Exclusive Interview
                                                      Matt Howard

                                 By: Aaron Fischman

 

March 3, 2009 - An Interview with Matt Howard of the Butler Bulldogs

It has been an accomplished season for Butler sophomore forward Matt Howard. Not only is Howard the leading scorer on a Top 25 team, he was also recently named the Horizon League Player of the Year. This is the second consecutive year that Howard has earned postseason honors, having won Newcomer of the Year in the Horizon League last season.

Averaging 14.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game, the 6'8", 230-pound Howard has led Butler to a Horizon League-leading 15-3 record - and a 25-4 record overall. Having won the regular season league title, Howard and the Bulldogs will automatically advance to the semi-final round of the league tournament; which they won last season.

As Howard brings the Bulldogs closer to another NCAA Tournament bids, he shares his thoughts about becoming a team leader, adapting to playing without graduating seniors Mike Green and Pete Campbell, and becoming a finalist for the John Wooden Award.

Aaron Fischman: Last season, the Bulldogs’ key players were all seniors, you being the exception. With so many guys graduating - and without any seniors logging minutes this year - how has this team been able to repeat its success?

Matt Howard: The most important thing was that the young guys came in and didn’t try to do their own thing. They bought into playing together unselfishly and [they] are very talented. Sometimes talented players want to do their own thing, but they’ve been great mixing with everyone else and, 14 strong, we have been able to be successful so far.

AF: Can you tell us what some of last year’s seniors, such as Mike Green and Pete Campbell, are doing these days? Have they been able to witness the team’s success?

MH: Mike has been playing pretty well in Turkey and just missed an All-Star appearance. But over there it’s all fan voting, so he hasn’t been there long enough to get enough votes. Pete has done pretty well in Germany. At one point earlier this year he was 7th in minutes but 2nd in points. That sounds like Pete; coming in and really giving the offense a boost.

 

AF: Talk about this year’s freshman class, spear-headed by Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack.

MH: They really have stepped right in where the seniors left, but in their own different ways. They have been really vital in giving our offense the fire-power it needs, but [they] are also willing to get gritty and guard. Both came in as pretty solid recruits and did a great job adapting to the game very quickly.

AF: Besides the departure of key seniors and the emergence of quality freshmen, what are the main differences between this year’s team and last year’s team?

MH: Last year’s team had guys that did a lot of things well as individuals, sort of like specializing. I think the guys this year can do more things, but maybe not as well as some of the guys could do them last year. Also this year - nothing against Ron - but Mike was a man at the point and a lot of times we would ride on his back. This year we don’t really have a specific guy that does that, but more of a collective effort at all times.

AF: What, if anything did the team take away from the narrow loss to Ohio State?

MH: I think we learned a lot of lessons from that game. There was a stretch, in a very tough game to score, where they got to the free throw line and scored the first 6 or 7 possessions of the second half and dug a hole we never could overcome. I think it taught us a lot about the importance of every possession and the confidence to play in a hostile place and be successful.

AF: What kind of confidence does last year’s March Madness run give you, as an individual, and the team? Now that the general public knows what the Butler Bulldogs are made of, will anything short of a Final Four appearance be a disappointment?

MH: Well, I think it shows that when we are together and always putting forth the right effort, [we]can play with anyone. But it's true. I think, in the past, mid-majors could sneak up on the bigger schools, but I think Davidson and George Mason-like runs have eliminated the over-looking.

AF: In our interview from last season, you said you expected to “move towards more of a leadership role” this season as well as extend your game outside more. How have your predictions turned out?

MH: Yeah, I feel like I have become more of a leader, but more of an encouraging leader than an army sergeant leader. Also, I have become a little more comfortable around the perimeter. But [outside shooting] will be another point of emphasis this summer.

AF: Although you’ve improved slightly in this respect, foul trouble has also limited your minutes this season (fouling out in three straight games). At this point in the season, do you see your tendency to get into foul trouble as a problem that needs to be fixed or is it not that big of a deal?

MH: Yes sir, foul trouble was a major deal and although we were fortunate to not be hurt by it too much, it has been a point of emphasis the past couple [of] games. And once that has happened, my productivity has increased. With Jukes getting hurt, it became even more vital [that] I stayed out of foul trouble the past couple [of] weeks.

AF: Matt, I heard that you were named Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Month for January. Congratulations! What kind of advice can you give to any student-athlete trying to balance his/her school work with athletics? By the way, what’s your favorite class?

MH: Thanks, I would say my favorite [class] is accounting; it is just something I have always had click with me. The best advice is to get ahead and not put things off until the very end. It is something very hard to do, especially for those busy with sports or other extracurriculars to focus on.

 

AF: Your team plays, arguably, the best defense in the nation, holding opponents to just over 57 points per game and 37.8% from the field. Why is Butler the best (or one of the best) defensive team(s) in the nation?

MH: I think the way we try to guard has a lot to do with it. We don’t always force the issue on the offensive glass in order to try and limit fast-break points. And then, in the half-court, doing whatever possible to make the shot as difficult as possible. My fouling instead of giving up lay-ups may be an unfortunate reason as well!

AF: You and Stephen Curry of Davidson were the only two players from non-BCS conferences to be selected as mid-season finalists for the John Wooden Award. What does that honor mean to you?

MH: I got the letter in the mail about a week ago. As I was looking through it, I couldn’t believe I was on there because of the names I was reading. It is quite an honor. A lot of my success, more like most of my success, has to do with the guys around me.

 

 

 

 

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