Traveling with the team to every Butler men’s basketball game are two men who do not play for the team but are just as important to the team and Butler’s fans.

Calling the Butler men’s basketball games for the last three seasons are Brandon Gaudin, Butler’s play-by-play voice, and Nick Gardner, Butler’s color analyst, on Indianapolis’s ESPN 1070 The Fan.

Gaudin is an alumnus of Butler. While Gaudin attended Butler he doubled majored in political science and communications. He also doubled minored sports broadcasting and business.

Before attending Butler Gaudin knew what he wanted to do since he was young.

“I realized that I probably would not be good enough to play baseball professionally,” Gaudin said. “So I started to listen to the announcers and realized that maybe announcing would be an opportunity to always be around the game of baseball.”

In high school Gaudin began his broadcasting career. “I talked one of my teachers in to allowing me to be on a small radio station in Evansville doing the play-by-play for high school baseball,” Gaudin said.

“It catapulted my love for play-by-play and kept me in the field of broadcasting from then until now.”

During his time at Butler Gaudin balanced his time with classes, broadcasting experience and internships. Gaudin interned for the Texas Rangers’ radio network. He also interned for ESPN in New York City.

“My motto was to get good grades,” Gaudin said. “But beyond grades I would see what I could put on my resume besides my GPA and that was by getting experience not only on campus but through internships and networking.”

As a student he was named “Most Outstanding Communications Student” and he was one of the top ten male students in his 2006 graduating class.

Gardner is also an alum of Butler. He graduated in 2004 with a degree in integrated communications specializing in public relations and advertising.

Gardner also played basketball at Butler. He played during high school and was looking to continue through college. Gardner was an all-conference and all-county athlete at North Central High School in Indianapolis.

“I was not highly recruited coming out of high school,” Gardner said.

Gardner said he had some opportunities to play at the NCAA division three level but wanted to continue playing basketball at the highest level possible.

“It was it either I’m not going to play or I was going to try to play for a scholarship,” Gardner said.

Gardner came to Butler as a walk-on the men’s basketball team as a forward during the 2000-2001 basketball season. In his senior year he earned a full scholarship.

Gardner’s and Gaudin’s paths to broadcasting live on the radio for Butler were different.

Gardner did not go straight into the broadcasting industry. After graduation Gardner went to work for his family’s bakery supply company.

Two years later, Gardner was offered to work on the radio broadcast team for Butler basketball.

Butler was looking for a new radio team for basketball after Chris Denari, former play-by-play voice for 17 years, took the job as the play-by-play voice for the Indiana Pacers on Fox Sports Indiana.

Butler hired Joe Gentry, director of corporate sponsorships and manager of radio and television, to do the play-by-play and Gardner as the color analyst.

“It just fell onto my lap,” Gardner said. “I think it was former Butler head coach Todd Lickliter who recommended me to the radio broadcast. I think he might have thought I would be good at it because I never really had any broadcasting experience and they called to offer me the job.”

“We were looking for somebody with basketball knowledge and someone who knew our system,” Gentry said. “To have a former player like Nick was the best of all possible scenarios.”

Gardner is in his seventh season as color analyst for Butler basketball.

Unlike Gardner, Gaudin immediately began in the broadcast industry after graduation.

Gaudin took a job doing play-by-play for the Salt Lake City Bees, the minor league affiliate for the Los Angeles Angels. While doing play-by-play Gaudin was also a talent producer for ESPN.

After working on radio broadcast for the Salt Lake City Bees and at ESPN, Gaudin teamed up with Erik Sorenson, former president of MSNBC, and Robert Grossman, former senior producer for Larry King Live, in 2007 to form MediaOne Management Group in New York City.

Two years later Gaudin returned to radio broadcast at the University of Evansville. Gaudin took over as the main play-by-play voice for University of Evansville athletics.

“My role at Evansville was much different than my role at Butler,” Gaudin said. “At Evansville I had to wear all hats. I taught students broadcasting and called baseball, basketball and soccer.”

During Butler’s first run to the national championship in 2010 Gaudin said he heard there was going to be a job opportunity for Butler’s play-by-play voice.

“When I heard the job was open I jumped all over it, Gaudin said. “I called right away and started interviewing. A couple months later the job, fortunately, became mine.”

