Butler coach Candyce Wheeler had been coaching in college before taking over at Butler this season. (Larry Vaught Photo)
Butler coach Candyce Wheeler controls her emotions when she’s coaching and expects her team to play the same way. However, the former University of Louisville player could not contain her enthusiasm after Butler beat Anderson County 58-49 Wednesday in the state tournament opening round.
She turned to the noisy Butler contingent of fans and asked them to make even more noise.
Who could blame her? A year ago she was an assistant coach under former Louisville teammate Becky Burke at Buffalo. She had spent the two previous years on Burke’s staff at USC Upstate as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Before that she was an assistant coach at Bellarmine for four seasons and helped the Knights reach the NCAA Tournament. She also spent a year as an assistant coach at Western Kentucky and one season as a graduate assistant coach at Louisville under Jeff Walz when Louisville reached the 2103 Final Four.
Wheeler helped Louisville reach the 2009 national championship game her senior year and had a double-double against Connecticut.
Now she’s pouring her heart into teaching high school players how to win. She is Butler’s fourth head coach in four years.
“It has not been easy. But winning the region was always the goal the first time we met in the cafeteria at Butler,” she said. “It was not an easy transition but they believed in what we were doing.”
Players said Wheeler had helped them change bad habits.
Kentucky signee Ramiya White said the team knows it can “trust” Wheeler because she’s played and coached at a higher level.
Defense is one area where Butler locked in against Anderson during a 22-11 fourth period.
“It was more of an effort and just locking in that we have been preaching all year. They said in huddle they didn’t want to go home,” Wheeler said. “Defense travels but offense not necessarily.”
White had 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting along with four rebounds.
“When we first started I had jitters and was nervous. When I started scoring it felt comfortable, so I just kept scoring,” she said.
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Anderson County coach Clay Birdwhistell said his team was “obviously upset and disappointed” after losing to Butler Wednesday but the veteran coach knew one loss should not take away from a 30-win season. He also knew there was a bigger perspective to remember.
He brought seniors Jenna Satterly (17 points, four rebounds), Lainey Johnson (17 points, three assists, two rebounds) and Claire Cooper (eight points, three rebounds, two assists) to the postgame interview session.
“Every Saturday they are up and working with the next generation of Anderson County basketball players,” the coach said. “They are not paid. They just get to be mentors. I cannot tell you the phone calls, conversations and somebody (young) coming up and telling me Jenna is their buddy.
“That connection speaks to who they are and how much the jersey they have on means to them. It’s not just us and right now. How many little girls were here tonight watching the way they competed and never gave up. That stuff translates.”
He said he saw a picture Wednesday of Johnson when she was in kindergarten wearing a regional championship shirt at the same pep rally that Anderson players attended in Lawrenceburg before leaving for Rupp Arena. He said there will be “some little girl” from Lawrenceburg sitting in Rupp Arena one day remembering what these players did.
“The way they handle that responsibility is far bigger than the outcome today,” Birdwhistell said.
