Back to Basics

Butler boys basketball coach Kurt Wessler wasn’t in the mood to mince words on Jan. 5, shortly after his team opened Southwestern 4A conference play with a 58-56 loss to Ardrey Kell.

“We haven’t learned to play hard yet,” Wessler said.

Wessler’s frustration was compounded by the fact that the Bulldogs battled back from a 10-point, second-half deficit but couldn’t finish the job. Butler’s record fell to 4-9 with the loss.

“When you finally play hard, you don’t get rewarded because you haven’t been doing it all year long.,” said Wessler, who did commend senior guard Anthony Short’s defensive intensity and leadership.

“We’ve had people who have ducked from challenges, and when you finally step up, we’ll see,” Wessler said. “I don’t know. We’re not very mentally tough. When you have a lack of mental toughness, it is ­difficult to get wins.”

While Wessler isn’t one to make excuses, the Bulldogs’ toiled through the early part of the season in flux because of myriad injuries and the late addition of players from the football team.

Wessler was asked how many different lineups he’s used this season.

“How many games have we played?” he responded.

While the Bulldogs welcomed back 6-foot-7 center Aerris Smith from a stress fracture in his foot, they lost 6-5 forward Jermaine White to a broken foot during the winter break.

“But those are excuses,” said Wessler.

Despite Wessler’s frustration, Butler has benefitted from the strong play of its backcourt, starting with junior point guard ­Marcus Burton, a transfer from Hickory Grove. Wessler said Burton has shown signs this season of making a smooth transition from the private-school Metrolina Athletic Conference to the Southwestern 4A.

“I knew (Burton) could be really good,” said Wessler. “He’s one of those (­players) who’s been up and down, so to see him up today, now I want to see how he responds.”

Burton’s test will only get tougher as the season wears on, starting with the team’s Jan. 8 showdown against conference foe Providence.

“We’re going into one of the hardest places to play in our conference in Providence,” said Wessler. “I need to see (strong play) back to back.”

Burton admitted that competition in the Southwestern 4A is considerably tougher, but his new teammates have worked to get him acclimated to his new setting.

“It was a little different coming from private school,” Burton said, “but it’s coming along very well. All the guys have helped me come along and get more involved with the team, learning the plays and stuff.”

The other half of the backcourt tandem, junior Anthony Stitt, drew compliments from his coach following the loss.

“We ask a lot of (Stitt), and he responds night in and night out,” Wessler said. “He doesn’t fall into that category of mentally weak. It doesn’t’ affect him if he goes 8-of-32 (shooting from the field) or (if he has) a pretty good percentage. He hits big buckets and plays hard.”

For the team to begin to make strides, Wessler said his team needs a boost under the boards.

“We have guys who can do it, but we need Mason Mullman to get some mental toughness, and we need Zach Ferguson to be more physically tough than anything else.”

Wessler noted that Mullman, a senior forward who stands 6-6, has a chance to be one of his team’s leading rebounders, which would make a huge difference for the Bulldogs.

“I want (Mullman) to play hard,” Wessler said. “I don’t want to see him drift out on the perimeter; I want to see him do something besides shoot (3-pointers). He does that really well, but I’d like to see him get back to being a double-digit rebounder. That’s what he was in the first four games of the year.”

Wessler said that despite his ­experience, there’s no tried-and-true method for ­turning the season around.

“Let’s see, I’ve got 19 years (of coaching experience), and I’ve got no answer,” he said. “You have to fight your way through it and lean on your leaders to play, which they did (against Ardrey Kell).”

Is there any solace to be taken from his team’s late comeback in the loss to Ardrey Kell?

“None,” Wessler said. “We’re not a ­battle-back team; we should be ahead. … We have a long way to go.”

But Stitt said he does feel the tide is starting to turn, even in the loss to Ardrey Kell.

“Our coach doesn’t believe in moral ­victories, but it does give us a boost of confidence,” Stitt said. “That was probably the hardest game we’ve played all year, so (this week) we have to work harder in practice.”

Stitt also said his team would benefit from a return to the basics.

“I think that the team, as a whole, can work on playing together more,” he said. “I think we don’t all play hard together; we think somebody’s going to come out there and do everything for us. We need to just play hard, rebound and play defense.”