Primarily a collection of news links about all 11 Horizon League teams on a daily basis, culled from online newspapers, school athletic websites, the conference website, and school newspapers, plus some other content from time to time.
Just as creatively (and as important), Stevens kept his players in situations—offensively and defensively—where they had a high probability of success. Shelvin Mack, a thick 6'3" guard, was seldom asked to guard an explosive dribbler (a duty that usually fell to Ronald Nored or Shawn Vanzant); Matt Howard, a 6'8" forward on both Final Four teams with a propensity for overplaying and fouling, was usually assigned to an opponent's weakest forward (while Hayward or Willie Veasley would guard more athletic players). Hahn, strong and slow, sometimes guarded players who were six inches taller but not highly skilled. "They were really, really good at cross-matching on defense," says Valparaiso coach Bryce Drew, who was an assistant under his father, Homer, during Stevens's Butler era. "They would play a one with a three, or a four with a two, just to limit your best players. They really knew who they were."
Offensively, Butler ran precise sets, especially on out-of-bounds plays. "I don't want to say they were flawless," says Cleveland State coach Gary Waters, "but Brad's teams were absolutely great in situational execution."
Oakland, Horizon: Simply put, the Golden Grizzlies will have the best inside-outside combo right off the bat in the Horizon League. Travis Bader provides a premier perimeter threat while Corey Petros will take care of things inside the paint.
The 2K championship rounds, per usual, will be held at Madison Square Garden. The semifinals and finals will be held Nov. 21 and 22. Before the championship rounds take place (wherein the aforementioned four teams are exempt into the semifinals), they host subregionals. Other teams involved in the event: UC Irvine, Detroit, Boston University, Eastern Washington, Florida Atlantic, LIU Brooklyn, Stony Brook and Toledo.
Travis Bader, Oakland: Bader made more three-pointers than anyone in the country a year ago (139). The scary thing is that after a productive summer, Bader may become more of a threat this upcoming season. Bader attending the Kevin Durant Skills Academy outside of Washington, DC last month and now he has become recognized as one of the nation's best wings and maybe even a specialist at the next level.
Trey Lewis, Cleveland State: Gary Water's backcourt gets bolstered a bit with Penn State transfer Trey Lewis coming home. Lewis averaged over 5 points per game in Happy Valley, but its his performance at Garfield Heights High School that caught Water's eye. Lewis averaged 23 points, 5.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds for the Cleveland based high school in 2011.
Jordan Sibert, Dayton: The Flyers are another Ohio based school that will get a boost from a Big Ten transfer. 6'4 guard Jordan Sibert joins Archie Miller's squad after playing at Ohio State. Sibert averaged 11 minutes and 3 points per game during the Buckeyes Final Four run two years ago.
Carlton Brundidge, Detroit: The sting of Ray McCallum's graduation won't hurt as much with Michigan transfer Carlton Brundidge. Brundidge didn't play much in his one season in Ann Arbor but the 6'3 guard averaged 20.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists for his high school career.
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Jay Harris, Wagner: Harris was a Top 100 recruit when Valparaiso signed him a couple of years ago and now he finds himself ready to suit up for Bashir Mason after a year off. Harris has two years of eligibility left and averaged just over 9 points per game in his last campaign for the Crusaders. (Added 8/1 3:00 PM)