“Gaudin was the best candidate we had in the field,” Gentry said. “He had the whole package we were looking for and he was our first choice.”

Gaudin is now in his third season as the play-by-play voice for Butler basketball.

For the three seasons Gaudin and Gardner have been broadcasting together, Butler fans have been able to enjoy a thorough broadcast of Butler basketball games.

“We have had, historically, good announcers in the field,” Gentry said.

“Gaudin does such a great job with the broadcast,” said Mark Minner, studio host for 1070 The Fan during Butler basketball games.

“He carries himself very professionally. He manages the game exactly the way you would want to as a play-by-play man. You really couldn’t find a better model in terms of college basketball play-by-play.”

Gaudin and Gardner arrive at each game prepared to broadcast live. Both said they spend hours studying footage of Butler and the opponent.

Before the Butler game against Marquette University Gaudin said he watched Marquette’s previous game to get to know the opponent’s players.

“One of the biggest parts of play-by-play is memorizing the other team’s player and what they look like,” Gaudin said. “I’ll make a spreadsheet with everyone’s name and statistics.”

It is also not all about studying film. Gaudin and Gardner attend some of Butler’s practices during the week and Butler’s shoot around before each game to get a better understanding of the team’s play.

“I really like to have a good idea what Butler is going to do to attack their opponent,” Gardner said. “It is my job as the analyst to try and help everybody understand what is going on the floor.”

During the broadcast Gaudin and Gardner have great chemistry with each other.

“It is important for me to be quick with what I have to say,” Gardner said, “so Brandon can get back on the microphone and explain to people what is going on.”

“Most analysts a lot of times add fluff,” Gaudin said. “Nick brings true color to the broadcast.”

Gaudin and Gardner said their chemistry makes the broadcast easy to do.

“Nick is very easy to work with,” Gaudin said. “I think Nick ranks right up there with one of the best analysts on radio that I have heard. He sure takes a lot of pressure off my shoulders.”

“He makes it real easy on me,” Gardner said. “He’s a fantastic play-by-play guy. I think he does a great job of describing not only the action but the atmosphere with which the game is surrounded.”

Each game called by Gaudin and Gardner is lively and exciting to listen because both are fans of the sport and Butler basketball.

“They have a passion for the game,” Minner said. “If you listen to a game called by Nick and Brandon it is hard not to get excited.”

“There are different kinds of broadcasters,” Gaudin said. “You either are a neutral broadcaster and you can be excited for both teams. When you are the voice for a specific team, it’s okay to be a little bit more excited for that team.

“My excitement certainly comes through. When Butler makes big runs you can tell through my voice. In close moments it’s key to maintain your composure to still be able to relay to the listeners what the heck is going on.”

“Gardner bleeds Butler blue,” Minner said.

“I’m still a fan first and foremost,” Gardner said. “To get to know the team on a personal level makes calling the game much more exiting. Just trying to give fans a small window into the team is the most fulfilling part of broadcasting.”

Though Gaudin and Gardner are fans of Butler basketball they still conduct a non-bias broadcast.

“Obviously they are working for Butler,” Minner said. “At the same point and time they are able to do it in a very neutral way. They call the game as it should be.”

Outside of radio broadcasting Gaudin and Gardner have other work.

This was the first season Gardner worked on television broadcasts for Butler basketball on WNDY-TV. Gardner was the color analyst alongside Anthony Calhoun, play-by-play voice and sports director at WISH-TV.

When the Butler basketball season is done, Gaudin works on sports broadcasting for the NCAA on Tuner Sports. Gaudin does the play-by-play for NCAA division one championships for baseball and golf.

Hinkle Fieldhouse appears void of activity to the outside observer after dark. But for Rotnei Clarke, nights in Hinkle hardly lack action.

On any given night, one can find the senior guard shooting and working on his game in a nearly deserted Hinkle Fieldhouse. Apart from an occasional security guard or maintenance worker, Clarke normally practices without an audience.

Every night possible, Clarke is at Hinkle shooting until he makes between 350 and 400 shots. Clarke said those shots range from 3-pointers and free throws to all types of possible in-game shots.

