Latrobe alumnus Butler set to lead West Liberty men into NCAA Division II final

When you have accomplished as much as Bryce Butler has this college basketball season, the to-do list tends to dwindle.

With just about every conceivable player of this, player of that accolade in hand, Butler still wants more out of his fourth season at West Liberty.

The kid from Latrobe has stars in his eyes. The only way he sees fit to cap this dream run is to win it all.

The junior guard and the Hilltoppers (33-3) will get their shot Saturday when they take on No. 1-ranked Nova Southeastern (35-0) in the NCAA Division II championship.

Tip is set for 3 p.m. in Evansville, Ind. The game will be televised on CBS.

“It’s been an amazing feeling,” Butler said of a season to beat the band.

Last week, he was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II All-America Team.

One of 25 players in consideration for the Bevo Francis Award as the top small-college player in the country, Butler was the D2SIDA Atlantic Region and Mountain East Conference player of the year for the second straight year.

He was the MVP of the MEC and Atlantic Region tournaments.

“I actually have a piece of paper taped to my bedroom wall with all of my goals this season, and Saturday’s game is definitely on that piece of paper,” Butler said. “It’s just something you always think about in sports and life: the big moments. All of the success and failure throughout a long season.”

Emphasis on success. The 6-foot-5, bearded standout leads West Liberty in scoring with a 22.1 average and contributes 7.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists.

The Hilltoppers average 99.6 points per game.

A 1,860-point scorer for his career, the acclaimed front man has scored in double figures in all 36 games.

He has 10 double-doubles while shooting 59.2% from the field — 43% from 3-point range (49 for 114) — and playing 28.3 minutes.

The grind of the longest season of his life — even multiple-game days in national AAU tournaments or long weekends on the USA Basketball 3-v-3 circuit don’t compare to this stage — a stage Butler envisioned when he committed to West Liberty.

If ever there was a perfect fit, a player and a program, this is it.

“This is the type of thing you lay awake thinking about at night,” the humble Butler said. “This is also one of the biggest reasons I chose West Liberty from the start.”

West Liberty proved it was a national contender when it knocked off IUP on the Crimson Hawks’ home floor, 70-53, in the Atlantic Region final. IUP was ranked No. 1 in the nation for much of the year.

“We hear PSAC, PSAC, PSAC all the time,” coach Ben Howlett said. “We just played three PSAC teams and beat them. The little school from West Virginia won the regional tournament. Not being arrogant, but that’s what we hear all the time. These guys have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder.”

Butler scored 30 in the win, getting to the rim with a confidence of a player who looked like he’d been here before.

“I think Bryce Butler showed today why he’s the best player in the country,” Howlett said after that win. “I don’t think it’s a question.”

Anyone who follows Latrobe basketball knows of the Butler family.

Success in the sport is practically expected. All four of Eric and Michele’s boys play the game, two at a high level, with the other two aiming to do the same.

The oldest, Austin, is playing professionally in Finland after a college career that included four years at Holy Cross and one at Charlotte.

The third son, Landon, is a senior at Latrobe and has committed to play at Montvevallo in Alabama.

Max Butler is a Wildcats’ sophomore who also shows potential.

Eric Butler, their 6-foot-7 dad who played collegiately at Eastern Kentucky and Robert Morris after a high school career at Ridgway, said Bryce has earned his finals trip.

“It starts and ends with his work ethic, so I’m not surprised by the success he has had these past four years,” Eric Butler said. “I’m extremely proud of how hard he has worked outside of the mandatory basketball practice hours. His goal when he committed to WLU four years ago was ultimately having the opportunity to win a national title. Now he will have that opportunity on Saturday.

“But honestly, most of this would not be possible if it wasn’t for his teammates and coaches. He has a great group of guys battling with him and no one cares who gets the credit as long as they get the W.”

Bryce Butler has allowed some time to reflect as to not let the moment pass by him.

“There’s definitely a lot of team reflection,” he said. “More so on everything we’ve done thus far and all the work we’ve put in. Self-reflection will definitely come later.”

Could that mean a fifth year at a Division I program next season? Butler did not want to go there yet.

After Saturday, he will begin to look at his options. For now, his only option is to cut down more nets with his teammates.

“It would mean the world to me,” he said. “To do something this school has never done before would be an incredible feeling. It would cement this team’s legacy forever. I want to win Saturday with my guys. That’s it.”

There are two other WPIAL products on the West Liberty roster.

Sophomore Ben Sarson, who played at Central Catholic, has started 34 games and averages 10.5 points in 19.9 minutes.

Redshirt freshman Dante Spadafora, meantime, has appeared in 33 games, contributing 9.7 minutes. He was a standout at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.