Da'Sean Butler
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| Da'Sean Butler | |
|---|---|
| College | West Virginia |
| Conference | Big East |
| Sport | Basketball |
| Position | Shooting guard |
| Jersey # | 1 |
| Class | Sophomore |
| Major | Multidisciplinary Studies |
| Career | 2006 – present |
| Height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Born | January 25, 1987 Newark, New Jersey |
| High school | Bloomfield Tech High School Newark, NJ. |
| Awards | |
| 2007 All-Big East Freshman team | |
| Championships | |
| 2007 NIT Championship | |
Da'Sean Butler (born January 25, 1987 in Newark, New Jersey) is a basketball player for the West Virginia Mountaineers.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Da'Sean Butler played basketball in high school at Bloomfield Tech High School.[1] As a junior, Butler averaged 15.7 points per game. As a senior, Butler earned all-state honors while averaging 15.1 points per game and 11 rebounds per game. He scored 1,044 career points and led his school to 97 wins. He played in the Jordan All-American Classic regional game at the end of his high school career.
[edit] Collegiate career
[edit] Freshman season
Butler came into West Virginia University as the basketball team lost one of the greatest senior classes in school history, including Kevin Pittsnogle and Mike Gansey. Under head coach John Beilein, the new Mountaineers squad was led by forward Frank Young and guard Darris Nichols. However, Butler played in all 36 games off the bench. Butler started the season 11 points against Mount St. Mary's, with a season-high 21 points against Seton Hall. Against Slippery Rock, Butler had 15 points and nine rebounds off the bench, then had eight points against Arkansas. He had 9 points against North Carolina State, then 10 points and six rebounds against Duquesne. Butler scored 14 points against The Citadel, 16 points against UConn, 7 points against Villanova, and then six points against St. John's. He then scored 9 points and a season-high 10 rebounds against Notre Dame, followed by 12 points and six rebounds against South Florida. Butler then had 14 points and 8 rebounds against Cincinnati, 17 points against Rutgers, and a team-high 14 points against Pittsburgh in the Backyard Brawl. In the huge upset win over UCLA, Butler had 13 points, while scoring 17 points against Louisville in the Big East Tournament. The Mountaineers eventually made it in the NIT Tournament, and all the way to the finals. In the finals win against Clemson, Butler had 20 points, as the Mountaineers were named NIT Champions.
Da'Sean Butler had one of the greatest freshman seasons in school history. Butler was named to the all-Big East freshman team, while leading the Mountaineers to an NIT Championship. Butler averaged 10.1 points per game, averaging 23.3 minutes per game off the bench, while also averaging 3.5 rebounds per game.
[edit] Sophomore season
After the 2007 NIT Championship win, head coach John Beilein announced he would be leaving West Virginia University to take the head coaching position at the University of Michigan. Soon after, former head coach of Kansas State's basketball team and former West Virginia alumni, Bob Huggins announced he accepted an offer to coach at West Virginia.
In the season-opening exhibition game against Mountain State, Butler earned his first career start as the Mountaineers won 88-65. Butler scored 16 points and added 8 rebounds and three assists as he and fellow-guard Darris Nichols both went into double-digits in points. In the season-opener against Arkansas-Monticello, Butler scored 14 points while also grabbing a season-high 9 rebounds. In the 72-74 loss to Tennessee, Butler happened to score 16 points and grab 7 rebounds, while he scored 13 in the victories over New Mexico State and Auburn. Butler scored a season-high 18 points against Duquesne, while also grabbing 8 rebounds. He then scored 14 points against Maryland County, grabbing 9 rebounds, and Radford University, and then scored 10 against Canisius.
In the 88-82 loss to Oklahoma, Butler scored 15 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. In the loss to Notre Dame, Butler only scored 8 points but did grab 5 rebounds. Then in the victory over Marquette, Butler scored 13 points with 5 rebounds, but in the loss to Louisville he only scored 8 again. In the victory over Syracuse, Butler grabbed 6 rebounds to go along with his 13 points. Butler was key in the St. John's victory with 19 points and 9 rebounds. Butler recorded his first double-double of the season in the loss to USF, with 15 points and 12 rebounds. In the 66-64 victory over Marshall, Butler scored 18 points - including the game-winning shot in the lane with 6 seconds left.
Then in the 58-57 loss to #9 Georgetown, Butler attempted to score the game-winning points again. However, his layup attempt was blocked by Patrick Ewing, Jr.. The call was questionable however, as many believe it was actually a goaltending which would result in the points being rewarded and the Mountaineer-victory.[2] However, Butler finished with 12 points and 4 rebounds. In an 81-63 victory over Rutgers, Butler scored 12 points. He then followed that game with 15 points and 8 rebounds against Seton Hall. In the 78-56 loss to Villanova, Butler scored 10 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. In the 80-53 victory over Providence, Butler scored 13 points and grabbed 4 rebounds.
In the 85-73 victory over DePaul to gain the 20th win of the season, Butler scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. In the 79-71 loss to Connecticut, Butler scored 9 points and added 7 rebounds. In the home finale victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers, 76-62, Butler scored 10 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. In the regular season finale, a 83-74 overtime victory over Providence, Butler scored 18 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and dished 5 assists to finish the regular season. He finished the season with 12.5 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.
In the 58-53 victory over Providence to open the Big East Tournament, Butler scored 17 points and added 9 rebounds. In the second round of the tourney, the Mountaineers upset the #15-ranked Connecticut Huskies, 78-72. Butler contributed with 17 points and a team-high 9 rebounds. However, as the Mountaineers lost 55-72 in the semifinal matchup against the #8 Georgetown Hoyas, Butler scored 16 points with 3 rebounds and assists.
In the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Butler scored 19 points with 7 rebounds as the #7-seed Mountaineers defeated the #10-seed Arizona Wildcats. In the second round, the Mountaineers upset the #2-seed Duke Blue Devils 73-67, with Butler scoring 8 points and grabbing 5 rebounds. Then, in the Sweet 16 loss in overtime to #3-seed Xavier, Butler scored 16 points and grabbed 7 rebounds.
Butler finished his sophomore season by averaging 12.9 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. During the Mountaineers Sweet 16 NCAA Tournament run, Butler averaged 14.3 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
[edit] References
- ^ "West Virginia 81, Seton Hall 70", Sporting News, February 3, 2007. Accessed November 14, 2007. "'It was definitely special coming back to see my family and just to play against the teams we were playing,' said Butler, a former Bloomfield Tech player who came into the game averaging 9.5 points."
- ^ ESPN - Georgetown vs. West Virginia - Recap - January 26, 2008
