With Super Bowl festivities taking place in Indianapolis this week, Butler’s athletics department is providing free tours of Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Matt Harris, manager of fan development, said people on the tours will get to see the main floor, main concourse, old pool and possibly the basketball locker rooms, among other areas.

“There are not a lot of arenas like Hinkle,” Harris said. “With so many people coming from out of town, it’s a chance for people to get to see Hinkle.”

The tours have also drawn individuals from nearby cities.

Linda Saft and Gretchen Schassberger, natives of Westfield, have attended events at Hinkle before, including participating in a school-organized sing-along in the fieldhouse as children.

The duo attended the 12 p.m. tour on Monday.

“[The tour] was an opportunity to see what [we] don’t get to see during games,” Saft said.

Neither Saft nor Schassberger had been on such a tour before, but Schassberger said they enjoy going to colleges to view athletic facilities.

“We’ll do this tour now, and then we’ll come back when they remodel,” Schassberger said.

Harris said that the athletics department would consider having future tours during major events in Indianapolis.

The tours will continue today from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Photo from Butler Athletics

Very few individuals can say one of their family members was responsible for the creation of Indiana icon  Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Tomorrow 13 people will be on campus to see their ancestors’ contributions remembered.

In total, 41 men will be honored during the first TV timeout of tomorrow’s men’s basketball game against Wright State.

In 1926, those 41 individuals, including Arthur Jordan, John Reilly, John W. Atherton, Joseph Irwin, Richard M. Fairbanks and James I. Holcomb, began raising $750,000 to build the now iconic Hinkle Fieldhouse.

“It’s a big part of the state of Indiana’s history,” Vice President for Advancement Mark Helmus said. “The tribute will teach many people about the men who made Hinkle a reality.”

Aside from hosting Butler basketball games since the late 1920s, Hinkle has been home to many historic events and has been occupied by various influential people.

For more than 60 years, Hinkle was the site of the Indiana state high school basketball tournament.

Presidents Herbert Hoover, Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton have spoken there
as well.

Track legend Jesse Owens tied the indoor world record for the 60-yard dash during the 1935 Butler Relays in Hinkle.

The legendary movie “Hoosiers” also was filmed inside Hinkle.

“Hinkle has a larger than life reputation,” Associate Athletic Director Tom Crowley said.

Crowley said the tribute is also meaningful because it is important to all of the country, not just the Indianapolis area.

Hinkle’s creators will also be honored with a plaque inside the fieldhouse.

There is currently nothing inside the fieldhouse stating when or by whom it was constructed.

The Butler University men’s basketball team currently holds a 12-11 record, but judging the behavior of some fans might lead you to think it was 0-23.

I would offer specific examples, but most of what I say inside Hinkle Fieldhouse is not fit for print.

I’m as guilty as any member of the Bulldog community.

A broad summary would be that the referees are obviously in collusion with the enemy, the Bulldogs themselves have failed to spot the gap in the opponent’s offense and the audience could shoot better.

By playing strong  throughout the past two seasons, the team has raised expectations.

The Butler fandom should realize that without the amazing talent, hard work and heartening team spirit of the Dawgs, we would not have nothing to be upset about.

So it is only right that we shift away from screaming like disappointed children to an attitude more similar to the Butler Way.

As bad as I may be, as a general rule, I cannot hold a candle to some of the even more “devoted” fans.

While sitting in the stands, someone once quipped between gulps of soda that it had been six minutes since the Bulldogs scored.

His friend immediately responded, “It’s a Butler game after all.”

The fact is fans are spoiled.

And it is sometimes almost offensive how blind we are to that.

The team came up with back-to-back tournament runs, with two finales that sound too cheesy to fit the next big sports movie.

And in both years, commentators, now ex-friends and competitors’ fans—both real and imaginary—all dismissed the Bulldogs as lucky, awkward Cinderellas.

So fans have more than a little righteous frustration.

No matter what the analysts say, the team has shown that it does not matter that Butler is relatively small  in size or that the team has an odd affinity for baby-faced boys who shoot like pros.

The Bulldogs have a lot to be proud of. Coach Brad Stevens led the team through two seasons that left brackets across the country shattered and left expectations spread across living rooms like popcorn on the seats of Hinkle.

And for the past five years, season ticket sales have increased.

On top of all of that, last year’s average attendance was 7,178, which was the highest in several decades, associate athletic director Michael Freeman said.

