Dave Reynolds blog: Mason Alwan meets new role

[Da Coach]

Dave Reynolds: Alwan meets new role

http://blogs.pjstar.com/pressrow/2014/01/12/alwan-meets-new-role/

[lefty]

Good for Mason. Looks like he will get to play more and we sure could use a shooter. I'm not sure how his defense is but there is nothing to lose by him playing IMO

[tornado]

I watched Butler take on Georgetown and take them to OT before losing a hard fought game 70-67.
Butler 's roster is absolutely filled with kids who look like Peyton Allen, Alec Peters, and even Mason Alwan...
Kids who are not physically imposing, some thin, some undersized, some can't jump very high, some not terribly "athletic" - Fromm, Barlow, Chrabascz, Dunham, Bennett....and in the past they've had the likes of Graves, Avery Sheets, Ron Nored, Andrew Smith, Matt Howard, Willie Veasley, etc...
all are D-I talents that would never get a text from UCLA or UK - but they are all smart kids who play the game well, fill their roles, and help make Butler a sustained success - able to compete with the top talent in the nation!
Butler is an example of a team that recruits smart kids and shooters who cannot necessarily "play 3 or 4 positions" and aren't "versatile enough to play the post as well as defend the wing"...but they help the team become a success.

[Da Coach]

Yes, and though Butler is probably raking in more money by their move to the Big East, as I predicted, they are no longer competitive. They are 0-4 now in the Big East, and 3 of the 4 losses were at home, including a loss to a terrible DePaul team. Now they play 5 of their next 7 on the road, with their next game at Creighton tomorrow. They have fallen well out of range of an at-large bid with their RPI at 96, and are going to miss the NCAA tournament for just the second time in the last 8 seasons. They have gone from perennial champions to doormats with their conference change. Home attendance is already starting to drop significantly. Was it worth it for the extra money?

[cpacmel]

Home attendance is already starting to drop significantly. Was it worth it for the extra money?

I think their attendance is actually up from last year. (close to 1K more per game).

[Da Coach]

I think their attendance is actually up from last year. (close to 1K more per game).

Sorry, you are wrong. Where are you getting your information?

Butler's average home attendance last season (2012-2013) was 7,899.
Here is the proof- They were 58th best in Division I-

http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/Reports/attend/2013.pdf

In 9 home dates this season (2013-2014), they are averaging 7,513.
Here are the attendance figures for this year for verification-

http://www.butlersports.com/sports/m-baskbl/2013-14/teams/butler?view=attendance

That is a drop of nearly 400 per game despite being boosted by playing a Big East schedule which should be a bigger draw for their fans.

My point is being lost- because of the move to a better conference, they will now struggle to compete, they will not be making the NCAA tournament nearly every year, and their attendance may suffer since their fans were used to winning every home game. Was it worth the move?

[Bradleyfan1]

IMO NO it was not

[tornado]

Butler has lost 4 in a row but they are not a bad team and were in every game - three went to overtime...
this is a bit of a down year and they lost their best player for the season to knee injury..
they still draw 9600 wild, rabid fans -- as they did yesterday for Georgetown - and they are still competitive and playing well, and may still win 20 games this year and likely will play in the post-season while sharing the vastly greater share of revenue they will get from the Big East & their zillion-dollar contract for TV compared to the pittance they got from the Horizon - most of which they themselves generated then had to share with the likes of UIC & Wright State.

Currently even with the recent losses - their RPI & SOS are in the 70's and will likely improve a bit if they can win a few and they could still be an NCAA candidate.

I really doubt their fans are that unhappy yet - or disappearing like the fans of some teams are...

[bravesfan6]

Butler is not a bad team at all. They probably had one of the toughest starts to Big East play in the entire conference. The Depaul loss at home was a bad one, I will admit that. But to play Villanova, at Xavier, and Georgetown in three of your first 4 games is a gauntlet. Plus now they go to Creighton. That is a tough stretch for any team, let alone a team that is new to a conference. I guarantee give them a year or two and Butler will consistently be at the top of the conference.

[cpacmel]

Sorry, you are wrong. Where are you getting your information?

Butler's average home attendance last season (2012-2013) was 7,899.
Here is the proof- They were 58th best in Division I-

http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/m_basketball_RB/Reports/attend/2013.pdf

In 9 home dates this season (2013-2014), they are averaging 7,513.
Here are the attendance figures for this year for verification-

http://www.butlersports.com/sports/m-baskbl/2013-14/teams/butler?view=attendance

That is a drop of nearly 400 per game despite being boosted by playing a Big East schedule which should be a bigger draw for their fans.

My point is being lost- because of the move to a better conference, they will now struggle to compete, they will not be making the NCAA tournament nearly every year, and their attendance may suffer since their fans were used to winning every home game. Was it worth the move?

Your right about the #'s.

I was looking at 2012, when they averaged 6,599. Then in 2013 they averaged 7,513.

It should be noted in their 3 home conference games, they have drawn an average of 8,313.

Butler was tabbed 9th in the Big East Preseason Poll.

[tornado]

Butler is, of course, shooting way better from the arc than we are... but Creighton has all five of their top five scorers hitting 43% from the arc or better --
their top 5 as a unit have hit 159-346 (46%) from 3-pt range...it's no secret why they win.

[Bradleyfan1]

Wonder if we will see any OG,MA,JS 3's tonight?

If we can get 2 from each I say we have a chance.....Of course......Walt and TP, need average games and if the great Auston Barnes shows up, at least on the defensive glass, but, even if we get blown out tonight if you give or have given up on this group and staff youd be mistaken.



Cmon lets ride!

#FORDTOUGH!

[amckillip]

I think I giant point that is being missed is that Butler lost an INCREDIBLY good coach who is showing very good promise in his first year in the NBA. That absolutely can't be forgotten in evaluating Butler this season.

[tornado]

sure - but the guy coaching them isn't bad...
and of their 6 losses - all have been very close - FOUR in OT or double OT, one more by 2 pts, and the only one that wasn't a squeaker was an 11-pt loss at Xavier...
If they were not without their very best player & top scorer - who was lost for the season - they'd almost certainly be 15-1 and we wouldn't have any of this discussion about them being down this season.

[Da Coach]

Halftime score:
Butler 24
Creighton 53

http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/boxscore?gameId=400504530

McDermott with 24
Butler not good enough for the Big East.