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“I found out about ASU from one of my teachers. He called down to the school (about me), and he told me some things about ASU and I made the decision to come down here. I trusted my teacher. I had a connection with him.”
When he arrived on campus in the fall of 2007, he knew nothing about Montgomery and little about Alabama State, trying out for the team as a walk-on guard.
“We didn’t know anything about him,” Jackson said. “When he got here, he said he was interested in playing ball. We took the (high school teacher) on his word, and it was a great blessing for us here at Alabama State.”
The next year, he played in 32 games, starting five, as the Hornets reached the NCAA tournament. By his sophomore year, he was a starter, fighting through pain in his leg to average 10.4 points and 4.9 rebounds.
“Prior to the season starting, he started having problems with it, the spring (of 2009),” Jackson said. “He’s struggled with it since. He had a rod put in his leg, and we thought that would do the trick, but once the rod was taken out, he has continued to have major pain in his leg.
“A couple of weeks ago, he got hit in his shoulder and the next day at practice he couldn’t lift his arm above his head but he continued to persevere and try to move forward. He has talked about how he can’t get his (left) arm into the passing lanes to defend. He’s just a tough kid who comes out and tries to give you 110 (percent) each night.”
In the last two seasons, Butler has transformed into a smarter player who realizes his limitations and inspires his teammates with his determination to play through the pain.
“I tell him to stop gambling so much on defense and just play solid on defense and use your midrange game because he doesn’t explode when he’s attacking the basket like he once did,” Jackson said. “But just being on the floor, and the guys seeing his determination in putting forth the effort to allow us to be in position to win ballgames, kind of inspires them as well.”
Butler needs just 17 points to reach the 1,000-point milestone but had no idea he was that close to joining an exclusive club. He believes a bigger accomplishment is becoming the first member of that club to lead his team to three NCAA appearances in his career and is dedicated to finishing the final six games of the regular season on a high note to prepare his team for the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament and a possible NCAA berth.
“The things I used to do, it’s hard to do sometimes,” he said. “I shoot more jump shots than I used to. When I was a freshman and sophomore, I used to get into the lane. I pray that (the leg) can heal so I can play like I want to. Hopefully, I can get to 70 percent by the end of the month before the SWAC tournament.”
This story was originally published at: http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20120217/SPORTS0403/202170331/1180
