Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Butler Ends Home Career at GU’s Expense

MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – Just a sophomore in 2008, forward Da’Sean Butler thought he had upset the Hoyas with a buzzer beater the last time Georgetown visited the WVU Coliseum.

The Hoyas had surmounted a 10-point deficit and Jessie Sapp (COL ’09) hit a three-pointer to push the road team ahead, 58-57. With seconds left, Butler drove down the baseline and lofted a floater towards the goal as the horn sounded. It looked like the game-winner – at least before Patrick Ewing Jr. (COL ’08) took flight and swatted the ball away.

Now a senior playing in his final home game at West Virginia, Butler was the one running the show. The 6-foot-7 forward scored a game-high 22 points and added six assists and six rebounds in the

ountaineers’ 81-68 pummeling of the Hoyas.

Butler’s experience and leadership shone brightly Monday night.

“I feel like you can’t lead unless you’re consistent in what you do,” he said after the game. “[This year] I matured and understood what I need to do for the team, which is a little bit of everything and lead.”

When the Hoyas took a 3-2 lead one minute into the game, Butler, who is strong enough to bang down low and skilled enough to play around the perimeter, canned a three-pointer to give the Mountaineers a lead they would never relinquish.

Behind Butler’s 12 first-half points – giving him 100 career games in double figures – West Virginia took a 17-point lead into the break.

In the second half, Butler got his teammates involved. On a loose ball off a long rebound, he dove to the ground to push the ball to safety, setting up an open three for sophomore forward Kevin Jones.

Butler was honored before the game as the program’s third all-time leading scorer, a finalist for the Lowe’s Senior Class Award and one of the school’s legends. Reflecting on his career after the game, Butler choked back tears.

“This is my home here,” Butler said, now allowing his eyes to well up. “I’m going to miss being here, playing for this team and being in the locker room with my friends, my teammates and my brothers.”

He even joked that he sometimes thinks about his legacy in a program whose most famous player is Jerry West, the model for the iconic NBA logo. Butler said he’s thought about having a statue of himself driving to the basket, only using the other hand to complement West’s bust.

Head Coach Bob Huggins praised Butler after the game as much for his accomplishments on the court as for his commitment in the classroom and charitable work outside of basketball.

The Hoyas did make the game interesting, cutting the deficit to 62-53 with 5:53 to play, but it was Butler to the rescue. He hit a pair of free throws and then converted a layup in traffic to push the lead to 13.

Driving down the left side of the baseline, the exact same spot where Ewing had blocked him two years ago, Butler tried to thread a pass that was deflected back to him. Unfazed, the senior drove right to the hole and finished a layup through contact. No Hoyas were going to deny him this time.

“I’m glad he’s graduating,” Georgetown Head Coach John Thompson III said of Butler afterwards. “His talent and skill level is special, because he can do so many things on the court. . And one of the key things is he appears to be a terrific leader.”

Georgetown’s most experienced player, three-year starter Austin Freeman, traveled back to campus still suffering from the stomach flu that limited him in Saturday’s loss to Notre Dame. With freshman forward Hollis Thompson starting for Freeman, the team was timid and unsettled on offense.

The Hoyas’ other elder statesman, junior guard Chris Wright, was 1-of-7 in the first half, driving into the teeth of the bigger West Virginia defense and hoisting off-balanced runners. Sophomore guard Jason Clark and sophomore center Greg Monroe combined for 11 of the Hoyas’ 20 turnovers, which led to 24 West Virginia points.

In the first half in particular, Georgetown struggled to even pass and dribble against West Virginia’s tight man-to-man defense, turning the ball over more than it created open looks.

Ewing, then a senior, and the Hoyas had the experience and poise to make all the winning plays two years ago. With two juniors and no seniors on the roster, Georgetown is still a very young team.

As Butler stepped off the Coliseum floor for the final time and the Mountaineer fans gave one of West Virginia’s finest a standing ovation, it was the senior’s experience that made all the difference.

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