Hayward stands tall in Butler's Final Four run

Gordon Hayward has always embraced the big stage.

Whether it's rapping on YouTube, winning a state title on a buzzer-beating shot or making a steal to preserve an NCAA tournament victory, it's hard to miss the 6-foot-9 Butler sophomore.

He's not just a forward, he's a point forward. He's not just a basketball player, he's an academic All-American. And the Bulldogs are not just another mid-major powerhouse, they are now a Final Four team with a chance to win it all at home.

``It's been kind of crazy, real, real intense here,'' Hayward said Tuesday, three days after the Bulldogs clinched the school's first regional title. ``People are always talking about it, and it feels like that's all people are talking about.''

Of course. It's the Bulldogs' most significant basketball achievement since the 1920s.

The school that has always been overshadowed by Indiana, Purdue and Notre Dame, has suddenly become the new darling in a state steeped in basketball tradition. Reporters from coast-to-coast are converging on the 4,500-student campus to get a glimpse of historic Hinkle Fieldhouse and their new star.

Most know that without Hayward's 22 points against second-seeded Kansas State, Butler probably wouldn't be getting ready for Saturday's national semifinal game against Michigan State about five miles from campus.

People forget, though, that without Hayward's heads-up defensive adjustment against Murray State, the Bulldogs may not have even won their second-round game. Hayward sealed it when he started to trap a Murray State guard near midcourt, then backed off and dove into a passing lane. The deflection sent the ball into the backcourt, running out the clock on a 54-52 victory.

``I was trying to substitute (Shawn) Vanzant for Matt (Howard) so we could switch everyone, but we missed the free throw,'' coach Brad Stevens said. ``They made a hook pass toward half-court and their best shooter cut across the baseline and Howard left his man and took away that pass. Then Gordon said 'I'm leaving a guy who was not making any shots.' It was smart. It was double smart. Those are our two academic All-Americans, so don't leave home without them.''

It's not the first time Hayward has come up big.

Two years ago, in the Indiana 4A state championship game, the Brownsburg center caught a long inbound pass, turned and connected on a short buzzer-beating jumper to knock off longtime power Marion 40-39.

Hayward hasn't let his teammates forget and they can still watch the replay, like his rap song, on You Tube.

``I like to wear my Brownsburg state champs shirt because Ron (Nored) lost in the finals, just give him so much grief on that,'' he joked.

Nored and the Bulldogs will gladly take it, given what Hayward has done on this program.

He's the kind of player a disciplined program like Butler isn't supposed to get - a naturally gifted talent player who can do anything on the court.

Hayward started out like all those other Indiana kids, dreaming of playing in the Big Ten. But when he visited Purdue's campus, something didn't feel right. So he decided to stay closer to home, closer to his family and closer to the way he thought basketball should be played.

``If I was supposed to go there (Purdue), I remember thinking my feelings would have been different,'' Hayward said. ``I think in my heart, I knew this is where I should be.''

Things have worked out even better than Stevens anticipated.

Hayward was named the 2008-09 Horizon League freshmen of the year and was named the conference's player of the year this season after leading the Bulldogs with 15.2 points per game. Butler (32-4) has won two straight conference regular-season titles, a tourney title and has extended the nation's longest winning streak to 24 games.

``I remember sitting down with Gordon just before he was making his decision and how quiet and reserved he was and yet he had an air of confidence about him,'' Stevens recalled. ``He knew he was good, but he doesn't know how good he can be.''

NBA scouts will be the next to figure that out.

What they'll see is a point guard trapped in a forward's body, a true swingman who could play either shooting guard or small forward in the pros thanks to a late growth spurt that forced him to move away from his roots as a guard. Early projections tout Hayward as a top 20 pick, a monumental achievement for a school that has never produced an NBA player.

Hayward insists he won't make that decision until the season ends

Until then, he'll be busy attending classes, trying to work another rap song into his routine and become the most unlikely national champion since Villanova in 1985.

``This is just the same thing (as the state championship) on a different stage,'' he said.