Caron Butler
Class of 2000
School and Year (1998-00) Maine Central Institute, ME
(thru 98) Racine Washington Park HS, WS
Height and Weight 6'5 230lbs
Position Small Forward
98-99 Ratings #12 (RUSA), #30 => #7(HS), #37 (VC)
#25 (BO), #42 (SW), #15 (DV)
97-98 Ratings #30 (HS), #4 small forward (ATH)
Academically Eligible Not yet
Status Verbal to UCONN
AAU team Bray Center (1999)
Bray Center (1998)
Player Summary ·
Player News ·
Game Stats ·
Season Stats ·
Honors ·
Schedule
James "Caron" Butler is a highly athletic post player in
high school, but will be even more effective on the wing in college.
He has good size at 205 pounds, but his most impressive physical
qualities are his running and leaping abilities. He is a slasher
who is hard to defend one-on-one, has a consistent shot to 14 feet,
and can energize a team with a big play at a moments notice. His
moves to the basket are smooth and sweeping, allowing him to
elevate over defenders, then finger-roll a shot over your head.
Areas of improvement include polishing his defense and continuing
to work on moving without the ball. Since he functioned the year
at center in high school, the transfer to MCI should allow him to
shoot more from the perimeter. It is a shot he can already make,
but just needs to have more opportunities to do it. Park coach Doug
Whiteley compares Butler's stature and game with that of a young
Charles Barkley.
As a junior for the 19-3 Racine Park Panthers, Butler finished
with 24.3 points, 11.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game
as the starting center, scoring 413 points in 17 games (he sat out
five due to a broken hand). Racine Washington Park took their Division
but lost in the sectional to rival Racine Case. Butler transferred
to Maine Central Institute for his senior year.
Butler's high school career began after transferring to Park
late in his sophomore year. He played in the final four games of
the season as a reserve, averaging just over 10 points per game.
He started only one game for head coach Doug Whiteley.
 8-4-99...Caron Butler verballed to UCONN today citing style of
play and the coaching staff as pushing the Huskies over the top.
7-19-99...Two comments in a recent CNNSI article on Caron Butler
now makes it clear that Purdue no longer is the leader for his services
as earlier indicated. Butler had Purdue as his #1 choice late last fall,
after having Michigan as his #1 for much of the spring of 1998. His
preferences have changed again, due in part to the recent hiring of
MCI head coach Max Good by the UNLV staff. According to the article,
Good would like to see Caron enroll in UNLV this fall as an academic
non-qualifier and sit out a year instead of returning to MCI for another
year of prep school. Butler has until August 3rd to make that decision.
Also in the article, Butler states "Hopefully, it can put me in the
position where the NBA can be an option (after next season)," he said.
"That's how confident I am about what that fifth year can do for me."
Not only does Butler seem to be favoring another program, but also
looking to jump to the NBA after next season if he stays at MCI.
7-13-99...Butler came into the Nike Camp as the #1 small forward
in attendance, and didn't disappoint. On Wednesday, the first day of
controlled scrimmage, Butler and his "Penn State" team cruised past
the "Illinois" team, which failed to match the frontcourt strength
of Butler, 6'11 Eddie Curry and 6'7 Levi Watkins. The coaches generally
switch five-for-five about every five minutes, and Butler was on the floor
most of the time with Curry. Having Curry in the post allowed Butler
to roam, playing roles at the two, three and four positions. His ideal
position would be small forward, having the perfect mixture of outside
shooting and inside strength. When you look at the small forward
position, you need a player who can create his own offense, be a threat
from the outside and be able to slash to the basket. Butler does all of
these. One thing is for certain...Butler hustles. A kind of player that
you can tell loves playing the game. He is also vocal on the court,
directing the offense like a point guard, but from the wing. A player
his teammates love to get the ball to. The play of the evening came
off a baseline screen where Butler flashed to the basket and performed
a sweeping overhead dunk over a defender. Speed, charisma, leadership,
all wrapped up in a 6'5 230-pound body. Later in the week on Friday,
he again tried the same dunk, but this time over three defenders. The
shot was missed, but he got the foul and a host of "ahhhs" from the
crowd. The toughest defender Butler might have faced came Friday
evening against "Minnesota's" 6'6 Arthur Johnson and 6'7 Brandon
Clifford. While Johnson was generally rated as the camp's #2 power
forward, we were more impressed with the play of Clifford. His game
resembled the game of Brett Buscher, and proved to be a better
defender for Butler than Johnson who was sent deep in the post a
majority of the time he was on the court. While the defense was solid,
Butler is so versatile he can shift into a slasher/passer role
when defensed closely. Butler gave us a list of five schools that
included Purdue, Georgetown, UNLV, UCONN and Marquette. He mentioned
visiting both Purdue and Marquette by name.
