Natalie Butler - The Answer in the Middle

 

If you have been reading my blog, you might have seen much of the write-up about Natalie that I wrote after she announced her transfer to UConn.  

 

She transferred in May of 2014 and boy, has she been working hard with the team to improve her game and body.  Butler lost 20 pounds since last transferring to UConn. She looks to be stronger and more mobile. Check out this instagram video of her high fiving with teammates after practice. She looks amazing.

 

    

 

First a little history -

 

Butler came out of Fairfax Station, Virginia and Lake Braddock High School. In an already familiar story, she was not highly regarded by the recruiting services, but Natalie exceeded all expectation by winning the Big East FOY and making 2nd Team all Big East. She started all 32 games and had double figures in rebounds in all but 4 games. Her season averages were 13.8 points per game, 13.3 rebounds per game, 1.9 assists per game, and 1.8 blocks per game.

 

So, what can we expect from Natalie this season?

  

I have read lots of questions about her starting or coming off the bench. Personally, I think she will start. Here are my reasons why. 

 

First, she started 32 games for Georgetown, so who knows how she will play off the bench. Sometimes a player has a starter's mentality.  

 

Second, there are only a few players in next years roster after the four returning starters that might be added to the starting line. As Geno has shown in the past, he is very reluctant to start a freshman unless there is no alternative. Butler and Williams would be the most likely candidates.          

 

Third, I believe Geno prefers to have a traditional center whenever possible and Butler certainly is that. And with Butler moving to the middle, Tuck can move to the 3 position. She certainly has the skills for that position.

 

Fourth, I think that Geno likes to bring speed of the bench and Williams gives him that option.

 

To me it seems to be an easy decision for Geno. Of course she has to earn it, but as I said, reports are that she has been working incredibly hard and will be even better next year than she was at Georgetown. 

 

The other concern I have been hearing is the fact that Georgetown is in a weaker Big East, that the teams they played were not as challenging as they would be at UConn.  

 

Now, some of that is true. UConn has one of the toughest OOC schedules but certainly we would all agree that the in-conference schedule is weak. Maybe a little better than the Big Easy? Maybe not. So, if you had to guess, how bad was Georgetown's SOS in Natalie's freshman year in 2013-14? 100? 150? 200?  Nope, it's actually pretty darn good in the scheme of things.      

 

realtime RPI - 41

Wbbstate - 38

Nolan - 49

  

Georgetown in 2013-14 schedule was in the top 15% of all of WCBB. That is nothing to sneeze at. So how did she do against the good teams? Teams under 100 RPI?

 

RPI 15 Penn State - 12 points 9 rebounds

RPI 25 DePaul - 9 points 10 rebounds, 15 points 13 rebounds, 8 points 11 rebounds

RPI 26 St. John's - 14 points 10 rebounds, 8 points 14 rebound

RPI 27 California - 16 points 15 rebounds

RPI 32 Michigan State - 7 points 12 rebounds

RPI 50 Villanova - 19 points 14 rebounds 12 points 13 rebounds

RPI 65 Florida - 16 points 18 rebounds

RPI 67 Creighton - 24 points 13 rebounds, 13 points 14 rebounds 

RPI 69 Princeton - 14 points 5 rebounds

RPI 70 George Washington - 17 points 8 rebounds 

RPI 86 Marquette - 12 points 12 rebounds, 14 points 8 rebounds

 

Against the teams with under 100 RPI, she averages 13.5 points per game and 11.7 rebounds per game. Not as good as her overall numbers, but most player are like this. But certainly averaging a double double against these teams should alleviate the concerns that Butler is not capable of these numbers next year for UConn depending on her minutes. And that will more than make up for the loss of Stokes. Much more.  

 

She is one reason that as good as the 2014-15 championship team was, this seasons team will be better. There just aren't that many big 6'5" posts that can run the floor.  

 

Here is a great article about her in late February. Natalie Butler

 

There are a lot of great quotes in this article. Here are a few:

 

Butler's rebounding prowess can be partly attributed to her bloodlines. Her father, Vernon Butler, was a key member of the 1985-86 Navy team, which reached the NCAA Elite Eight. Butler held several Navy rebounding records until his former teammate David Robinson broke them.