Fans may find it easy to forget past successes in the face of more recent “tragedies.”

So let the community try to remember that the Bulldogs changed the way people think about basketball.

Recall all those ridiculously sappy stories about how Butler won the heart of the nation. And even with my cynical heart, those awful cliché stories about brotherhood and team spirit made me believe in the team.

Butler put together—and continues to put together—fantastic programs with less money spent on the whole team than larger schools spend on every individual player.

And if the Butler Way means half as much as the university wants it to, that means fans—myself included—should remember how inspiring it was to watch the team handle its losses with far more grace and class than most players do when they win.

The Bulldogs can pull off miracles. The players took a nerdy kid—yours truly—who could not come up with one witty comparison between two sports things and made him into the envy of the most devout soccer hooligan.

By Ashley Davis

Butler Collegian:  How was it to experience back-to-back national championship games?

Photo by Rachel Anderson

Hink: It was simply amazing. The whole campus was going crazy obviously, but as a mascot I felt more invested because we put work into the program, albeit indirectly.
It was one of the most memorable experiences ever to partake in. I was lucky enough to do it twice, which is better than a lot of bigger schools can say.

BC: How are those games different from normal men’s basketball games?
H: The games vary drastically come tournament time.
There are many more rules and stipulations that mascots must abide by compared to a home game at Hinkle.
BC: How is being a mascot different than being a normal spectator?
H: It is drastically different. While I still care greatly about the game, as a mascot, the people in the audience become the first priority instead of the actual game.
The goal of a mascot is to entertain people.
A good mascot should be able to entertain those people who have little or no interest in the game, like children or people who don’t care much about sports.
Plus, I’m constantly moving around and am faced with new interactions at every stop, sometimes allowing me to only catch glimpses of the game.

BC: Are there any disadvantages?
H: The only disadvantage to being a mascot is not being able to watch the games in comfort.
The suit does not contain any cooling features, so it becomes 20 to 30 degrees hotter in the costume than the surrounding area. It’s a hot and sweaty mess that you are not able to fix until after the game is over.

BC: What are you most excited about this season?
H: This season I would have to say I am most excited about the basketball team.
It will be interesting to see how coach [Brad] Stevens handles losing essential cornerstones of the program in back-to-back years.

BC: What does it take to be a mascot?
H: Energy, energy, energy. Mascots have to be as lively as possible to act as entertainers. Without energy, you become a human in costume instead of the larger than life figure that a mascot represents.
As a mascot, you represent your school, community and city. So you have to be energetic, because the costume absorbs so much of the motion. Being in decent shape is essential as well.
Being a mascot is more strenuous exercise than what people imagine.

BC: What’s your favorite part about being a mascot?
H: My favorite part about being a mascot is easily the ability to make someone’s day, particularly a young child.
Kids either love Hink or are terrified of Hink, but for the most part they love him.
Seeing a kid who is purely enthralled by a giant, furry bulldog puts a smile on my face as well—even though people never get the opportunity to see it.

It’s game day. You make it across the high volume of traffic in the streets and through the large groups of people cluttering the campus sidewalks, finally arriving at your destination: Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Photo by Maria Porter

It’s a sporting experience that couldn’t be created without a cohesive and meticulous plan of action. A myriad of people and organizations must come together to make game day possible.

With the enormous influx of cars pouring onto Butler’s campus prior to game time, the Butler University Police Department implements a premeditated plan for home basketball games.

However, because of the current “celebrity-like” status of the Butler name, some crucial changes have to be put into effect regarding BUPD’s basketball operational plan this upcoming season.

Police Chief Ben Hunter said sweeping the venue prior to every game for bombs and devices to ensure the safety of the event is a warranted change because of the publicity of the Butler name on the national stage.

“Before, I had people ask me where Butler was located,” Hunter said. “We don’t have that issue now. With that comes a little bit of a different concern.”

BUPD isn’t the only organization experiencing changes since the heightened publicity of the Butler basketball program.

The Butler Athletic ticket office does not have much downtime during the season or offseason, either.

“As our success has grown, the busy time has really become year round,” manager of fan development Matt Harris said. “It used to be really slow at certain parts of the year, but now even those times of the year are busy preparing for things in the upcoming season.”

On a typical game day, the ticket office has to hire ticket sellers to work anywhere from six to eight available windows, in addition to five to eight will call workers.

