Whether Tad Boyle stomped his feet, pumped his fists or yelled until his voice grew hoarse, the Northern Colorado men’s basketball coach wouldn’t say how he cheered for Butler at the Final Four. But cheer he did.
“I rooted for Butler because I loved their (Cinderella) story,” Boyle said. “It wasn’t like I was rooting against the other teams as much as it was I just love the Butler story.”
Northern Colorado isn’t Butler. The University of Denver isn’t Butler. But midmajor programs everywhere can point to Butler for inspiration.
You can bet that Boyle and DU’s Joe Scott will bring up Butler during their recruiting pitches. Butler’s march to the national championship game provided more tangible evidence that smaller programs can find the spotlight.
“Maybe what Butler did will have a little bit of an effect in recruiting. I hope so,” Scott said. “Maybe a kid that’s around here has this choice or that choice and thinks, ‘All those Butler guys are from Indiana. Maybe, like they did, I’ll stay closer to home.’
“In this day and age, there are a lot of midmajors, like us, that have invested in basketball in terms of facilities. Maybe we could get a little bit of a bounce in recruiting in terms of kids that might say they will come to a school like DU for four years and possibly have the same kind of experience.”
Scott added that the five teams from outside the power conferences that made the Sweet 16 are “in the conscience of everybody in the basketball community, including kids we’re going to get to recruit.”
Boyle said he already has been seeking recruits who are capable of playing in bigger conferences. Perhaps Butler’s success will have a trickle-down effect. But, Boyle conceded, the chances of midmajor programs landing national blue-chippers remain a longshot.
“High school kids are the opposite of water,” Boyle said. “Water is going to seek the lowest level. High school basketball players are going to seek the highest level. That’s just the nature of who they are. You have to find that special kid that might be looking at that lower-level Mountain West school or Big 12 school but says, ‘I’m going to Northern Colorado and make a difference.’ “
Tom Kensler: 303-954-1280 or tkensler@denverpost.com
