After last night's 22 point 10 rebound performance against always pesky Cleveland Sate, I feel like it is time to debut the newest nickname for Butler's 6' 10" starting center, Andrew Smith. A few lucky Bulldog fans may have been lucky enough to hear or witness the "Mooooooooooooose" chants from the North side of the Dawg Pound when Smith gets announced in the starting lineup, but after his breakout game I feel like everyone should know. Now, you may ask yourself: What does Andrew Smith and a moose have in common? Well, hopefully by the end of this blog post you will see the clear connections between Andy and the Alces alces, or in non-scientific terms - moose. By the end of reading this, I am sure the next time Smith scores a bucket, you will join us putting four fingers on each hand behind our heads and chanting "Mooooooooooooose."
The first obvious similarity between Smith and a moose is their sheer size. An average moose has been known to grow between 6-7 feet tall and Andrew Smith stands on the upper-side of that at 6' 10". Now, because Smith is just a Sophomore it might be hypothesized that he is still a growing moose, but let's instead throw out those extra two inches and call it even. And despite the average moose weighing between 850-1500 lbs, I think we can all agree to throw out the difference there as well. But wait that is not all.
If you are not convinced of the similarities yet, than hold on because I have some more. One of the most reliable resources on the web, Wikipedia, claims that "moose are not usually aggressive towards humans, but can be provoked or frightened to behave with aggression." This is seen at Butler through the polite and bashful young man who listens during class and talks at press conferences, but come to play when it is game times. Another interesting point is that the natural enemy of the moose - the wolf is seen throughout our conference. When a pack of wolves or humans provoke the moose, the moose will fight back.
That means trouble for the rest of the Horizon League. Of the nine opposing teams in the Horizon League, five have mascots that are humans or wolves, one is a flame (that burns down a moose's habitat) and another is a panther that could easily be confused with a wolf in the eyes of a moose. That leaves the Penguins, who a moose could step on, and the Pheonix who would frighten any animal - thus creating more aggression.
Still don't get the connection? Moose are known as big lanky creatures with long limbs, but are surprisingly fast and can run up to 35mph. Much like the moose, Andrew Smith is tall and lanky, but is deceivingly fast running the break and jumping up for the lob. Don't believe me? Watch Smith run the floor next game. Last night, he was consistently one of the first people back on defense and ran hard all the way to the other end on offense. 
If you STILL don't believe me, check out a recent picture of Smith from practice this week.. there are some eerie similarities there, but I will let you be the judge. Rumor has it after this picture was taken, the photographer was dunked on.
Finally, the last point and possibly the real reason for the nickname might just be the fact that his number is 44. If you put four fingers on each hand behind your head (as shown in the picture at the top) it looks like antlers- thus forming a Moose. Truthfully, Andrew is beginning to blossom as a player and has been a real "moose" down on the low post. If he can continue to play consistent minutes in the post and put up numbers half as good as last night, Butler will be a scary looking inside-out threat. So whatever your reason is for calling Andrew Smith a moose, I hope that you will join us in recognizing our very own as "Mooooooooooose."
Before I get into the topic for this update, I have to apologize to my readers for the lack of updating over the past two weeks. Apparently finals, papers, and the fact that I got engaged last week were a little more time consuming than I had previously expected. I promise to give everyone a warning the next time that happens.
Although I had intended to write this blog immediately following the Stanford game last Saturday, I thought it would be more enjoyable to reflect and write while enjoying the sunshine in West Palm Beach, Florida while the majority of Butler fans suffer in snow covered hoosier country. Truthfully, I simply forgot to pack and had an early flight Sunday, which made it literally impossible to update after the game.
But anyway, despite the fact that this update will become outdated in a few hours (following the Butler vs. Utah game tonight), I still believe that this topic should be addressed and discussed.
Hinkle Fieldhouse, the home of Butler Basketball, is a national monument and historical landmark that brings numerous basketball enthusiast and historians alike to campus for a glimpse of one of the most storied buildings in college basketball. The athletic department have recently taken notice and embraced the new attention with museum like displays on the East side of the building displaying memorabilia from past and present events. Museums are known for the sophisticated and the quiet guests that appreciate the art/display in front of them. Here is the problem: that same museum crowd has carried over to game days at Butler and Hinkle is packed with fans who would much rather sit back and enjoy the display than cheer on the student athletes that work so hard each and every game. Those of you who have attended a home Butler game at Hinkle Fieldhouse know exactly what I am talking about.
Over Thanksgiving Break a few weeks back, I did something that I never thought I would do - attend an Indiana University home basketball game. I was told that all of the students were gone on break - yes all 10,000 - and thought that Assembly Hall would be as quiet as ever. Wow was I wrong.