Although a great deal of his work comes during the week, Harris still has game-day duties.

The concession stand operations are also ramped up prior to game day.

All of the food, paper supplies and drinks must be in place at least a week before the game. With two days remaining before game day, all of the outside vendors­—Chik-fil-A, Dominos and Penn Station—order game day food.

Head of concession operations Eric Richter said student workers and volunteer groups do a great deal of work for concession set-up prior to and during actual game day and start an hour and a half early.

“On game day student workers come in four hours before the game and start to ice down all beverages, prepare food and make sure the stands are ready to open,” Richter said.

No Butler basketball game would be complete without the work of sports marketing and promotions manager Lindsay Martin, who concentrates primarily on the fan craze.

Martin coordinates the timeout and halftime promotions, game programs, band, cheerleaders and dance team, any contest registration, the kids’ tunnel for starting lineups and any
group hospitality events.

As Butler basketball hysteria continues to sweep across the nation, the university will be prepared for the integral workings of the increased fan base and all that goes along with it.

by Allie Qualls

Seats, scoreboard, court, two basketball goals: all of these are essential parts of any college basketball arena.

Of course some arenas have extra perks, such as special effects lighting and jumbotrons, but most players would say it is not the arena’s amenities that make it their favorite place to play.

For Butler senior women’s basketball player Terra Burns, it’s about the people who contribute to the atmosphere.

“My favorite place to play in is Hinkle, just because of its history,” Burns said. “And I like having the band there during home games.”

Most athletes would tell you their home court is where they like to play the most. For the Butler Bulldogs, home court is Hinkle Fieldhouse.

“It’s like a second home,” Butler sophomore women’s basketball player Sarah Hamm said.

Hinkle Fieldhouse has been home to Bulldogs since it was built in 1928 and is known for being one of the most historical sports arenas in the country.

The students and athletes said they do not take this for granted.

“I would say my favorite place to play is Hinkle,” senior women’s basketball player Devin Brierly said. “There is so much history in Hinkle, and it’s a privilege to play there.”

But, where do the Bulldogs like to play when they are away from Hinkle?

Brierly said her favorite away location is Kress Event Center, home to the Green Bay Phoenix.

“They always have an awesome atmosphere with the gymnasium packed,” Brierly said. “It’s so fun to play in front of that many people. They are also one of our biggest rivals.”

Sophomore transfer Daress McClung enjoyed her experience playing in the massive 721,762 square foot KFC Yum! Center, located in Louisville, Ky.

“It is very modern, up to date with its seating patterns and gym floor design,” she said. “The arena is built around the gym floor with heightening seats, continuously going up from gym floor level up.

“Its an amazing atmosphere due to the diehard fans.”

The men’s basketball team has extensive road experience thanks to multiple NCAA tournament appearances and back-to-back appearances in the National Championship game.

Seniors Ronald Nored and Garrett Butcher said they like to play in NFL arenas because it means they are back in the Final Four, and, like any dog, once they have gotten a taste of something they like, they want more.

“The atmosphere is unbelievable,” Nored said of playing in the large arenas.

By Katie Day

During last year’s NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship game, coach Brad Stevens’ glasses were famous.  Fans on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter mentioned the catchphrase “Fear the Glasses” repeatedly for weeks, and pictures were posted all over the web of Stevens in his famous glasses.

But Stevens was never aware of the popularity of his spectacles.

“I don’t have Facebook,” Stevens said.  “I had no idea my glasses were such a hit.”

Senior captain and point guard Ron Nored said Stevens finally gave in and got a Twitter account this year but “mainly just to follow the guys on the team.”

Social networking is not a priority for Stevens, who schedules practice at 5:30 a.m. so that he and the other coaches can be home when their kids get done with school.

“Basketball is his job, but he prioritizes family time,” Nored said.

Stevens has a daughter named Kinsle and a son named Brady, who are both under the age of 10.

Even team dinners are a family affair.  Players, coaches and their families gather in the Wildman Room at Hinkle Fieldhouse and enjoy dinner. Stevens’ wife, Tracy, usually brings in Maggiano’s. Team dinners happen four times a year—once in the fall, twice around Christmas and once at the end of year.

Everyone also gathers at Stevens’ house once a month.

