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INDIANAPOLIS - Even 14 years later, the 33-year-old Steve Alford, who now paces the basketball sideline impeccably dressed in a crisp blue shirt and tie, clearly recalls what Indiana University basketball coach Bob Knight told him at his first practice.
"Coach told me, Hey, forget about being Mr. Basketball," Alford said. "You had a great high school career. They named you Mr. Basketball.
"That's great. But you'll be playing against five Mr. Basketballs every time you play on this floor."
Warsaw's Kevin Ault probably heard the same thing - or at least something close to it - his first practice under Alford, who coaches him at Southwest Missouri State. If there was one message the SMS coaches drummed into Ault's head one year ago as a freshman, it was that he needed to work much harder, many times harder than he ever dreamed of working in high school.
Like Alford, Ault won the Mr. Basketball award.
Like Alford, Ault's shooting touch has gotten him where he his - playing Division I basketball - more than anything else.
Like Alford, Ault couldn't rest on those Mr. Basketball laurels.
"I came from high school as a point guard with the ball in my hands a lot, trying to understand what the two guard was about," Alford said. "Before I graduated, I was probably a swing player.
"I thought I was working. In fact, I got into some arguments with Coach (Knight). He showed me what work was all about. When I kicked in, I became a pretty good player.
"I think Kevin's doing it. He's understanding how to push himself as a player. He led us at halftime (of the IU game) in rebounds. He probably led us in steals. I know he led us in points. He's doing a lot of positive things for us."
Claypool native Steve Lynch, who is an Alford assistant coach, has seen Ault dedicate himself to becoming a better player.
"It's always a hard transition when you're talking about getting used to college life," Lynch said. "Most of the time you like to give a kid chance to get adjusted. Kevin was in a situation where three games into it, he was starting.
"He had some of that pressure. He was probably the most highly touted recruit that SMS has ever had, as far as Mr. Basketball and all that. I think there were some expectations from the town, community and school from that standpoint.
"He played his role really well. He had to understand that when people were doing scouting reports, they were doing scouting reports on him and his abilities. He had to understand how people were prepared for his game and how much harder he now had to work."
Ault's in his second year at SMS, as their coaches like to call it. Before Saturday's 78-66 loss to IU, he led the nation in free-throw percentage. He was 24 for 24 until he missed his first attempt against IU. Had he gone 36 for 36, he would have set the SMS record.
He also was leading the nation in three-point field goal percentage, .43 (32 of 74).
He averages 14 points per game, which is second on the team.
He was named MVP of the Pizza Hut Classic, hosted by SMS earlier this month. SMS beat Texas-San Antonio 90-54 in the first round then beat Bowling Green State 86-71 in the championship. Ault had a career-high 24 points and a career-high seven rebounds - not to mention four assists - in the win over Bowling Green State to take MVP honors.
Guess who noticed? Texas Tech. Guess who SMS played next? Texas Tech. Three days later, Ault had a season-low five points against Texas Tech. Texas Tech won 79-71.
He's in the scouting reports, Lynch said. You are when you have the green light to shoot every time you touch the basketball. You could tell how important Ault is to the SMS offense now by watching Indiana guard Michael Lewis run into four to six screens every time he tried to guard him.
"I think Kevin's made huge strides," Alford said. "He's extremely active. He has as nice a stroke as there is. I'm 33 now, and I continue to challenge him. He doesn't quite have that stroke down yet, but he can flat-out shoot it. We've spent a lot of time with Kevin, watching tape, breaking down tape, doing the things I think he has to do as a shooting guard. Pretty much like Coach (Knight) did with me."
