Butler Basketball: All-Decade Team for the Dawgs of the 2010s

SAN JOSE, CA - MARCH 20: Matt Howard #54, Ronald Nored #5, Shelvin Mack #1 and Gordon Hayward #20 of the Butler Bulldogs celebrate after defeating the Murray State Racers 54-52 in the second round of the 2010 NCAA men's basketball tournament at HP Pavilion on March 20, 2010 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images) /

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HOUSTON, TX – APRIL 02: Nored of the Bulldogs handles. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Ronald Nored (2009-2012)

Perhaps one of the most undervalued players in the nation over the past decade, Ronald Nored contributed to winning basketball in ways that simply could not be quantified by box scores. An integral part of both deep NCAA Tournament runs, Nored was an exceptional vocal leader and elite-level perimeter defender. From the opening tip of his career in Hinkle Fieldhouse, the 6-foot-0 guard asserted himself as a superb stopper and reliable playmaker within the offense.

Nored might never have average double-digits as a scorer during his career but he still started 125 of his total 143 games with the team and was a constantly active contributor. He finished with career averages of 5.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.4 steals per game and it is impossible to ignore his leadership on the court. Nored was a two-time winner of the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year award as his impact on that end was well-recognized.

Alex Barlow (2012-2015)

Alex Barlow was originally a walk-on out of high school but he earned his scholarship and more during his time with the Butler Bulldogs. A 5-foot-11 point guard, Barlow really experienced a breakout campaign as a sophomore when he started 23 of 35 games for the Dawgs and came away with arguably the biggest play of the season. His game-winning floater in overtime against Indiana at the Crossroads Classic will go down as one of the most memorable shots in regular-season program history and that was only the launching pad for his career.

Barlow is one of the few Butler players that competed in all three conferences (Horizon, A10, BE) during the decade and underneath three different head coaches (Stevens, Miller, Holtmann). Regardless of the league or coaching staff, though, Barlow consistently supplied solid minutes and leadership. He was named the Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Year in back-to-back seasons to end his career while also being named to a Second Team Academic All-American as a senior.