Just 11 months after doing this, Gordon Hayward will return to his hometown. And this time a majority of the Indy faithful will be hoping he walks out with a loss. In Hayward’s brief two year career at Butler, he was able to embrace a city, a state, and a nation in a way that no Hoosier, Boilermaker, or Irish has ever been able to do.
A lot of that has to do with the fact that Purdue, IU, Notre Dame, Ball State, Indiana State, and the rest of Indiana largely rooted for Butler. They have no hard-core rival in-state. Their fan base for that game was bigger than IU or Purdue’s will ever be.
And just about a month after his final shot came heartbreakingly close to propelling Butler to arguably the greatest sports story in well… sports history, Hayward broke many Butler fan’s hearts announcing his intentions to go pro.
Hayward instantly fell into the Steve Alford roll. Many wanting the Pacers to keep the hometown star in his home state. And just as the Alford scenario played out, Hayward would not wear the blue and gold, as Utah drafted him 9th on June 24th in New York.
It hasn’t been a perfectly smooth rookie season for Hayward – but few rookies can claim that as true. Hayward is averaging just over a quarter per game played. He’s shooting 45% from the field, and 3.6 points per game. But many experts agree, Hayward’s game isn’t quite NBA ready.
Tonight as he take the floor there will definitely be cheers, and it’s likely many Butler faithful will make the ten minute trip to see their superstar play. But in the end, if Gordon’s team walks out a loser, most Indy fans will be happy. That will be unfamiliar ground for Hayward.