Brad Stevens is prideful of his Butler University connections in the NBA, which is why he has always cherished facing Gordon Hayward and the Utah Jazz.
Now, that excitement has magnified two-fold for the Celtics’ coach as he prepares to take on the Jazz tonight.
Utah acquired yet another Butler product at the trade deadline when it landed Shelvin Mack in a deal with Atlanta. The guard was inactive when Stevens and the C’s were in Salt Lake City the day after the deadline, but he has since emerged as one of Utah’s top contributors.
Mack, who had primarily been a reserve during his four and a half professional seasons, has taken on the role of Utah’s starting point guard. He’s averaged 11.8 points, 3.3 assists and 2.3 rebounds during four games thus far for Utah, much to the delight of Stevens.
“Shelvin’s started off great for Utah, as we thought he would,” Stevens said ahead of tonight’s 7:30 p.m. tip. “As we’ve seen many times, it’s about opportunity and fit as much as anything else in this league.”
Mack fits right in next to his former collegiate teammate, Hayward, who starts at the 3 and is averaging 20.0 PPG.
Utah’s 6-foot-8 star forward is another Butler success story that Stevens is proud to tell.
“When [Hayward] committed to Butler he was tennis player that played basketball,” recalled Stevens. “He was growing into his body and wasn’t near what he is now, and to watch him the last eight or nine years has been pretty incredible.”
The pair of of 25-year-olds, who both enrolled at Butler in 2008, will continue their development process together, and their next task will be taking on their former coach tonight.
Stevens half-jokingly says the thought of taking on Hayward and Mack together “stinks,” as he recalls the challenge of game-planning against them during his Blue vs. White practice sessions at Butler.
Although Stevens’ competitive juices will be flowing once this game tips off, there’s no denying that he’s proud of his former players who have emerged from a mid-major collegiate program to starting roles in the NBA.
Stevens explains that while they may no longer technically be his players, the camaraderie is still strong between them.
“There’s always going to be that feeling,” said Stevens. “I saw those guys grow up, they made my day when they committed to Butler at different times but in the same class, and nobody could be more proud of those two than me.”
– Taylor C. Snow
