The Indianapolis product had played seven minutes total in the previous two months. He had scored two points in that time. He had failed to even remove his warmups in 13 of Butler’s last 18 games.
So when Stevens turned and called, "Hop!" even Hop was a bit startled.
"That was a pretty tough situation to be in," he acknowledged.
But assistant coach Micah Shrewsberry gave him some brief encouragement -- "Just play, don’t be scared" -- and there went Chrishawn Hopkins to the scorer’s table. Nobody in America could have guessed he’d help save Butler’s season.
Down nine with just more than seven minutes to go, Hopkins drove to the basket and fired a pass to big man Matt Howard for a layup. On Butler’s next possession, Hopkins let fly a 3-pointer that swished.
"They tell us to shoot when we’re open and don’t hesitate," Hopkins said. "It felt good as I let it go."
Next thing anyone knew, Gators coach Billy Donovan was calling timeout. The Florida assistants were undoubtedly squinting at their scouting reports, wondering who No. 20 was. Their lead was cut to four and would never again be more than two possessions.
And the Bulldogs were swarming Hopkins to congratulate him on the biggest minute of his basketball career.
"It shows he’s always ready to go, which is one thing we emphasize," said sophomore center Andrew Smith. "You always need to step up and be ready when you’re asked."
So when Stevens turned and called, "Hop!" even Hop was a bit startled.
"That was a pretty tough situation to be in," he acknowledged.
But assistant coach Micah Shrewsberry gave him some brief encouragement -- "Just play, don’t be scared" -- and there went Chrishawn Hopkins to the scorer’s table. Nobody in America could have guessed he’d help save Butler’s season.
Down nine with just more than seven minutes to go, Hopkins drove to the basket and fired a pass to big man Matt Howard for a layup. On Butler’s next possession, Hopkins let fly a 3-pointer that swished.
"They tell us to shoot when we’re open and don’t hesitate," Hopkins said. "It felt good as I let it go."
Next thing anyone knew, Gators coach Billy Donovan was calling timeout. The Florida assistants were undoubtedly squinting at their scouting reports, wondering who No. 20 was. Their lead was cut to four and would never again be more than two possessions.
And the Bulldogs were swarming Hopkins to congratulate him on the biggest minute of his basketball career.
"It shows he’s always ready to go, which is one thing we emphasize," said sophomore center Andrew Smith. "You always need to step up and be ready when you’re asked."
(Thanks ESPN)
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