BREAKING NEWS: Forward Zvonimir Ivisic of the Kentucky Wildcats has terminated his employment with the team following a background debate with management over…
Butler has been one of the true feel-good stories of college basketball in recent years as he went from a no-name recruit to a Final Four hero.
He’s also the kind of player whose true impact cannot be measured from a mere box score, as he’s one of the best perimeter defenders in the spot.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Butler was originally a 3-star recruit in the class of 2020 who signed with the Aztecs while holding scholarship offers from Washington, Harvard, Colorado, Boise State, and Saint Mary’s, among others.
Playing for Polytechnic High School in California, Butler was ranked 243rd nationally and 40th among point guards by 247 Sports Composite. He would play sparingly in his first collegiate season, averaging just 12.4 minutes in 28 games.
Year 2 was when Butler took off, as he would average 7.3 points on 39.1% shooting (32.9% from deep), 2.1 assists, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.7 steals in 25.4 minutes per game while collecting the first of three straight Mountain West All-Defensive Team honors.
Year 3 would be Butler’s true introduction to the national spotlight as the Aztecs made the national championship game before losing to UConn.
That season saw Butler average 8.8 points on 42.1% shooting (34.2% from deep), 2.7 assists, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals in 26 minutes per contest.
Butler famously hit the buzzer-beater vs. Florida Atlantic in the national semifinal thriller vs. Florida Atlantic that sent the Aztecs to the program’s first national championship game appearance.