Vicki Devine, lead general services assistant at Hinkle, said Clarke almost always makes an appearance whenever she is working late.

This work ethic didn’t come overnight for Clarke.

“I’ve done these workouts ever since I can remember,” Clarke said. “Going back to third or fourth grade, I would work with my dad on ball handling and shooting drills.”

Clarke also said his faith keeps him motivated to go in each night and put in the work necessary to succeed.

“I know that God has blessed me with a gift that I don’t want to go to waste,” Clarke said. “It’s a blessing to be alive, and I’m really playing for him.”

Clarke said the neck injury he sustained against Dayton earlier this season broke his routine for a week or two, but it hasn’t really stopped him.

If anything, he said it reinforced his desire to get the most out of his abilities while he is able to do so.

Clarke has had a remarkable season for Butler, averaging more than 16 points per game and shooting nearly 43 percent on 3’s and 88 percent from the free-throw line.

Amid his collegiate success, Clarke said any thoughts of playing professionally could wait.

“I’m really just focused on this season right now,” Clarke said. “I’m trying to finish strong with the guys and coaching staff I’m with. I’ll worry about what comes next after the season is over with.”

With the calendar turned to March and the NCAA Tournament rapidly approaching, Clarke believes strongly in the team’s chances to make a run this postseason.

“I think we can make a deep run, (and) we’ve shown throughout the season we can play with anyone,” Clarke said. “It depends on how we play each night, but anything can happen.”

Athletes should be allowed to have priority registration every semester because athletes are training year-round, not just during their regular seasons.

Right now, athletes have priority registration only during the semester their season falls on, but not the off-season.

In most cases, the off-season is harder than the regular season due to extra practices.

Teams train all year, so athletes should be accommodated to fit needed classes in their hectic schedules.

Many sports have secondary seasons or exhibition games they play during the off-season.

Some days, teams will lift weights and practice on the same day.

A poorly put together academic schedule combined with two workouts per day will make for a long day for any athlete.

There is no reason to not let athletes have priority.

If athletes have to work out for a school team and represent their university away from campus, the school should try to accommodate them so their schedules can be a bit more feasible.

Athletes should also receive priority because, in order to remain eligible athletes, they must complete a certain number of academic hours per year.

If an athlete does not get the class they need because they are not “in-season” and the NCAA says they are ineligible the following semester, then he or she is left in the dark.

The athletics department has employees who regulate academics, but the way the system stands now could cause athletes to slip through the cracks if they cannot fit certain classes into their hectic off-season schedules.

The only solution to this scenario would be to overload an athlete with classes during the following semester.

This semester would fall during his or her regular season, in most cases.

To ensure that athletes remain competitive on the field and in the classroom, they should receive priority scheduling for all semesters.

Photo by Rachel Senn

The immature actions of the Dawg Pound deteriorates the value of the “Butler Way;” but the good they do off the court gives me hope that they can turn it around in time for the post season.

The Dawg Pound is one of the most underappreciated groups on campus. On a national stage they represent Butler University. Everyone knows how good the basketball program is, but a lot of schools have good teams with contradictory student bodies.

A lot of the cheers are dumb and ironically offend other teams as well as our own. For example we insult a player from Australia when we have a native of Australia on our team. Although Xavier fans traveled well from my seat in the middle rows the game felt like it was at a neutral site.

I hope that the Dawg Pound stays passionate but does not stoop to the level to where not only do opposing players flip them the bird but the rest of society who interacts with the Dawg Pound doesn’t either.

This group does many things that go unnoticed and unappreciated. The most impactful thing they have done was support “Coaches v.s. Cancer” by buying shirts with the proceeds supporting cancer research.

This hit home because the women’s basketball coach, Beth Couture underwent a previous battle with cancer.

The conscious effort to support the women’s basketball team, who has a much smaller fan base, is another good deed that shows a better side of the Dawg Pound.

The group that began 10 years  ago as a way to boost attendance at games has blossomed into something much bigger.

Although the 950 members is a fraction of the student population, they represent Butler on a larger scale. The activities they do and the way they conduct themselves portrays the school in a positive or negative light.

This is just one example of how the Dawg Pound spreads the “Butler Way.” With the success of our basketball team the Dawg Pound is Butler’s best promotional tool. When the team travels Butler is judged on the way its fans conduct themselves.

