UT Dallas Magazine - Winter 2012 - (Page 15)

A conversation with the leaders of two of UT Dallas’ most successful athletic programs Sanders: Talent is always going to play a role, but all colleges have talented athletes. It’s really about which team is the most intelligent, plays well together and makes the best decisions. It’s also about developing mental toughness and building confidence. The ladies on our 2009 undefeated team may not have always been the most talented, but they had determination and confidence. They just weren’t going to lose. What are some of the challenges you face in recruiting and retaining quality student-athletes? Butterfield: Academics is a huge challenge. We see thousands of players over the course of a year, and I’ll bet we can only recruit less than one percent of those. Another challenge is the competition with other great universities who want the same kids. We start off with a very limited pool of players who can meet our standards, and then we have some pretty fierce competition to get those kids here. Also, there’s a culture in this region of the country when it comes to athletic scholarships: Kids in Texas want a scholarship, if they are going to continue to play. We’ve had really good players who fit our profile perfectly just walk away rather than play without any scholarship money. I don’t agree with that kind of thinking, but I understand it. Sanders: UT Dallas is one of the best academic institutions in the state. We use that as a selling point, but it’s difficult to find players who are able to balance a strenuous academic load with the demands of a championship athletic program. The other issue at Division III is turnover. If kids decide they want to stop playing, they can just walk away. They’re not employees and we don’t have athletic scholarships to keep them here. You can’t ever rest. Recruiting never ends. You’ve set some high standards for your teams. Are those expectations difficult to uphold? Butterfield: As coaches, we always like to tell recruits about all the nice things that have happened to previous groups. People like to associate themselves with a successful program. And you’d like to think our guys will respect that history and try to uphold it, but there’s no guarantee. When you get to a certain level, nothing pleases your opponents more than knocking you off that stoop. Sanders: Winning brings expectations, and those get set higher and higher every year. I trust what we’re doing, so I’m not worried about not achieving success. I’m not afraid of the expectations because I know we’re working hard. You use expectations to build confidence. It’s not about winning. It’s about getting better. If you continue to improve, whether you win or lose, you’ll be in a better situation. Looking ahead, what kinds of goals have you set for your program? Butterfield: Our goal every year starts with winning a conference championship. With all the talented teams in our conference, that’s a real achievement. Winning a championship puts you in the national scene. Now, winning a national championship is a very, very difficult thing to do. You have to be talented; you have to have tremendous preparation and a lot of luck; everything has to line up just so for that to happen. I’ve seen my father’s teams win titles and I remember just what a unique experience it was. I’d like nothing better than to be able to have a group of our kids accomplish that and bring something like that back to UT Dallas. Sanders: I want our program to keep heading in the direction it’s been going. I want the kids to feel successful—whether that’s wins and losses, or graduating in four years or whatever it may be. I want them to have good experiences. Hopefully, we’ll keep having winning seasons and keep getting good kids who will work hard for us. The success will come. Terry Butterfield The University of Texas at Dallas Winter 2012 15

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of UT Dallas Magazine - Winter 2012

UT Dallas Magazine - Winter 2012
Contents
On Campus
From the Lab
Arts and Culture
Courtside Success
Athletics
Research Is Teaching
Town and Gown
In Your Footsteps: An Alumni Perspective
Alumni Notes
In Memoriam
Hindsight

UT Dallas Magazine - Winter 2012