The Day After Butler Changed Our Minds

Yesterday I watched as the Butler Bulldogs did everyone proud with their effort and poise in the latest chapter of the legendary career of K. I wont attempt to butcher his name after his 4th title and feel it appropriate to address him as such bc its a sign of respect when you can refer to someone as 1 singular letter and people know who you are talking about. For those of you that have been living under a rock the last 20 years, Im not talking about Will Smiths partner in Men in Black.

Butler changed the game yesterday. Many will view their season as cinderella like, and attempt to compare them to George Mason and understandable so. Please make no mistake about it though, Butler was no Cinderella. Butler has changed the complexity of the game, especially recruiting. Being a NON member of the base power conferences by advancing to the title game last saturday. They entered the tournament a 5 seed which speaks volumes of their program by itself. As much as I loved watching George Mason and their run to the final four, I had a greater appreciation for the program Butler has built over the years as one of prominence. You have to appreciate a program that is not bound by star ratings and post season all american games in its off season recruiting trips. A program that fundamentally accepts its size as an asset to a family setting. Ten years down the road, after a formerly known "mid major" (Butler has a legit shot to back here next season if the cash cow of the NBA doesn't tempt their stud power player) wins the national title game, sports writers will revisit this day as the tipping point of where certain coaches and certain programs truly did believe ANYTHING is possible.


God Bless College basketball and please do not expand to 96 teams, the format is amazing as is.....

Butler Represents

There are several story lines to this national title game and none hit closer to home to guys like myself than a bunch of "mid" major guys up against the juggernaut that is Duke Basketball. I played mid major basketball and had the privilege of working out, and it was a privilege bc Coach K is a class act, at Duke during the summers and taking lumps from there star PG jay Williams throughout my college summers. I remember being the same age if not older but looking at them as if they had made it to the promise land which they had and thinking, I wonder what it would be like to play MAJOR D1 basketball. Butler, George Mason and several other giant killers through out the years have given guys like myself a renewed sense of pride in our "mid Major" status which has all but been erased. In todays game, it has gotten to where passion and know how surpass raw talent and stars. Teams beat draft picks, and love stories are written in gyms that only ESPN affiliates have directions to. Tonight's game will be one for the ages before the ball is even tossed up. Many of us will watch and route for a team we have no direct connection to but feel a closeness to all of their players bc at one point in time, that was us, that was me, and that was my dream. I thank Butler for making my dream although passed, a realization that hard work surpasses boundaries and the norm of tradition. In closing for this inagural venture into online blogging, all I have to say is Go DOGS......


Graham Bunn
Appalachian State University Class of 2003