"My dad taught me the art of boxing out. Rebounding comes down to heart, and that's the way I was raised. I still play against my 6-foot-6 little brother, James. We feed off each other, and he has helped me become a better player."

 

About Offensive rebounding - "They're harder to get than defensive rebounds, because you're farther from the basket and have to work your way around the defense," she said. "But I know that offensive rebounding is another way I can score."

 

In regards to starting every game - She said she appreciated the opportunity to play immediately in one of the nation's most demanding basketball conferences.

 

"Coach [Jim] Lewis has given me the chance to play against this type of competition," Butler said. "The post players here are incredibly physical and strong, and really test you. Being agile and quick is how you survive in the college game, and I need to continue to get stronger and quicker."

 

And from another great article:

 

"There are not enough words for me to use to describe Natalie Butler," said Amanda Kimball, UConn's strength and conditioning coach. "She wants it and you can tell she wants it by how hard she wants to work. That's the kind of kid you want, someone who comes here [to UConn] by choice with the understanding that she's going to be playing with the best and for the best because she wants to be the best."

"I remember my dad asking me to watch her play on television and saying to me, 'Look at the way she [Dolson] moves, how she uses her body,'" Butler said. "It was encouraging to me. I know I have a lot to work on, but I can sense the potential for how much better I can be with this coaching staff working with me."

Here is a nice article from the NH Register in December 2014.

Butler has clearly found a home at UConn. She usually finds herself matched up against reigning national player of the year Breanna Stewart in practice. Other times she tried to get her shot off against senior Kiah Stokes, UConn’s career leader for blocks per 40 minutes.

“She practices hard all the time and she really wants to learn,” Stokes said. “I think it is a big factor. She has a whole year to learn and she is going against me, which is good for me because she is taller. So it is good competition. She really wants to play. I know it is going to be hard for her to sit out this year but I know next year she will be really good.”

“At first, I thought it could be the hardest thing I could ever imagine doing because you sort of have the fever after the first year and you want to keep going,” Butler said. “I kind of got the rhythm down in my work habits, so at first I thought it was going to be very tough. Coach Geno and I had a very candid discussion and we called it a development year, a year to get bigger, faster, stronger.”

“Just being exposed to Kiah and Stewie the last couple of months has really kind of opened her eyes,” Auriemma said. “She is already significantly better than she was when she got here. Her ability to score around the basket has gotten better. She has always been a pretty good shooter from 10-12 feet. She still does that, but she is understanding that she has to pass the ball better, she has to move better defensively."

“When she is in the lane with Stewie, Stewie can’t guard her, Stewie can’t move her and when Stewie is in the lane, she can’t get anything done because she just physically manhandles Stewie. But she also has to understand that she is going to be guarding a lot of other guys bigger than her. Every day she is learning something, and she is the kind of kid that every day she is going to get better.”

It's true that we haven't seen a lot of her playing. There is little video of that. But I'm certain she has the right stuff and will make her mark on this UConn team.

I think you all get the picture. Don't underestimate this young lady.

The Most Recent Natalie article

Long Wait Over: Natalie Butler Can Finally Get Into Games  Courant

Pictures from her freshman year at Georgetown.

Getting her turn clipping the net at the championship game.
 

Three more times!!!!!

 

From the informal workouts!!

 

So, what impact can we expect from Natalie? With Stokes gone, Butler is now the only true post player with size. From what I have seen (not that much), her offensive skills appear to be better than Stokes but that might be based on her aggressive attitude more than skill. Butler is not afraid to call for the ball. Her rebounding, just based on stats, is on par if not better. The only place I see  where UConn is losing something is Stokes' fantastic shot blocking ability. But at a long 6'5", I'm sure Butler will more than adequate defending the basket.

 

She reminds me more of the Big Girl, Wolters, when Kara was younger and thinner!!

 

 

 

I loved her attitude from the bench. She paid her own way to away games to support the team. She seems to be a leader and we will all learn more once practices start in earnest and we get to see her perform in pre-season games. Based on her hard work and great attitude, she will soon become a fan favorite.