For a little blurb on his thoughts about Purdue, check out this
Indianapolis Star article.
6-21-99...Bray Center made it to the quarterfinals on Sunday
at the Rumble In The Bronx tourney, but were ousted by the Howard
Pulley Panthers 70-68. Butler had 29 points in the game. Butler also
scored 29 points to lead Bray Center on Saturday night to a 94-81
beating of Sam Rines AAU.
6-19-99...Bray Center opened the Rumble In the Bronx tournament
with an 87-57 victory over Rockefella AAU. Butler scored 18 points, but
stood out more due to his "fine all-around game (including some nifty
passes)" according to Russ Blake of Insider's Report. Russ is covering
the tournament this weekend, and tourney reports can be accessed on the
Insider's Report website.
5-11-99...Bill Hodge, who writes a column for Fans Only, has
Butler's list as UCONN, Georgetown, Purdue, UNLV and Wisconsin.
4-29-99...Caron Butler returns to the Spiece tournament where he
was named MVP in the spring of 1998. Butler will again be playing for
Bray Center out of Wisconsin, who are the defending champs. The
following is a list of pool games Bray will play on Friday and Saturday...
FRI 8:30pm vs. Alabama Ice (Mackey #1)
SAT 9:30am vs. Howard Pulley Black (IAF #2)
SAT 12:30pm vs. Camp Exposure Spirit (Co-Rec #16)
4-9-99...As we have been hearing for most of the year, Caron
Butler will be back at MCI for another year next year. We've kept him
in the Class of 1999 just in case an academic miracle could be pulled
off by MCI, although we highly doubted they could. Most will consider
this his fifth year of school, which might eliminate him from most
of the national senior all-star awards and honor teams next year,
and some of the recruiting magazines refuse to rank 5th year players.
Regardless, he should take more of the scoring burden at MCI next year
with Dermarr Johnson gone, so expect him to get a lot of attention...
even from the NBA.
3-6-99...MCI led by as many as 32 points in this game, and cruised
to 83-56 victory over New Hampton Prep in the semis of the NEPSAC
tournament Friday. MCI was led by Dermarr Johnson with 31 points,
Caron Butler added 14 points and 9 boards, and Indiana signee Kei
Madison had 6 points and 12 boards for New Hampton. The finals will
be on Sunday at 5:00pm against St. Thomas More.
3-3-99...MCI defeated Cheshire Academy in the first round of the
NEPSAC tournament. MCI moves on to face New Hampton Prep Friday
at 6:00PM. New Hampton was one of only four schools who managed to
defeat MCI this season. MCI's record against New Hampton Prep this
season is 1-1. Butler led all scorers in the game against Cheshire
Academy, scoring 20 points.
Catching up with Caron's academic situation, he finished the
first semester very well. While it still looks like he will need
another year of prep school, Caron got 7 core classes out of the
way in his first semester, finishing with an A, four B's and two C's.
Coach Good on Butler's progress..."He's really shown a tremendous
amount of leadership, he's lifting weights and he knows he's here to
play basketball and improve his grades. He's been much, much, much
better than I expected. I talked to him very sternly when he got here
and he's taken this whole thing very seriously. Trust me." Butler has
lost 10 pounds this season (now at 228), but at the same time increased
his strength (now benching 270, up from 240).
2-15-99...Butler was named to the National Prep Invitational
All-Tournament team on Sunday along with teammate Dermarr Johnson, but
lost in the finals to Winchendon 95-93 in overtime. For some game
summaries from the tournament, check out this tournament summary.
Contrary to what is written there, Butler is NOT a Purdue signee yet.
2-10-99...Purdue is still at the top of Caron's list. Others up
there include Georgetown, UNLV, Arizona, Wisconsin and Michigan.
1-30-99...MCI defeated Chesire Academy 120-95 Friday night. For
a summary of the game, check out this Insider's Report article.
Although Butler has both SAT and core requirement GPA concerns, he
should have a better handle on the SAT half of the equation when he
gets scores back from testing that took place last Saturday.
1-24-99...A new article from Russ Blake at Insider's Report
has Butler with a list of top choices, plus a few school he might
be interested in considering. Butler hopes to schedule official
visits with Purdue, St. John's and UCONN after the season is over,
and unofficially visit a handful of others. At the top of his list
remains Purdue, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Connecticut, Arizona,
Cincinnati, DePaul and St. John’s. Butler has said in the past that
he loves the Big Ten, but he has also said in the past Michigan was
his favorite school. Michigan has not appeared on his list since
early last summer.
