Butler’s Ronald Nored turned down the opportunity to go to Harvard to instead play basketball with the Bulldogs. He was enamored with the “Butler Way,” a credo that holds defensive intensity in the highest regard.

As Nored worked on honing his shutdown skills, coach Brad Stevens gave him a New York Times Magazine article to read, “The No Stats All-Star,” by Michael Lewis. The piece chronicled how former Duke great and NBA journeyman Shane Battier went about his business, scouting opponents and guarding doggedly.

Battier made himself invaluable as a pro. Reading the story inspired Nored.

“I just thought it was really interesting the way he approached the game,” Nored said. “He guards the best player on every team. His focus and preparation for whoever he plays is unbelievable. The way that he communicates with some of the people in the organization about stats, about which way to force a guy, those things were all really cool to see because those are the same things that I’m trying to do.”