FINAL FOUR PLAYER PROFILE: BUTLER'S RONALD NORED

They’re just not big enough.

That was the knock against Butler coming into the NCAA Tournament. Nice team. Fundamentally sound. But destined for an exit the first time they come up against a vertical challenge. That’s what the pundits said.

But here’s what the pundits forgot, or never knew about, or just plain overlooked: Ronald Nored.

Who?

Six-foot tall, 174 pound guard Ronald Nored? What’s he got to do with defending the paint?

Everything.

Ronald Nored is such a spectacular on-the-ball defender that not only will he shut down the other team’s primary perimeter scoring threat, but he’ll prevent them from running their offense altogether.

And you can’t score down low if you can’t get into your offense.

It’s the basketball equivalent of a devastating pass rush in football. It doesn’t matter who’s open downfield if the quarterback gets hit before the play unfolds.  

Same thing applies with point guards. And nobody takes ‘em down like Ronald Nored.

As the Horizon Defensive Player of the Year he regularly shut down opposing scoring threats. Valpo’s Brandon Wood led the Horizon in scoring at 18 a game but managed just 11 points combined in two games against Nored.

Okay, so you’ve never heard of Brandon Wood. How about Stephen Curry from Davidson? You remember him, right? Darling of last year’s NCAA Tournament, current member of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, all-around scoring machine.

Curry averaged 28 a game last year. Against the Nored defense system he was lucky to get 20 on 6-for-23 shooting, 2-for-13 from behind the arc, with a whopping seven turnovers, in Davidson’s loss to Butler.

Opposing ballers have met similar fates in this year’s tourney. UTEP was a trendy pick over the Bulldogs round one, on the assumption that wide-bodied Derrick Caracter would unleash holy hell in the paint. He never got the chance. Nored shut down Conference USA Player of the Year Randy Culpepper and the Miners got blown out.

We should have seen it coming against Syracuse as well- a team that lacks a true point guard in its starting five. Nored racked up five steals, harassed Andy Rautins to the tune of five turnovers, and the mighty ‘Cuse never got rolling.  

Said Jim Boeheim afterwards, “The game was a story of turnovers. They didn’t make turnovers. They were really good with the basketball. We just had 18 turnovers and you can’t give away that many possessions.”

Same storyline against Kansas St. in the regional final. Guard Jacob Pullen, the key to the Wildcat offense, had one of his worst games of the year on 4-for-13 shooting with four turnovers as the Bulldogs advanced to Indy.

Hard to believe, but Ronald Nored, averaging a nondescript seven points a game in the tourney (up from five a game in the regular season) may just be Butler’s MVP. Indications are that coach Brad Stevens agrees-  it’s Nored, not top scorer and NBA prospect Gordon Hayward, that  leads the team in minutes played. Hell, if Butler wins it all, Nored should probably be the tournament MVP.

But of course he won’t be. Because the kind of contribution he makes is not the kind that gets noticed.

And this is why we love college basketball. Only on this level can a guy have such decisive impact on the game in the unique way that he does without gaining, or seeking, the limelight.

Keep that in mind next time you hear some NBA millionaire prattling on about how it’s all about “the team” after just launching thirty shots in a game. Ronald Nored doesn’t have to say it. He just does it.

Next up for Butler is Michigan State. Already the pundits are saying the same things, expressing the same concerns. Can Butler match up with Sparty’s athleticism? Can they handle State’s strength in the paint?

Well before put your money down keep one thing in mind. MSU’s great point guard Kalin Lucas is done for the season, leaving the talented but inexperienced Korie Lucious at the reins. How will Lucious be able to handle the defense pressure he gets from Nored? Will Michigan State be able to run their half court sets, get into their offense and take advantage down low?

These are important questions because, in order to advance, Michigan State has to go through Ronald Nored.

Good luck.

 -Chris Marakovitz

ROCKBOXSPORTS.COM