Most tournament games are on national TV so the only thing the rest of the country knows about Butler students is what they see out of the Dawg Pound.

In Butler’s last two NCAA tournament appearances, Butler fans impressed opponents and host city residents with courtesy and respect.

With the postseason tournaments approaching, whether it is the NCAA tournament or one less prestigious, the Dawg Pound must mature up and realize they are the face of Butler and must show the country the “Butler Way.”

$400 million in one weekend: that’s what the city of Indianapolis will lose out on if the National Football League and the NFL Players’ Association fail to renegotiate the collective bargaining agreement.

While the league’s lockout “millionaire versus billionaire” fight continues into its fifth week, the city of Indianapolis is paying the price.

Though tourism, hospitality and Super Bowl planning leaders say they’re continuing to move forward with “business as usual,” I cannot help but think how greed in sports could ruin this incredible opportunity for Indianapolis.

Beginning with the creation of the Capital Improvement Board in 1965, the city has built itself up as a sports city. Indianapolis leaders wanted their city to become the amateur sports capital of the world.

Today, Indianapolis is the home of the NCAA, the National Federation of State High School Associations, USA Synchronized Swimming, USA Diving, USA Football, USA Track and Field and USA Gymnastics.

The city has spent­—and continues to spend—millions to build and maintain Conseco Fieldhouse for the Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, along with the Indianapolis Colts’ $720 million Lucas Oil Stadium.

The city has a deal with the NCAA to host the Men’s Final Four once every five years, according to an Indianapolis Star article from 2004.

“The NCAA not only broke from its conventional bidding process, it also promised the Indiana Sports Corp., an additional event in each of the intervening years between men’s Final Fours,” the article said. “The women’s Final

Four, men’s and women’s early-round tournament games and the NCAA Convention will be included in each five-year cycle.”

It is only natural that, as Indy has grown into its role as a sports city, it hosts a Super Bowl.

But greed could stand in its way.

According to the collective bargaining agreement, a player’s salary is defined as any “compensation in money, property, investments, loans or anything else of value to which an NFL player may be awarded.”

NFL franchise owners currently take $1 billion off the top of the approximately $9 billion total revenue brought in by the league. After that, a little less than 60 percent of the remaining money goes to the NFLPA—which includes player salaries and benefits—while the owners share the rest.

Sure, players are getting more than half of the revenue the NFL generates, but that’s after the 32 owners take the first billion. Their demands for a new collective bargaining agreement include an additional billion off the top.

While the 32 owners share in about 40 percent of the income, the other 60 percent is being spread out among the league’s 1,696 players.

I understand the owners are trying to run a successful business, but they have to make the players happy. With no players, they have no business. It is the players and their likeness that rake in the cash.

Many today argue that players are overpaid.

In reality, they are paid what we have deemed them to be worth.

We are the ones who watch the games, buy the jerseys, play the video games and idolize them. As a society, we look up to the players as though they are demigods

If we expect for them to be paid less, we should not look up to them as superheroes.

In all this, I suppose I am just upset that a city like Indianapolis, which has more than 10,000 volunteers working tirelessly to make sure the city is pristine, could lose out on the Super Bowl because of a few selfish individuals.

They would take away the Super Bowl—though it has never happened before—for a billion more dollars. They would take away that $400 million from Indianapolis so that the billionaires can accumulate another billion.

Indy deserves this Super Bowl. If greed takes it away, we should look to the NFL in shame, not adoration.

By Kate Siegfried and Jill McCarter

Butler University is still reaping the benefits from last year’s run in the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament and is looking forward to receiving the numbers for this year.

Results from a study completed by media firms Borshoff and Meltwater show that the university earned more than $639 million in publicity value during last year’s tournament.

The numbers reflect publicity received through online, broadcast and print media.

About one-sixth of that value came from the National Championship game alone.

“This money is not just given to the university,” Athletic Director Barry Collier said. “The basketball team had to earn it for us.”

And while the value isn’t tangible, Collier said there are many advantages to having that amount of exposure.

Increases in ticket sales, licensing fees, bookstore sales, donations and applications can be, in part, attributed to the exposure received from last year’s tournament.

