INDIANAPOLIS (AP) – Butler doesn’t want television cameras, large crowds or hype. So the national runner-ups are going under cover for their opening practice.
Players and coaches boarded a team bus in the afternoon and drove about 25 miles south of Indianapolis to Franklin College. They moved into their temporary housing and prepared for their first official workout Friday night.
“I think it’s sort of out of necessity because of the football game and volleyball games here, and at the same time, it gives us a chance to really be focused,” senior center Matt Howard said. “You know, if we’re not focused there, we’ve got problems.”
Fame hasn’t changed Butler’s approach to the start of basketball season.
While most schools turn opening night into a glitzy showcase for fans and recruits, the Bulldogs have never subscribed to that theory and won’t start now.
Instead, the Bulldogs are doing what they’ve always done on the night formerly dubbed Midnight Madness – using the first practice to set the tone for the season and letting wins, losses and game-day crowds make their pitch to recruits.
“It wouldn’t have made me want to come here,” Howard said. “I was looking at performance, and Midnight Madness is not indicative of why you win games. If you come to a game, in general, you’ll see the fan base.”
Coach Brad Stevens wants to do it his way, and that means sticking to basics.
“That’s just not part of our preparation,” he said before leaving Hinkle Fieldhouse. “For me, it’s about getting a chance to go to work. To each program, their own. But just because other schools are doing it, doesn’t mean it’s the thing for us.”
Players will work out once Friday night and twice Saturday before returning to school. Stevens describes it as a two-day “mini-camp,” and acknowledges it’s something he’s wanted to do for years.
But it’s also practical. With the Bulldogs’ volleyball team playing at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Friday night and Saturday afternoon, practice time would have been limited anyway. The football team also hosts rival Dayton on Saturday at 1 p.m..
“I think it’s great that we get to spend some more time with our teammates off the court,” guard Shelvin Mack said. “And to get away from campus a little bit is great, too, because a couple of players can’t really go home because of distance anyway. So it’s an opportunity for us to grow as a team.”
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