Big changes for Butler's coach, players
INDIANAPOLIS - The hottest young coach on the national college basketball scene eats his lunches at the same neighborhood tavern every week, got asked for ID a few days ago at Lucas Oil Stadium, and recently hasn't had "time to go anyplace that cards you."
!["I try to maintain some sense of even keel," Brad Stevens said of his demeanor as Butler's coach. (Michael Conroy/AP)](https://www.inquirer.com/resizer/v2/AUEIQWWK7BCIVDZVW5R6BYOXKI.jpg?auth=a7aa9ee3bb02f73030e48eb0aca5a71cc5413bccb8f38aa86e1d6ba92c6f198d&width=760&height=507&smart=true)
INDIANAPOLIS - The hottest young coach on the national college basketball scene eats his lunches at the same neighborhood tavern every week, got asked for ID a few days ago at Lucas Oil Stadium, and recently hasn't had "time to go anyplace that cards you."
Brad Stevens of Butler, 33 years old and as boyish-looking as most of his players, went into Monday night's national championship game against Duke as the second-youngest coach ever to pace the sidelines with a chance at the title.
In his third season leading the Bulldogs, Stevens entered the Final Four with a record of 88-14. He picked up win No. 89 Saturday night, a 52-50 victory over Michigan State that continued a run that includes wins over top-seeded Syracuse and No. 2 Kansas State.
He might have been a relative unknown when March Madness started, but he has earned the respect and admiration of his more well-known colleagues, particularly Duke's Mike Krzyzewski.
"I think he's terrific," Krzyzewski told reporters Sunday. "It's neat to see. I hope he becomes one of the leaders in our coaching profession because he's going to be incredibly successful, and has been.
"He's very smart. He's composed. What a great representative he is for his school. He has shown amazing humility. I hope he takes all those attributes as he attains the success he is going to attain and he keeps them and is an example for other coaches."
Stevens has been unflappable during Butler's unlikely NCAA run, particularly in its home city. He and his players have embraced the adoration while staying calm and focused on the prize.
"I try to maintain some sense of even keel because one of my first games as a head coach, I felt like I was on edge," he said. "I felt like our team played on edge. From that point on, I said, 'I don't want to lose a game because of my approach.' "
Stevens said a great example of proper demeanor was his predecessor as Butler's head coach, Todd Lickliter, whom he assisted for six years.
"I had a great leader in Todd," he said. "Todd was always that way. I can't tell you how many times he turned to the bench and said, 'We need to be the face of calm.' I think that is a huge thing, especially with a young team."
That calm is appreciated by the Butler players.
"I think it affects us directly," guard Ronald Nored said. "We see him like that and he's our leader - so I think under any circumstances, any situation, we're the same way because he trusts in us, believes in us. There's no need to get rattled in certain situations."
The Bulldogs' run has put their university on the map.
Krzyzewski said he spoke with Stevens on Sunday while both were doing a taping for CBS and told him, "You'll be shocked at how much your school will change as a result of what you and your kids have done.
"It will be absolutely amazing to measure where they are - and they're a really good school - in visibility, for everything."
Stevens recognizes that, but hopes everyone can keep their feet on the ground, no matter what happened Monday night.
"Regardless of what happens, regardless of results, I hope it doesn't change anybody on this team," he said.
Still, Butler's tournament drive has meant that for the players something as routine as ordering a pizza has turned into an event. Nored said things were different last week when he ordered pizza from a place near campus where he has bought pies plenty of times.
"After we got back from San Jose, I ordered pizza - just routine," he said. "The guy said, 'What's the name?' and I said, 'Nored.' And he goes, 'Ron Nored?' and I'm like, 'Uh, yeah,' He goes, 'Wow, you guys are awesome. Thanks for calling. The pizza will be right there.' So, I've gotten that.
"And no - it was not free," he added with a laugh.
Krzyzewski said that the great story of Duke and Butler wasn't the fact that it was a "David vs. Goliath" matchup, but that the final two teams with a chance at a championship represent private schools.
"I don't know how much that's been done," he said. "I think that's a pretty cool thing, to have two private institutions playing for the national title."
The last meeting for the national championship in men's basketball between two private schools took place in 1985, when Villanova upset Georgetown.
Counting Butler's 4,200 undergraduate students and the 6,340 who go to Duke, this was the smallest student enrollment among the finalists since 1955, when La Salle (4,447) took on San Francisco (5,525).