Charitable giving and donations to the athletic department have reached an all-time high and continue to increase.

Vice President for University Advancement Mark Helmus has overseen successful athletic-themed fundraising campaigns in the past two years during and following the tournament. Last year’s campaign set a record for alumni donations, raising more than $100,000.

Helmus is currently planning a similar campaign for this year, and said he expects similar results.

“You can’t tie it all to the tournament,” Helmus said. “But I do think this type of thing really increases the feel-good attitude of alumni and increases their pride in the university.”

The increases in donations were primarily from individuals, while corporate giving didn’t necessarily reflect the increased exposure.

Current students are already seeing the effects from last year, Helmus said. Money has gone towards the university’s general operating fund, which funds everything from student life activities, to classroom materials, to building and renovation costs.

“Very rarely in fundraising do you really see a home run,” Helmus said. “Last year, we really raised the bar on our expectations, so we’re hoping for two in a row.”

Butler isn’t the only school feeling the effects of the tournament.

All Horizon League schools receive money from Butler’s Final Four trip. Associate Athletic Director for Operations Tom Crowley said that the league splits the money received from the NCAA evenly among all 10 members.

Because last year’s study was completed after the tournament, Collier said some things could have been missed in the numbers. To get a more accurate value, this year’s study was conducted in real time.

Numbers should be released in the coming months.

Following last year’s NCAA Division I men’s Basketball Championships, junior guard Ronald Nored had surgery to correct stress fractures in both knees. The surgery was successful, but left Nored with metal rods in each leg.

But the rods did not hinder his play, rather they accentuated his robot-like defensive stance and wiry movements on the court.

Midway through 2010-11 conference season, a Butler student took on the persona of the cyborg Nored, better known as Ron 5 Robot.

The robot quickly became an unofficial mascot of the Bulldog basketball team and can even be seen in a video alongside Butler Blue II and Hink. The Ron 5 Robot Twitter account has upwards of 550 followers to date.

To protect his anonymity, I conducted an entirely electronic interview with Butler’s beloved mechanical mascot. After carefully interpreting the binary code, here are his responses.

Lance Rinker: You’ve become an unofficial mascot and a staple of Butler basketball. The burning question is in regard to your creation. Who built you?

Ron 5 Robot: First off, I don’t think we need a mascot—the team’s play is plenty entertaining. But some human fans who were inspired by Nored’s game and bionic body created me back in early February to honor him and his teammates, and it’s been a wild ride since.

LR: What was the reaction inside Hinkle Fieldhouse when you made your inaugural appearance? Did fans confuse you with Nored the human?

R5: Mostly it was what humans have described to me as “confusion.” They weren’t sure what I was, but they knew they “loved” me. Several pictures were taken.  I took a picture with my human counterpart after the game, and quite honestly, it is very hard to tell the two of us apart.

LR: What could the human players learn from you to help on the hardwood?

R5: I’m probably more stylish than any of them (except Matt [Howard], of course, and [Brad] Stevens with his glasses), but I don’t think they need any basketball tips from me. I’ll let Matt, Andrew [Smith] or Khyle [Marshall] borrow a jet pack here and there to take us to Slam Jam City, but other than that, it’s all them.

LR: What was your favorite moment of Butler basketball this year?

R5: I’m not a time-traveling robot, but I can tell you with certainty that my favorite moment hasn’t happened yet. I think all of us—bot and human alike—are going to know it when we see it. However, my human counterpart’s four consecutive free throws against Florida in overtime surely made my head spin with excitement.

LR: How did you react to each of Butler’s first two NCAA tournament wins?

R5: Both wins nearly caused a total meltdown and definitely resulted in some metal frame damage—these Dawgs aren’t for those with faint motherboards. I celebrated with some human fans in person and through my Twitter account and threw back a few pints of ice cold motor oil. And, of course, I did a little robo-boogie on the D.C. metro.

LR: What was going through your mainframe when the Bulldogs advanced to their second consecutive Final Four?

R5: Even a bot as advanced as me had a tough time comprehending such an amazing accomplishment. I know the human players aren’t satisfied yet, though, and my calculations show that even more awesomeness awaits us in Houston.  I have informed my human Twitter followers that Butler is undefeated (9-0) when I am present at the games, so hopefully my trip to Houston this week will yield success for the Dawgs.