I made my way to what is usually a student section behind the basket and politely sat down between the middle age couples and families that were taking the vacationing students spots. I was prepared for a nice and quiet game filled with a few questions from the nice looking senior citizen who was seating next to me about how the game was played. Again - Wow was I wrong. As soon as the game began, everyone from the 4 year old daughter in her IU cheerleading outfit, to the 85 year old man with an IU striped cane were chanting "Air-ball" and "Defense" along with the rest of the crowd. This was not the atmosphere I was expecting and definitely not the crowd I was used to back in Indy.
A few days before the Stanford game, I had received an email from Coach Stevens urging us (the Dawg Pound) to be as energetic and rowdy as possible. He went on to say that the team fed off of the energy of the crowd and really needed us after a long non-conference season was coming to a close. On Friday night, I bought posters, paint, markers, and a white board in hopes that I could ignite the Dawg Pound. I sent out emails urging students to stay on campus until after the game. By the time I showed up at Hinkle and saw the line of students outside waiting for the gates to open, I knew that it was going to be a good day. What I did not expect was the reaction and involvement of the rest of the Hinkle crowd.
From the moment the ball went up in the air for the tipoff, Hinkle was rocking. Many times (as opposed to none regularly) there were standing ovations for a defensive stands, there were adults and kids joining in on cheers, and most importantly there were Butler players taking in the crowds energy and taking it to a good Pac-10 school.
I haven't heard Hinkle as loud as that since the last second victory against Xavier last year or since Senior Night for AJ, Mike, Pete, Julian, and Drew. Can you imagine if Hinkle was always that loud? Can you imagine how hard it would be for opposing teams to come to Indy and play well? I can promise you that the Dawg Pound will work harder to ensure that this happens, but what will the rest of Hinkle do?
The new exhibit inside of Hinkle is a great addition that helps portray the amazing history of the old Fieldhouse. The main exhibits, however, are the Men's and Women's basketball games. What if Vincent van Gogh was standing next to a "Starry Night" exhibit? Would you approach him and thank him for such a beautiful creation?
Consider a museum that always has the artists in attendance. Hinkle is the museum, and the artists are the student athletes that put their all into each and every game. Let's thank them each and every game for the entertainment they give us with our voices because unlike van Gogh, our athletes can hear you.
On a day when most Butler fans will be depressed and utterly disgusted with a certain recruit's decision to attend a different Indiana school, I find it appropriate to focus on the future and the enormous opportunity that may be facing the Athletic Department. Just last week, Butler University President, Bobby Fong announced he was leaving to become President of Ursinus College in Pennsylvania. While many were surprised and others were saddened, I couldn't help but think that this was good news for Athletics at Butler.
Before I continue, I must stress that the opinion that follows is only that of me, Kyle Murphy, and not that of the Athletic Department, Dawg Pound, or any related Butler organization.
During Butler's magical run through the NCAA Tournament last March, I could not help but feel that Dr. Fong did not fully recognize the team for its unprecedented accomplishments. Don't get me wrong, Fong was on TV and in the newspaper plenty, but each time he seemed to be reserved towards the idea of giving credit where credit was due. Instead, Fong used the publicity and media to stress Butler's academic prowess. In each of his many interviews, Fong repeatedly referenced how Butler's students' first priority was to be a student first. Now, I commend Fong and the University for its focus on academics and cannot imagine it any other way, but for something of this magnitude I would have expected more from our leader on campus. Call it "The Butler Way" if you wish, but this reservation of gratitude might suggest that Dr. Fong did not like the idea of Butler being recognized more for its athletic accomplishments than its academic achievements.
Take a recent example of University funding: Many of you are familiar with the ButlerRising campaign that raised over $154.7 million over a 7 year period. Only 1.8%, or $2.8 million, went to Athletics with $1.7 million of that specifically given by donors. The money alloted was used for the turf, women's locker room and part of the recent bowl updates. The Athletic Department had to add another $1.7 million itself to make the Butler Bowl look like it does today.
In addition, the Horizon League average for scholarships is about 120 per school and Butler only funds 95 for athletic purposes. If that wasn't enough, the Athletic Department also paid for Hinkle roofing repairs, the new baseball hitting facility, the updated sound system in Hinkle, additional tennis courts, an updated softball stadium, the new electronic scorer's table in Hinkle, as well as updated football lockers. It has also been reported that the University did not give one penny more for Brad's new contract. (Thanks to "bernie44" on buhoops for the majority of this information)
I am not suggesting that Butler University should place more emphasis on athletics than it does on academics; I am simply saying that there is plenty of room for improvement. With all of the media attention and millions of dollars worth of free advertisement, a President who will embrace the athletic success along with academics could capitalize on enormous opportunities facing our successful teams.
My somewhat controversial hypothesis is that President Fong is leaving Butler due to the recent success of our basketball program that elevated our athletic profile. I cannot deny that Dr. Fong was a great President for our University and that he will be greatly missed by students and faculty alike, but with his resignation comes an opportunity to fill the open position with someone more willing to support our blossoming athletic programs. It becomes more clear each day that facilities are increasingly important among recruits and without financial backing, those facilities may never be built.
