Nored had surgery after last season’s national championship game loss to Duke to repair stress fractures in both knees. He had metal rods implanted in his legs. The procedure was a success, helping stabilize the knees, though he still deals with pain.
Those crazy kids in Indianapolis thought it would be cool to create a robot, the Ron 5, to honor their bionic, lockdown leader. The gimmick, started midway through this season, is gaining steam. There’s even a Ron 5 Robot Twitter account with 635 followers.
“The robot’s funny,” Nored said Sunday as reporters swarmed his locker. “I follow it. But to be clear, it’s not me.”
The real thing is much better.
Nored’s unique, mechanical defensive stance was the mother of invention. Now it’s up to him, coach Brad Stevens and his teammates to devise a strategy that will limit the effectiveness of Connecticut scoring sensation Kemba Walker in Monday night’s national championship game at Reliant Stadium.
“In the next few hours I’m going to break down [Walker’s] tendencies, maybe look at stats of ways that he’s not as good at going,” Nored said. “I’m going to do my best to try and force him that way and relay that to everyone else.
“He’s been to a Final Four before. He’s played on all the big stages and made all the big shots you could ever want to make. He’s going to be pretty tough.”
Nored certainly won’t be called upon alone to stop Walker, who is averaging 25 points in tournament play. But the 6-foot junior guard’s effort could be a key in deciding whether the Bulldogs become the first team from a non-power conference to win the national title since the 1990 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels and the highest-seeded team, a No. 8, to claim the crown since Villanova won as a No. 8 seed in 1985.
Effort is not something Stevens worries about when it comes to Nored.
“He’s an outstanding defender,” the coach said. “He really cares about it. Everybody in basketball growing up, and as they got to be good players, creates an identity. His identity is as a defender. Those guys are pretty rare.”
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