“I love team dinners at coach’s house,” Nored said.  “Just the way he is with his kids, the way he acts with his wife. I look at it and think, ‘I hope someday I can be that kind of father, that kind of husband.’  He just does it the right way.”

Stevens said he believes character, academics and athletics should be priorities, so long as they are in that order.

“I’m here to win, of course,” Stevens said.  “But I also understand that most of these kids will go on to do something other than play basketball in the future, and that’s what I’m trying to prepare them for.”

Stevens, who grew up with a father who played football at Indiana University,  has competitive roots that are close to home.

“He doesn’t like to lose,” said Carl Heck, assistant athletic director for internal operations.  “He wants to win.  But he wants to do it the right way, and he wants his players to do that.  He tries to make his players the best they can be.”

Preparation and hard work are important parts of Stevens’ winning season formula.  Stevens, who claims he has been watching game tape since his kindergarten days, reads and learns his opponents like “A” students study for tests.

“He’s a genius, and that’s the best way I can describe him,” Nored said.  “He’s really a math person.  He always has us ready in the way we should be.  A lot of our success has been because of his brains and his game plans.  He gives us the freedom and confidence to go out and do it.”

Confidence will be an essential part of the Bulldogs’ equation this year, as the team has gained seven new players and lost four starters.

Despite the turnover, recruiting since the back-to-back national championship runs has not shifted too much, mainly because Butler is looking for a certain kind of player.

“Regardless of what the ranking is, Butler is always looking for someone who can fit in the Butler Way, and it takes a special person to be able to do it,” Nored said.  “People like that find more success here.  People that can come somewhere and give up themselves for the betterment of the team make for a successful program, and that’s what Butler has had for the past 10 or 11 years.”

Creating a successful team for this season and the future are on the agenda for Stevens, and it’s clear to fans and players alike that he will do so with his calm, focused coaching style.

by Kyle Wehr

The excitement of game day—something that is common among all colleges. Whether it be football, basketball or soccer, game day brings many things to mind from tailgating, to the bar scene and house parties.

It doesn’t matter how you choose to enjoy it, anything is up for grabs when it comes to the weekly college holiday known as game day.

Hinkle Fieldhouse is the top option for watching any and all home games here on campus.

“The entire atmosphere at Hinkle just makes it irresistible for a fan,” junior Ryan Medas said.

One factor to keep in mind for this season is that Butler will be playing a lot of teams from high-scale programs, and most of those match-ups will be off campus.

Men’s basketball games against Louisville and Xavier are big match-ups that will be played on the floor of Hinkle Fieldhouse this season.

“Rivalry games are the best to watch at the bars in Broad Ripple,” senior Wyllie Wagoner said, “but when it comes to playoff games, you have to be on campus.”

The atmosphere of campus during basketball games seemed to be attractive for students.

For junior Kyle Johannsen, superstition also plays a big factor.

She said she prefers to watch the games at the Tao Kappa Epsilon fraternity house “because every time I watch a game there, Butler wins.”

However, for the less superstitious, it comes down to comfort and the social scene.

Medas and sophomore Bryce Campbell like watching with friends regardless of where the game is being played.

“My friend’s house on the knoll is the best place to watch a game,” Campbell said. “There are drinks, food, sports and bonding with friends.”

Medas agreed.

“I prefer to watch [the games] in my fraternity house,” he said. “I am surrounded by people I know, and it is within the comfort of my own home.”

by Aly Martinez

Basketball has gained tremendous popularity across Butler University’s campus within the past few years, but one thing that never changes is the importance of recognizing basketball’s vocabulary.  Comprehension of the language is essential when appreciating what’s going on throughout the halves.

It could be assumed that supporters would become more familiar with the most common terms and phrases used. However a number of people remain behind on the jargon.

Sophomore Derek Brown said he could typically get into watching the Bulldogs play at Hinkle Fieldhouse, but he said he feels most fans are just yelling to yell.

“There are people who get on your nerves because they don’t know what they are talking about, and there are those who do know what they are talking about but are getting way too intense,” he said.

To avoid being one of those clueless fans, it’s best to brush up on the basic terms used to describe certain actions and calls that are said during a game.

Tisha Hill, assistant Women’s Basketball coach, said her favorite expressions are the ones most commonly heard.  Some words she mentioned were “shoot,” “dribble,” “rebound,” “box-out,” “pressure the ball,” and “foul.”

