Butler has named Ronald Nored as its next men’s basketball coach Wednesday.
Nored, 36, will be the 25th coach in program history, replacing Thad Matta after his retirement following the 2025-26 season. Nored is first coach hired by athletic director Grant Leiendecker, a former Butler basketball player who took over for outgoing AD Barry Collier in December of 2024.
Nored told the Atlanta Hawks, where he was an assistant coach, Wednesday morning, Leiendecker sharing a photo of the moment on Twitter.
“The term ‘dream job’ doesn’t do justice to how I feel about the opportunity to lead the Butler program,” Nored said in a release. “Butler is an incredibly special place. As a player, I poured blood, sweat and tears into this program. No one appreciates both the responsibility and the potential that comes with this position more than me. Passionate fans, Hinkle Fieldhouse, the Big East, storied tradition, a world-class education, a thriving city… there is incredible momentum at Butler right now and I can’t wait to hit the ground running as we elevate Butler to new heights.”
Nored emerged as a candidate to replace Matta due to his strong relationship with Leiendecker. Nored and Leiendecker played together at Butler for three seasons, including Butler’s back-to-back national championship runner-up teams in 2010 and 2011. Of the potential coaching candidates, Nored was the only one without head-coaching experience at the college level, but his relationship with Leiendecker provides a level of familiarity and comfort for the AD.
“In a rapidly evolving college basketball landscape, our priority was identifying the absolute best leader to spearhead the future of Butler Basketball. Ronald Nored is that leader,” Leiendecker said.
“Ron is a relentless worker with an elite basketball IQ and a proven track record of developing talent at the highest level of basketball. He is the ultimate competitor, and he will cultivate that same quality within his team and staff. He is a gifted relationship builder who commands respect through his character and his craft. While he understands the soul of this university, we didn’t hire him for his history here — we hired him for his vision of what we can become and how we will get there. His experience in the NBA provides us with a distinct competitive advantage as we navigate this new era of college basketball. He will attract an elite staff and student-athletes and build deep relationships within the Butler and Indianapolis communities. I have total confidence that Ron will put his own fingerprints on this program, set a new standard for our student-athletes, and elevate Butler Basketball to new heights.”
Nored made his name as a hard-nosed defender and a key member of Butler’s back-to-back national runner up teams. He entered coaching after graduating from Butler in 2012, serving as the head coach at Brownsburg before making stops as an assistant with the Maine Red Claws and an assistant/player development coach with the Boston Celtics under former Butler coach Brad Stevens.
Nored coached one season at Brownsburg High School in 2012-13. He was an assistant at Northern Kentucky during the 2015-16 season. The remainder of his coaching experience comes as an assistant and head coach in the G League and the NBA, where he is an assistant with the Atlanta Hawks under Quin Snyder and alongside former Notre Dame coach Mike Brey. Nored also served as the head coach of the G League’s Long Island Nets from 2016 to 2018.
The transfer portal will open five days after the hire was made or announced and stay open for 15 days — a rule change implemented for this cycle. The portal was slated to open April 7 for 15 days if there weren’t a coaching change.
Redshirt sophomore Jamie Kaiser Jr. and freshman Jack McCaffery are the only players to announce their intentions to enter the portal to date.
This story was updated with Butler announcing the hire.
