The Butler Way

Nike placed an ad in the Indianapolis Star on Tuesday that might have been the coolest I’ve ever seen. It was a perfect tribute to the Butler Bulldogs and their incredible, Hollywood-worthy run through the 2010 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

I am a dog. Not an underdog; a dog. A mean dog. A junkyard dog. A dog that belongs behind a big fence with a big sign that says BEWARE in big letters. And yes, my bark is as bad as my bite. Forget about my size. Worry about the fact that I just ate a T-Bone steak and I’m still hungry. Worry about a beast that doesn’t know when to quit, no matter what seed you put me at. And if your ball lands in my yard, consider it gone. I am not an underdog, I’m the top dog. And you’ll be seeing me around your neighborhood from now on.

If that’s not cool, I don’t know what is. If that doesn’t make you want to go beat up the neighbor kid and take his candy, I don’t know what will. That’s on my closet door, and it’ll be on my sons’ wall soon enough.

Watching Butler over the past 3 weeks, I learned a few things and I’m sure I wasn’t alone. I learned that “smart” is enough to beat even the best teams. I learned that if you commit to guarding someone, you’ll make any team you ever go out for and you’ll play a key role. I learned there’s still a market for “tough as hell.” I learned that a bunch of no-name players from towns like Brownsburg, Homewood, and Snellville can flat play basetball. I learned you don’t have to have an incredible resume to be incredibly successful. I learned that a lady who married an event planner can be graceful and kind through circumstances she could never have possibly imagined (Tracy Stevens needs as much praise as Brad does; that's one classy lady. When I saw her, she struck me as very vulnerable, but steadfast and supportive. Just an incredible woman from what I can tell). I learned that Indianapolis puts on one heck of a show, no matter the event; and that if any organization planning a large event doesn’t look at Indianapolis as a city to host it, they’re cheating themselves. I learned that basketball in its purest form - ball movement, spacing, defense,rebounding, and hustle is still my favorite. I learned that you can play below the rim and still be entertaining. And finally, I learned that Butler isn’t going anywhere for a long, long time.

Gordon Heyward, Shelvin Mack, Avery Jukes, Matt Howard, Ronald Nored, Shawn Vanzant, Zach Hahn, and Andrew Smith gave basketball fans everywhere the ride of a lifetime. I don’t care how many NCAA Tournaments I watch, that will be one of my favorites until the day I die. Certain coaches around the country would do well to learn from watching Butler and how the country embraced them. Doing things the right way with great people is a successful formula, and I think there’s a tremendous lesson in that.

RT Brightman