according to stevens, in one of his first games as head coach, he was nervous and "felt like our team played on edge" because of it. he decided that a team's play will reflect its coach's mood; a calm coach means a team that will remain poised in difficult game situations, while a nervous coach means a team that plays on edge. "i don’t want to lose a game because of my approach," he told himself. accordingly, he developed a strategy of always remaining calm and focused during games. he rarely raises his voice or gets emotional, instead quietly observing on the sideline with folded arms. he does not get upset about bad calls by referees or player mistakes, preferring to focus on "the next play" rather than what just happened. butler player willie veasley explained butler's 2010 final four run by saying, "when those big runs [by syracuse and kansas state] came, coach called a timeout and said a few calm words. then he said he believes in us, he loves us and we're going to win the game." on the rare occasion stevens feels the need to correct a player, he does it with "positive reinforcement, just at a little louder decibel", according to former assistant coach matthew graves. above all, stevens wants his players to be confident, not living in fear of being yanked for making a bad play.