During practice, Hill said the coaches tell the girls, “don’t let a player face cut you.”  She said it sounds pretty violent, but it means not to let a player from the opposite team jump in front of you and cut you off from the ball.

Another fairly uncommon term Hill said the coaches frequently shout out is “caboose.”  Hill explained that to caboose during a game means to chase a screen.

Alex Prittie, a sophomore, said he likes that there’s a whole language around basketball and that there can be several words to describe one action.

Prittie brought up the fact that terminology differs from group to group.  He said the terms and phrases he uses when he’s playing at Butler or at home are not the same as what he hears in the gym he practices at during the summer.

“In the summer, the style of game is much quicker and fast-paced,” he said. “So since the style is different, our speech is also very different.”

Prittie did stress the importance of knowing the fundamentals of the language and said he likes hearing the terms associated with the more exciting plays such as “kiss the rim” or “honey dip”— both expressions referring to dunks.

Junior Laura Smith said she grew up on basketball, and that aside from the constant scoring and physical contact of the game, the terminology also kept her interested.

Smith said there is a variation in the way certain crowds speak when talking about basketball.  She said the biggest differences she has noticed are between genders and age groups.

“When I played, if we wanted someone to really guard their person, we would say ‘be like gum on their shoe,” she said.

Brown said,  “Every group will have its own little spin on the language, but there definitely are some basic terms and phrases that everyone should be familiar with.”

In the second game of its exhibition season, the Butler men’s basketball team hosted Franklin College in front of a crowd of 8,586 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.

In contrast to their first exhibition contest, the Bulldogs immediately took control of the game, leading from start to finish in an eventual 91-53 victory.

Junior center Andrew Smith controlled the opening tip for the Bulldogs and drew a foul under the basket during Butler’s first offensive series.

Junior guard Chase Stigall followed with four 3-point baskets, as the Bulldogs shot 53 percent from behind the arc in the contest.

Butler ended the first half with a 20-point lead, 45-25.

The Bulldogs kept their foot on the gas in the second half, posting an additional 46 points on 62 percent shooting.

The second half saw many of the newest Bulldogs get significant minutes.

Freshman guard Andrew Smeathers tallied 11 points, including three 3-point baskets.

Photos by Taylor Cox

Fellow freshman guard Jackson Aldridge added 10 points and six assists in a reserve role.

Kameron Woods and Roosevelt Jones, also freshmen, recorded nine and seven points, respectively.

“We got a lot of guys quality minutes,” coach Brad Stevens said. “They were all fairly productive when they were in there, and it was a step in the right direction.”

Sophomore guard Bailey Howard led Franklin with 20 points in 23 minutes.

“We’ve got about a week to prepare for a really, really hard game [at Evansville],” Stevens said.

In their first game of the 2011 exhibition season, the Bulldogs lost to Northern State, a Division II school from Aberdeen, S.D., in front of a crowd of 5,544 at Hinkle.

While it was Butler’s first game of the exhibition season, Northern State had already played two, against Northern Iowa and Purdue, losing both.

“For Butler, it was kind of like getting a bye in the first round of a tournament then having to play a team who’s played a few games,” said Northern State coach Paul Sather.

The Wolves shot 46 percent from the field en route to a 53-50 last-second victory over the Bulldogs.

Northern State senior guard Alex Thomas found himself with possession of the ball at the top of the key with six seconds left in the game.

Tied at 50, the Bulldogs elected not to foul a Northern State shooter, and Thomas made them pay by sinking a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Wolves the 53-50 victory.

The Bulldogs shot just 25 percent from the field in the first half. Despite shooting an improved 43 percent from the field in the second half, Butler could not pull out the win.

Northern State was a model of consistency between the two halves, shooting 43 percent from the field in the second half and 46 percent for the game.

“We all hate to lose,” Stevens said. “We have a lot of work to do, and we have a lot of time to do it. We’ve got to be a lot better in almost every area.”

Smith led all scorers with 19 points and eight rebounds in 30 minutes of play.

Sophomore forward Khyle Marshall added 14 points and four rebounds for Butler, while senior guard Ronald Nored logged a game-high 36 minutes and tallied six assists.

Junior forward Collin Pryor paced Northern State with 18 points.

The men will start regular season play Saturday, Nov. 12 at Evansville.

The Purple Aces beat the Bulldogs at Hinkle last season, 71-68 in overtime.