Butler's Nored is driven by defense
HOUSTON – Ronald Nored is Butler’s Iron Man, a defensive specialist whose play might not draw headlines, but has sparked the school’s students to pay tribute to him in an innovative fashion.
Nored had surgery after last season’s national championship game loss to Duke to repair stress fractures in both knees. He had metal rods implanted in his legs. The procedure was a success, helping stabilize the knees, though he still deals with pain.
Those crazy kids in Indianapolis thought it would be cool to create a robot, the Ron 5, to honor their bionic, lockdown leader. The gimmick, started midway through this season, is gaining steam. There’s even a Ron 5 Robot Twitter account with 635 followers.
“The robot’s funny,” Nored said Sunday as reporters swarmed his locker. “I follow it. But to be clear, it’s not me.”
The real thing is much better.
Nored’s unique, mechanical defensive stance was the mother of invention. Now it’s up to him, coach Brad Stevens and his teammates to devise a strategy that will limit the effectiveness of Connecticut scoring sensation Kemba Walker in Monday night’s national championship game at Reliant Stadium.
“In the next few hours I’m going to break down [Walker’s] tendencies, maybe look at stats of ways that he’s not as good at going,” Nored said. “I’m going to do my best to try and force him that way and relay that to everyone else.
“He’s been to a Final Four before. He’s played on all the big stages and made all the big shots you could ever want to make. He’s going to be pretty tough.”
Nored certainly won’t be called upon alone to stop Walker, who is averaging 25 points in tournament play. But the 6-foot junior guard’s effort could be a key in deciding whether the Bulldogs become the first team from a non-power conference to win the national title since the 1990 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels and the highest-seeded team, a No. 8, to claim the crown since Villanova won as a No. 8 seed in 1985.
Effort is not something Stevens worries about when it comes to Nored.
“He’s an outstanding defender,” the coach said. “He really cares about it. Everybody in basketball growing up, and as they got to be good players, creates an identity. His identity is as a defender. Those guys are pretty rare.”
Nored is a rarity in another regard. He’s truly a student-athlete. The Homewood, Ala., native turned down the opportunity to go to Harvard to instead play basketball with the Bulldogs. He was enamored with the “Butler Way,” a credo that holds defensive intensity in the highest regard.
“[Coach] Tommy Amaker told me that the average Harvard graduate makes $300,000,” Nored said, laughing. “When I heard that I was like, ‘Maybe I need to go to Harvard.’ But I knew Butler basketball had been doing great things. I just wanted to be a part of something special.”
The Bulldogs have indeed separated themselves, earning back-to-back berths in the national championship game. Nored too is a paragon, a guy who willingly sacrificed a starting role to come off the bench and bother.
“I don’t think it was very difficult because I didn’t come here to be a starter,” he said. “I came to win basketball games. I came here to be part of a tradition that I didn’t see at a lot of other schools. … To play for a coach that, in my opinion, is the best in the country.”
As Nored worked on honing his shutdown skills, Stevens gave him a New York Times Magazine article to read, “The No Stats All-Star,” by Michael Lewis. The piece chronicled how former Duke great and NBA journeyman Shane Battier went about his business, scouting opponents and guarding doggedly.
Battier made himself invaluable as a pro. Reading the story inspired Nored.
“I just thought it was really interesting the way he approached the game,” Nored said. “He guards the best player on every team. His focus and preparation for whoever he plays is unbelievable. The way that he communicates with some of the people in the organization about stats, about which way to force a guy, those things were all really cool to see because those are the same things that I’m trying to do.”
Dwelling on defense is an unselfish pursuit, one that suits Nored. Containing future NBA first-round draft pick Walker, who he’s faced twice and lost to twice in AAU ball, might daunt some. For Nored, it’s just another day on the court.
“It’s not something that everybody is drawn to,” Stevens said of Nored’s assignment. “I haven’t seen SportsCenter show highlights of a good lead step to shut off a driving lane. It may not be as sexy, but Ron certainly takes pride in it.”
If Nored and his teammates are successful Monday, one of the greatest stories in the history of the NCAA tournament will be complete. The Butler Bulldogs will be perhaps the most unlikely champions in the 72-year history of the event.
They’ll owe a great debt to Nored and the sacrifices he made.
The man is, after all, a machine.