1-23-99...MCI advanced to the finals of the St. Thomas More
Invitational by enacting some revenge on New Hampton Prep 85-61, a
team that just last week ended MCI's 53-game winning streak. Butler had
10 points and was one of four MCI players in double figures. For a short
synopsis of the game check out this report from Russ Blake.
1-20-99...An update on the recruiting of Caron Butler from the
Indianapolis Star.
1-16-99...The 53-game winning streak ended for MCI at the
hands of Milford Academy and New Hampton Prep this past week.
1-16-99...Maine Central Institute ran the field last week
in the North American Invitational Tournament in Toronto Canada,
beating a fellow American team Hargrave Military Academy 66-61 in
the finals. All eight of the American teams made it to the semis,
in front of a crowd that contained 30 pro scouts and coaches. MCI
extends its winning streak to 53 games.
12-31-98...Scout Brick Oettinger, who writes for a host of
recruiting magazines, has an article on The Sporting News site
analyzing the top unsigned seniors at the wing forward position. In
at #4 is Caron Butler, who he describes as "very strong and aggressive
around the basket yet under control, and he also possesses solid
perimeter skills." For more on Butler and the other small forwards
still available, check out this article.
12-12-98...Hoop Scoop's Clark Francis has moved Butler from his
#30 prospect all the way up to #7, "with the potential to go even
higher".
12-8-98...Maine Central extended their winning streak to 42
games over the weekend by winning their home tournament. On Saturday,
MCI started with a 117-96 win over Bridgton Academy. MCI led 75-45
at the half and cruised to the victory behind 33 points from Dermarr
Johnson and 31 points from Caron Butler. Former Bulls center Bill
Cartwright was in attendance, watching his son Justin play for
Bridgton. Cartwright's advice for those thinking of skipping college
for the NBA? "Don't miss the necessary steps on the way to the NBA,"
said Cartwright. "College is an experience no kid should miss and it's
a big jump from this level to college ball and from college ball to
the NBA. I'm not a believer in skipping steps."
MCI struggled a little on Sunday against St. Thomas More,
pulling out the 80-75 victory. Johnson led MCI with 21 points with
Butler adding 11. Butler was named the tournament MVP, mostly for
his defensive efforts throughout the weekend.
For those interested, Dermarr Johnson's short list includes
Maryland, Cincinnati, Connecticut, NC State and Pittsburgh.
12-01-98..."I have not committed to Purdue yet", says Caron
Butler in a recent article in the Indianapolis Star. Purdue is
at the top of the list, along with four others...Wisconsin, Michigan,
Georgetown and Arizona. A decision may come as early as the end of 1998,
but it still looks like Butler will be at MCI for the 99-00 season.
Having his parents able to see him play will be a major factor, and
the Big Ten is where he wants to be.
11-12-98...It has been widely speculated that Caron will have
to spend two years at MCI, making his potential graduating class the
class of 2000. As of now, we are listing him in the class of 1999 until
such time we find out he will need another year. MCI has a 90% success
rate in getting kids eligible, so we will wait and see what develops.
11-11-98...MCI head coach Max Good has again assembled a
quality team not unlike some college programs. This year Good will
have the services of kids from 9 different states, six of which will
be 6'7 or taller. Below is the roster for MCI this year listed by
jersey number.
Name Grade Number Height Hometown
Al Miller 12 3 6'0 Washington, DC
Avery Queen 11 5 5'9 Moreno Valley, CA
Demon Brown 12 11 6'1 Baltimore, MD
Robbie Findlay PG 14 6'5 Las Vegas, NV
Mike Griffin PG 15 6'1 Baltimore, MD
Jesse Cort 12 22 6'3 Red Hook, NY
Leslie Cole 12 24 6'1 New York, NY
Caron Butler 12 25 6'7 Racine, WI
Jamal Brown 12 30 6'6 Baltimore, MD
Jaron Brown PG 32 6'3 Lexington, KY
DerMarr Johnson 12 33 6'9 Riverdale, MD
Andre Williams 12 34 6'9 Kansas City, KS
J.J. Truman PG 35 6'3 1/2 Lebanon, NH
Mitchell Tarver PG 40 6'7 Oakland, CA
Pat Morang PG 42 6'5 Gardiner, ME
Wesley Wilson 12 44 6'11 Vallejo, CA
Delonnie Southall 12 50 6'8 Moreno Valley, CA
Justin Parafinczuk PG 55 6'5 Gorham, ME
* PG => Postgraduate
According to Maine Central, only five players on the
roster had made college decisions by the beginning of November.
The five players include Demon Brown (NC Charlotte), Jamal Brown
(Pittsburgh), Al Miller (Central Florida), Andre Williams
(Oklahoma State) and Wesley Wilson (Georgetown). Maine Central is
not reporting that Caron Butler has committed to a school yet.
