Cintas Center familiar territory for some NBA players
The return to a college campus was a welcome trip for former Butler University standout Shelvin Mack, who's now a fifth-year NBA player and Atlanta Hawks guard.
Mack had a chance to catch up with a former Bulldogs teammate Ronald Nored, now a Northern Kentucky University men's hoops assistant, on the eve of Wednesday's preseason opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Cintas Center.
Then, on game day, Mack and some of his teammates reminisced about their golden days as collegians.
"It feels good. We got a good lift in earlier and it was good to be back on a college campus. It brought back memories. At shoot-around we were talking about tournament games with other guys," Mack said.
Mack was among the few Hawks or Cavs that played at the arena as an undergrad. His last Butler-Xavier basketball game was Dec. 9, 2010, about four months before the Bulldogs lost to Connecticut and Kemba Walker in the 2011 NCAA National Championship game.
"We won, I think," Mack said of the Xavier game.
Not exactly. Former Musketeer Mark Lyons buried two free throws with three seconds left, and Mack's game-winning shot attempt veered left as time expired. Xavier won, 51-49.
No matter, said Mack, who offered his favorite memory against Xavier – at Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse in 2009. It was one of the strangest games in either program's history, as Gordon Hayward's lay-up with 1.2 seconds left gave Butler the 69-68 edge.
The clock had stopped during Butler's final possession and the officials ran off the final 1.2 seconds, ending the game.
"I know we won that one," Mack said. "That's the game that sticks out to me. The clock one."
MORE TIES: Another player with Cintas Center familiarity? Former Creighton star Kyle Korver. The Hawks guard went head-to-head with Musketeer David West in a dramatic battle of All-Americans in 2002.
Korver finished with 32 points behind eight 3-pointers but West, who scored 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, had the last word. His jump shot with 4.1 seconds left gave then-No. 19 Xavier a 75-73 victory over then-No. 15 Creighton.
On the Cavs' side, D.J. Stephens played XU at Cintas Center as a Memphis player. Xavier clipped the Tigers 64-62 on Feb. 26, 2013. Stephens scored eight points and had five blocks.
James Posey, a two-time NBA champion and former Musketeer, was on the Cavs' sideline Wednesday as a second-year assistant coach.
BACK IN ACTION: Matthew Dellavedova helped Australia's men's basketball team secure a place in the 2016 Olympics in August and, said Cavs coach David Blatt, returned for camp in "really good shape."
"You know, it's interesting. When I first saw him, I asked him, 'Did you lose weight?' He said, 'No.' I just think he chiseled his body a little bit. He's worked hard and he probably dropped a little bit of body fat and just came back in great shape," Blatt said.
Dellavedova, a third-year NBA player who played college ball at Saint Mary's, figured prominently in the Cavs' postseason run last season. His all-out play led to severe cramping and hospitalization for fluids.
"I just think he's physically in good shape and probably also more confident, having gone through what he went through last year," Blatt said.
ETC: Retired boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., Bengals players Adam "Pacman" Jones, Vontaze Burfict, Wallace Gilberry and Greg Little, and Reds player Billy Hamilton were among the spectators...The Hawks led the Cavs 50-40 at halftime...Xavier men's basketball coach Chris Mack and women's basketball coach Brian Neal were honorary captains.