 Butler with San Diego State in 2024 | |
| Kentucky Wildcats | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard |
| League | Southeastern Conference |
| Personal information | |
| Born | June 9, 2002 Moreno Valley, California, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Riverside Polytechnic (Riverside, California) |
| College |
|
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Lamont Butler Jr. (born June 9, 2002) is an American college basketball player for the Kentucky Wildcats of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). He previously played for the San Diego State Aztecs, who he led to a berth in the 2023 Final Four.
Early life and high school career
Butler grew up in and Moreno Valley, California and attended Riverside Polytechnic High School.[1] He was a four-year starter for the school and broke the school's career scoring record, which was previously held by Reggie Miller.[2] Butler was rated a three-star recruit and committed to playing college basketball for San Diego State over offers from Saint Mary's, Stanford, Washington, California, Colorado, USC, Boise State, and Utah State.[3][4]
College career
Butler played in 28 games with two starts during his freshman season at San Diego State, averaging 4.3 points and 1.7 rebounds per game.[5][6] He started 25 games as a sophomore and averaged 7.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per game and was named to the Mountain West Conference All-Defensive team.[6] Butler missed several games due to a broken wrist.[7] He was named third-team All-Mountain West and repeated as an All-Defensive selection during his junior season.[8] In the semifinal of the 2023 NCAA tournament, Butler hit a buzzer-beating jump shot as time expired to beat Florida Atlantic 72–71 and send the Aztecs to the 2023 national championship game.[9] He averaged 8.8 points, 3.2 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game. After the season, Butler entered his name into the 2023 NBA draft, but ultimately withdrew in order to return to San Diego State for his senior season.[10]
Eligible for a fifth year due to COVID interruptions to his college career, Butler transferred to Kentucky.
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | San Diego State | 28 | 2 | 12.4 | .396 | .290 | .667 | 1.7 | 1.5 | .9 | .0 | 4.3 |
| 2021–22 | San Diego State | 27 | 25 | 25.4 | .391 | .329 | .773 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 1.7 | .1 | 7.3 |
| 2022–23 | San Diego State | 39 | 38 | 25.9 | .421 | .342 | .731 | 2.7 | 3.2 | 1.5 | .1 | 8.8 |
| Career | 94 | 65 | 21.8 | .408 | .330 | .723 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 1.4 | .1 | 7.1 | |
Personal life
Butler's sister, Asasha Hall, was shot and killed in a domestic dispute on January 25, 2022.[11][12]
References
- ^ "SoCal Prep Legends Athlete of the Week: Lamont Butler, Riverside Poly". The Press-Enterprise. December 11, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- ^ Miller, Bryce (February 16, 2021). "Column: Lamont Butler's emerging nickname illustrates his game for Aztecs". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- ^ Zeigler, Mark (June 19, 2019). "SDSU basketball lands prep recruit from Inland Empire". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- ^ Cassidy, Rob (April 3, 2023). "Looking back on the recruitment of San Diego State's starting five". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- ^ "Final Four: Lamont Butler's journey from heartbreak to hero". Houston Chronicle. April 1, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- ^ a b Al-Khateeb, Zac (April 3, 2023). "Who is Lamont Butler? What to know about player who hit Final Four buzzer-beater for San Diego State". Sporting News. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- ^ Zeigler, Mark (December 1, 2021). "Bad break for Aztecs as Lamont Butler suffers wrist injury". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- ^ Zeigler, Mark (March 6, 2023). "Lamont Butler is Mountain West defensive player of the year". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- ^ Keh, Andrew (April 1, 2023). "Lamont Butler Hits Buzzer-Beater to Send San Diego State to N.C.A.A. Title Game". The New York Times. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- ^ "Final Four hero Lamont Butler to return to SDSU for his senior season". The San Diego Union-Tribune. May 29, 2023. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
- ^ Forde, Pat (April 2, 2023). "A Buzzer-Beater For Teammates, Family and a Fallen Sister". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
- ^ Thamel, Pete (April 2, 2023). "SDSU's Lamont Butler: Felt sister's presence on game winner". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
External links
This page was last edited on 22 May 2024, at 14:01