Latrobe's Butler finalist for Division II player of year award

As he shops around his talent with Division I schools in an effort to close out his career at the highest level of college basketball, one thing is clear about Bryce Butler, the versatile swingman from West Liberty: He is one of the best players in Division II.

Maybe the best.

Butler, a junior from Latrobe, was announced over the weekend as one of 10 finalists for the Bevo Francis Award, which goes to the top small-college player in the nation.

The winner will be announced Monday night at halftime of the NCAA Division I national championship.

An All-American, Butler led the Hilltoppers to a runner-up finish in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 22.4 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 59% from the field.

The 6-foot-5 Butler, who entered the NCAA transfer portal last week, scored in double figures in all 37 games for the Hilltoppers (33-4), including five 30-point games. His 829 points this season led the country, and his 332 field goals are a school record.

He had a game-high 32 points in the NCAA final loss to No. 1 Nova Southeastern in the national championship.

Butler, who is 10th in school history with 1,913 career points, helped West Liberty to 107 wins in four years.

The Mountain East Conference and Atlantic Region player of the year, Butler was the MVP of the MEC and Atlantic Region tournaments.

“There are anywhere from 13,000 to 16,000 players at the small college levels so to be one of the 10 players on this list of finalists is obviously a very high honor,” Small College Basketball founder John McCarthy said in a news release. “Based on our selection criteria, each of these players has earned their spot on this list and have had phenomenal seasons.”