LR: Are you at all concerned with going through airport security en route to the Final Four?

R5: Well, technically, my laser eye and lock-down defense capability make me a weapon of mass destruction, so that might be somewhat of an issue. But there’s nowhere for TSA to pat me down, so that’s a big relief. Some of my friends at NASA might be able to open a landing pad for me, so I might just jet pack in on my own—it’s more my style anyway.

LR: Rumor has it that wool will be a plenty in Houston. Do you see those interfering with your hardware?

R5: I’ve received upgrades throughout the year, and I don’t anticipate any mechanical issues. I will, though, blow a circuit if we have anymore late-game heroics. I am more worried about overheating in the hot Texas sun more than anything, but I am getting additional upgrades this week in order to prevent any heat related malfunctions.

Mens’ Basketball Coach Brad Stevens addressed students and members of the community about the importance of taking advice in a speech on Wednesday, Sept. 15 at Clowes Memorial Hall.

An Evening with Brad Stevens: Choosing a Path, Living a Dream was sponsored by Butler’s Center for Faith and Vocation.

Judy Cebula, Director of the Center for Faith and Vocation, said she wanted students to hear the stories of members from the community.

“Coach Stevens has a great story,” Cebula said in the introduction portion. “He has found great meaning and goals in life.”

Stevens received a standing ovation as he started his address.

“I got such a warm greeting,” Stevens said. “Obviously, we haven’t played a game yet.”

The coach was grateful for the invitation, but he wasn’t exactly sure why he was asked to share his advice with students and others.

“I’m really hesitant to give personal advice,” Stevens said. “I feel like I can learn a lot more from you than you can learn from me.”

Stevens said he felt like he had received a lot of support over the years from his family.

“My family provided a home where faith was an important part of our lifestyle,” Stevens said. “And that has really helped me over the years.”

Stevens took a full-time assistant coaching position after leaving his job at Eli Lilly and Company in 2001.

“I knew I wanted to end up coaching,” Stevens said. “The passion for the game never left.”

Even then, Stevens said he knew the importance of doing your best and putting your all into the things you do.

“If there’s something you want to do, jump in with two feet and get to it,” Stevens said.

When Stevens was offered a position on the coaching staff, he said that the values written on the walls of Hinkle Fieldhouse made Butler stand out.

“With those written on the wall, I knew that they really emphasized the importance of humility,” Stevens said. “Sometimes, that gets lost in the shuffle, which is not good.”

While adversity is hard to adjust to, success can be just as difficult to acclimate, Stevens said.

Stevens said the thing he wanted audience members to take with them that night is what has helped him all along the way.

“Surround yourself with good people,” Stevens said.

Stevens also said he has discovered how important it is to be true to yourself.

“I had to be me. I just have to my job and hopefully, the results will take care of themselves,” Stevens said. “Sometimes, though, it’s difficult to be yourself.”

One lesson Stevens said he tells the basketball team is that they might have to do things they don’t want to do.

“Great teams go through difficult times together,” Stevens said. “You can’t always change the circumstances, but you can change your attitude.”

While travelling after recruiting season, Stevens said that idea was very important to him when his plane from Florida to Indiana went through turbulence. While many passengers complained about the bumps of the airplane, the children on the plane acted like it was just another ride at an amusement park.

“I learned that it is what it is,” Stevens said. “You can either be mad about it or you can close your eyes and raise your hands and just say ‘woohoo.’”

After last season’s loss to Duke during the National Championship, Stevens said that he had no regrets and told the team to feel the same way.

“At the end of the day, if you prepare yourself to the best of your abilities, you should walk away with no regrets,” Stevens said. “Don’t pay attention to the negativity. Focus on your task at hand.”

Goals are something Stevens said he does not set for himself.

“I believe in the value of striving toward something and living meaningfully, I don’t believe in setting limits for myself,” Stevens said.

The future past his time at Butler is something he is unsure of.

“I’m only 33, so I’m not ready to write my autobiography yet,” Stevens said. “I tell my team that it’s not about the highlights here at Butler, it’s about the highlights afterwards.”