Sports Illustrated Again Cites Brad Stevens '99, Bill Fenlon & When to Foul

March 21, 2011

March 21, 2011, Greencastle, Ind. — "The Venoy Overton Ploy -- [the University of Washington player's] attempt to counter North Carolina's up-three, intentional foul by attempting a shot from halfcourt -- warrants further discussion," writes Sports Illustrated's Luke Winn. "This is of particular interest to me because of a story I did on up-three, under-seven strategy in September; Overton's shot reminded me of part of a conversation with Butler coach Brad Stevens that didn’t make it into the article. Stevens, despite the prodding of his former coach at DePauw, Bill Fenlon, who's a huge proponent of the up-three fouling odds, was hesitant to commit to fouling every time in that situation." (top photo:Rob Goebel/Indianapolis Star)

Winn continues, "Stevens made the point to me that if a coach became too predictable in those scenarios -- if everyone knew he was going to foul -- then opponents' reactions to those situations would inevitably evolve, with players anticipating contact and attempting threes from anywhere on the court to draw three free throws, rather than two."

Read the full analysis at SI.com.

Brad Stevens, a 1999 graduate of DePauw, led his Bulldogs to the NCAA tournament's "Sweet 16" with a breathtaking victory over Pittsburgh Saturday. 

In June, a half-hour program on FOX Sports Midwest focused on Stevens' success at Butler University and included comments from Fenlon, his coach at DePauw.

Fenlon's paper, 'Up Three: To Foul Or Not To Foul,' included contributions from Mark Kannowski, professor of mathematics; Tom Chiarella, visiting professor of creative writing; and Underwood "Woody" Dudley, professor emeritus of mathematics at DePauw.

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