NEW ORLEANS— Although Butler is a rising mid-major from
Indianapolis and Florida is an established major-conference power,
the two share a startling amount of history.
This afternoon the two teams will add another chapter to its shared
legacy, when second-seeded Florida squares off against No. 3 seed
Butler at 4:30 p.m. in New Orleans Arena with a spot in the Final
Four on the line.
Butler, a Horizon League school with a student population under
5,000, has crossed paths with Florida both on and off the court for
many years.
The Gators and Bulldogs met twice in the NCAA Tournament before,
with Florida coming out on top in both 2000 and 2007.
Both losses were a huge piece of Butler’s legacy, and the memory of
those games has led former-Bulldogs to reach out to members of the
2011 team via encouraging text messages.
“I think everyone in the program is pretty aware of what’s taken
place,” Butler junior Ronald Nored said. “Those guys had some
experience against them, and I think it’s exciting for them.”
Although Florida’s 69-68 overtime victory in the first round of the
2000 tournament is the more memorable of the two because of its
dramatic finish— a Mike Miller buzzer-beater —it was the 2007
matchup that brought UF coach Billy Donovan and Butler coach Brad
Steven together.
Donovan respected Stevens’ coaching style and the way he ran his
program, so UF’s coach offered Butler’s headman a spot at the
Gators’ two-day offseason coaching clinic, which takes place in
Gainesville each August.
“We bounce different things off each other,” Donovan said. “It’s
great when you get a chance to be able to talk to someone like
that.”
The relationship between Donovan and Stevens emerged again late
this January, when Butler was enduring its first three-game losing
streak since 2005.
Stevens and Donovan had a 45-minutes phone conversation about the
emotions and expectations following a successful season, as Butler
was coming off a trip to the Final Four. Because Donovan had
reached consecutive Final Fours in 2006 and 2007, he was the ideal
source of advice.
“There’s things that happen that you have to carry over, and I
think Brad was just talking to me about his team,” Donovan said.
“He just wanted to know some experiences. I’ve known Brad for a
long time, and I would consider him a good friend.”
While the coaches have developed a bond over the past four years, a
few of their players have done the same in recent months.
Florida seniors Vernon Macklin and Chandler Parsons teamed with
Butler junior Shelvin Mack last summer at the 2010 LeBron James
Skills Academy as part of a four-on-four competition.
Their quartet, which also featured Duke senior Nolan Smith,
finished the camp undefeated.
Their time as teammates gave Macklin and Parsons a first look at
Mack, and Butler’s starting point guard left a strong
impression.
“Before we knew we were playing Butler I said Shelvin Mack is one
of the best point guards I’ve ever seen,” Macklin said.
Mack, who averages 15.6 points and 3.6 assists per game this
season, impressed Macklin with his strength, physicality,
intelligence and driving ability.
Likewise, Mack was impressed by Macklin’s talents, especially his
hook shot.
“We called him Baby Kareem Abdul Jabaar,” Mack said. “He’s always
shooting it. I told him to shoot it every time he gets it.
Hopefully he doesn’t do that tomorrow.”
Mack and Macklin also became close off the court in that time, as
Mack would sometimes relax in Macklin’s room and discuss Butler’s
Cinderella run to the final.
The two still occasionally touch base by Twitter or text message,
although their busy schedules have made communication
difficult.
But that will be remedied tomorrow, when the paths of the coaches
and players cross once again, this time with a Final Four
appearance at stake.
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