April 2010 will be the greatest month of my life.
Why? Well, for starters I'm a diehard Butler Basketball fan and my beloved Bulldogs will play in their first-ever Final Four tomorrow evening in Indianapolis. I’ve loved the Bulldogs through thick (NCAA appearances and Horizon League Championships) and thin (the Smalligan/Brooks years and watching Ben Grunst amble down the court at the end of blowout wins in 2002).
You’d think nothing can top that, but it just so happens that April 2010 will also be the month I marry the girl of my dreams. I’m my own biggest critic, so I consider the fact that I’ve managed to snag a girl as great as her as the biggest accomplishment of my life.
Laura is incredibly intelligent and talented, beautiful, loves sports – she WANTS to fall asleep to SportsCenter and thinks going to B-Dubs for wings and UFC fights is a treat – and, best of all, she loves me and all my quirks!
Strangely enough, these two monumental events in my life actually tie together, dating back to Butler circa 2002. It was then that a Butler freshman, and dance team member, named Laura was forever connected to yours truly at hallowed ground for any Butler alumna, Hinkle Fieldhouse.
A fellow dance team member recommended my soon-to-be wife introduce herself to me. For that piece of advice, I am forever indebted to Ashley.
After meeting Laura, and finding out she was on the dance team, I was in the front row of the student section for the next home game. Watching her out there on the Hinkle hardwood on a Saturday afternoon, with the sun streaming in from the west windows, I knew I had met a girl I never wanted to let go.
I also met her parents for the very first time at Hinkle, following the March 1, 2003 home game against UW-Milwaukee. Knowing I would meet her parents, I still couldn’t resist joining my fraternity brothers in dressing in “Braveheart” gear for the game. Donning a plaid bed sheet fashioned into a kilt and blue face paint I participated in my first, and only, court storming, after Avery Sheets hit a buzzer-beater to win the game for us. After the scrum, I promptly introduced myself to her parents, kilt, face paint and all.
You can actually see me at the :13 second mark of the video, most of my back is showing in my makeshift kilt ==> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jE2m_n_yHY
So, April 2010, I stand at your precipice with bated breath. I can hardly stand the anticipation of what you have to offer, and know that when you’re over you will be a month I never forget.
Showing posts with label butler basketball. Show all posts
Showing posts with label butler basketball. Show all posts
Friday, April 2, 2010
Thursday, December 11, 2008
The best thing about this time of year (besides Christmas)
As far as I’m concerned, the 2008-09 college basketball season is off to a fantastic start. I have a major penchant for Butler basketball, and nothing makes me happier than an 8-0 start from a team that features three freshman, a sophomore and a junior in the starting lineup. OK, maybe the 2006-07 season that included a Preseason NIT Tournament championship and a Sweet Sixteen appearance takes the cake, but I’m living in the present.
My allegiance to the Dawgs is obviously a result of attending Butler but it’s more than just that. Ever since the first game I attended at Hinkle Fieldhouse as senior in high school, watching them play has been a special experience. Some of my favorite memories from Butler include waking up on game-day Saturdays to trudge down to Hinkle with a bunch of my fraternity brothers and cheer on the team from the student section.
Everyone has a different definition of quality basketball. Some people love to watch major programs with NBA shoe-ins and find Butler games to be boring, but to me watching Butler is where it’s at. I love their style of play, and the incredible level of unselfishness they show. Every player has a crucial role, its not uncommon to have four-plus players score double digits, and leading scorer is a title that’s passed around freely.
I don’t think anyone could accuse any Butler player in recent history of being selfish. The closest the team has come to a star in recent history was last year’s starting point guard, Mike Green. He was invited to NBA tryouts and strongly considered by the Cleveland Cavaliers before going to play overseas, but he was never selfish. He knew when to distribute the ball and when to shoot, and played perfectly into Butler’s system.
The best part is although the Dawgs are not anything like the major programs, they have proven time-and-time-again they can not only hang with the big guys, they can beat them. Butler’s record against major programs is really pretty unbelievable and its success in the NCAA tournament has been nothing short of amazing. I’ll never forget them giving the back-to-back National Champion Florida Gators a run for their money in the Sweet Sixteen. Butler played them closer than any other team that year.
This year’s team is the youngest squad Butler has had in a long time, and Saturday they will be put to the test. Playing perennial MVC powers Drake and Bradley on their home courts, and a Big 10 team (albeit, a lower-end one) was just the warm-up. Now they will face former Butler Coach Thad Matta and his No. 21 Buckeyes on their home court. It will be a test unlike any of Butler’s three starting freshman have faced. The Buckeyes will have superior size, strength and talent, but one thing they won’t have is the moxie Butler has become renowned for.
I just hope the Dawgs remember to bring their sling! (No pun intended in regards to Ohio State's 7-foot freshman center)
My allegiance to the Dawgs is obviously a result of attending Butler but it’s more than just that. Ever since the first game I attended at Hinkle Fieldhouse as senior in high school, watching them play has been a special experience. Some of my favorite memories from Butler include waking up on game-day Saturdays to trudge down to Hinkle with a bunch of my fraternity brothers and cheer on the team from the student section.
Everyone has a different definition of quality basketball. Some people love to watch major programs with NBA shoe-ins and find Butler games to be boring, but to me watching Butler is where it’s at. I love their style of play, and the incredible level of unselfishness they show. Every player has a crucial role, its not uncommon to have four-plus players score double digits, and leading scorer is a title that’s passed around freely.
I don’t think anyone could accuse any Butler player in recent history of being selfish. The closest the team has come to a star in recent history was last year’s starting point guard, Mike Green. He was invited to NBA tryouts and strongly considered by the Cleveland Cavaliers before going to play overseas, but he was never selfish. He knew when to distribute the ball and when to shoot, and played perfectly into Butler’s system.
The best part is although the Dawgs are not anything like the major programs, they have proven time-and-time-again they can not only hang with the big guys, they can beat them. Butler’s record against major programs is really pretty unbelievable and its success in the NCAA tournament has been nothing short of amazing. I’ll never forget them giving the back-to-back National Champion Florida Gators a run for their money in the Sweet Sixteen. Butler played them closer than any other team that year.
This year’s team is the youngest squad Butler has had in a long time, and Saturday they will be put to the test. Playing perennial MVC powers Drake and Bradley on their home courts, and a Big 10 team (albeit, a lower-end one) was just the warm-up. Now they will face former Butler Coach Thad Matta and his No. 21 Buckeyes on their home court. It will be a test unlike any of Butler’s three starting freshman have faced. The Buckeyes will have superior size, strength and talent, but one thing they won’t have is the moxie Butler has become renowned for.
I just hope the Dawgs remember to bring their sling! (No pun intended in regards to Ohio State's 7-foot freshman center)
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