down year for Butler, but how could it not be? Hayward, Mack, and Howard were high major players. Stevens did a great job by surrounding those guys with quality role players and putting them into a system that clearly works. They still have the system, still have the role players, but that only takes you so far without the high major talent.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

It looks like they may be ready to sink back into obscurity losing at home today to Valpo. They also lost to Evansville and edged Gardner Webb by only 2 points. They haven't beaten anyone of note. Their record stands at 4-4. Should Brad Stevens have gotten out last year?

I agree. Every school that has a down year, never recovers.

 

[ctchamps]

I thought Brad Stevens made it clear he bleeds the school. Some coaches are "stupidly loyal" that way. JC turned down a huge pay increase when he chose to stay at UConn and not go to South Carolina.

 

[HeGotGame]

They started off last year 4-4. Did you know that? How many people do you think started these same silly threads across the nation on internet message boards at this point last year?

Stevens is one of the best coaches in the country, the "story" is not over.

 

[HuskyFan32]

Hell yeah. He could have signed a big money deal and if it didn't work out his next job after that would have probably been at the Butler level. He was the Boy Genius of coaches until Calhoun game coached rings around him and left naked and exposed. He's yesterday's news.

Well put. Stevens beat Izzo, Boeheim, Donovan, Bo Ryan, and Jamie Dixon in the NCAA tourney, almost beat Coach K, and yet Jimmy C dominated him.

 

[ctchamps]

I don't have a Clue.

 

[UCHuskies08]

For the sake of argument, all of Butler's success was only in two consecutive years, and therefore with largely the same core of players. Two years ago, they were carried by Gordon Heyward, last year it was Shelvin Mack and Matt Howard. They're all gone. And I don't see a single player on their team right now who's even close to their level.

Stevens is going to have to show he can recruit over a longer period of time before I think he's a great coach.

It's looking like a real struggle for them here against Xavier.

 

[Gurleyman]

That's not true. Butler pushed Florida to the wire in the Sweet 16 (when Florida was #1 and defending national champs) in 2007 with a different group of players - A.J. Graves (a white 2-guard with 30-foot range on his jumper) and Mike Green were the backcourt as juniors and Todd Lickliter was the coach. Stevens took over the following year with the same nucleus plus Matt Howard and got them back to the Sweet 16. Then he brought in the Mack-Hayward class and kept it going with another great yerar. Followed by the two title appearances.

 

[Gurleyman]

I mis-remembered. In Stevens first year, they didn't make the Sweet 16 - they were a 7 seed and went to the second round and lost in overtime to second-seed Tennessee, finishing 30-4. But your larger point is pretty accurate - he won with a group he inherited in year one and then with one group of his guys over the next three. Now the challenge is finding the next great players - his team now is a lot of very good role players and no standouts.

 

[UconnU]

Yepp, Jim Calhoun and Kemba Walker wrote the final chapter.

 

[NHUConnfan]

the loss of Mack and Howard were huge, Butler did have some bad losses last year too btw, its very doubtful they will get back to the FF this decade like the previous poster stated, as a mid major power they will be fine.

Not just them...Butler lost 5 players this year. And the fact they got back to the championship game after losing Heyward I think tells me that Butler will be back...maybe not this year, but they'll be back.