Memphis Grizzlies: The Addition of Shelvin Mack Provides Stability
By Chris Kern
College Career
His decision to attend Butler University turned out perfectly for him. He was a starter each of his three seasons there and played for one of the best coaches in the game.
Brad Stevens was the coach of Butler at the time. Stevens is now the coach of the Boston Celtics and widely considered one of the best in the game.
That wasn’t the only high profile name on those Butler teams. In Mack’s first two seasons at Butler, he played with Gordon Hayward. Both of these two guys developed greatly under Brad Stevens and can credit him for much of the success they’ve had in the pros.
They had a lot of success at Butler. They lost to Duke in the 2010 national title game by two. Gordon Hayward missed the half-court shot by an inch or so which would’ve won them the game.
Shelvin Mack returned for his junior season even though Hayward opted to declare for the NBA draft. Mack had the opportunity to be the leader of the team and he was up for the challenge.
They had another great season making it all the way back to the national title game as an eight seed. They lost to the Connecticut Huskies in one of the lowest scoring title games of all time.
After that season Shelvin Mack opted to declare for the NBA draft instead of returning for his senior season. This would be the beginning of a long journey for the young point guard.