10-9-98...More info on the verbal from Butler in this article
for the Indianapolis Star. On the one hand, we have reports that
Butler has given the Purdue coaches a verbal commitment. On the other
hand, we have yet to hear anything from Butler, plus Coach Good
continues to deny Butler has made a commitment. We are going to
hold off until we hear either Butler or Good confirm the verbal.
Caron is scheduled to unofficially visit (unqualified prospects
cannot make official visits) Purdue this week. Since Butler is likely
to be at MCI for two years, coming in the recruiting class of 2000-2001,
his status should not prevent Ricky Wright from grabbing the last
scholarship for the 1999-2000 class.
10-2-98...Patience is what it will take in the Caron Butler
recruitment. As we have been reporting for a week now, Butler HAS NOT
verballed to Purdue. I know plenty of other sites have been saying he
has (the latest being Prep Stars/CNNSI), but Butler is not unlike any
other prospect with Purdue at the top of his list. Hats off to Clark
Francis and Hoop Scoop for calling MCI coach Max Good last night and
confirming that Butler has not verballed to Purdue. Lots of people
want to be the first to break the news, which is fine. But we have
always been fairly careful at this site to wait until things are
official, instead of jumping on rumors of players being "locks" and
giving "double-secret" verbals and the like. The good news is
Butler still has Purdue at the top. The bad news is more schools are
starting to get involved.
There is a responsibility to providing recruiting news. Not only
do fans read this site, so do many of the prospects. Faulty news of a
verbal can adversely affect the recruitment of other players. That is
why we are more cautious than most. Many of you have sent me letters
wondering why I haven't reported Butler's verbal. Simply, because it
hasn't happened yet. Many people think they know what is going on, but
the only ones that really know the whole story are the Purdue coaching
staff (who can't say anything) and Caron Butler (who has yet to say
anything). All I can preach is for everyone to have a little
patience.
9-30-98...Nothing official from Butler yet, but this article from
the Purdue Exponent suggests it is just a matter of time. Although MCI
coach Max Good has said Butler just needs to discuss his decision with
his family, sources indicate the official announcement could have
something to do with the status of Ricky Wright. Also, according to
Hoop Scoop, Ohio editor Chris Johnson believes Wright could choose
Purdue soon. What that eventually does to Butler's scholarship remains
to be seen. Purdue has only one scholarship left for the senior class.
9-22-98...RivalNet is reporting that Caron Butler could be close
to a verbal to Purdue. As of the evening of 9/22, that decision had
not been made official. Butler would be a piece of the puzzle to
replace the loss of Mike Robinson in two years, but is big enough to
muscle a little inside.
9-10-98...Purdue is also now being mentioned with Spiece Run 'N
Slam tournament MVP Caron Butler, who could soon be transferring to
Maine Central Institute, a school that must ring a bell for many Purdue
followers. The 6'6 winger from Racine, WI will need the year of prep to
improve his academic standing. MCI has mandatory study tables and strict
curfews, which should eliminate any "distractions". If the rumor of
Butler to MCI is indeed true, according Hoop Scoop, it shouldn't be hard
for Keady to reach into his memory for the phone number to Coach Good.
More details coming on Butler, as I spent quite a bit of time watching
him in May.
7-24-98...A name familiar to Boilermaker fans will be coaching
Butler next season. Max Good will get the services of Butler, who has
decided to transfer for his final season. The move was made for two
reasons. The main reason Butler decided to transfer was due to an
unfavorable ruling on his basketball eligibility by the Wisconsin
Athletic Association. The WIAA ruled that although Butler was
competing athletically as a junior, it was actually his fourth year
of high school. A secondary reason is due to academics. A story very
similar to that of Bobby Smith from East Chicago a year ago, Butler
will look to the strict structure of Maine Central Institute (which
has an enforced curfew and mandatory study tables) to get his core
classes completed. Smith also went to Maine Central after he expired
his Indiana high school eligibility. Also similar to Smith was the
turnaround academically Butler made when he finally reached Racine
Park. During his time at Park, Butler had been able to maintain
close to a 3.0 GPA, but was a year behind in classwork. Look for an
early committment as he gets recruiting out of the way to concentrate
on books and ball.
2-26-98...From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel..."Park clinched
a share of the Southeast Conference South Division title and finished
the regular season with an 18-1 overall mark and a 17-1 conference
record. "Everyone was like, 'Park can't win. They're sorry. They're
overrated. They'll never be nothing,' so I stayed humble with it,"
Park junior forward Caron Butler said. "(The Eagles) took advantage
of their fame. They were like, 'We're undefeated.' We stayed humble
and came in and did our job." Butler didn't play in Park's seven-point
loss to Case earlier this season because of a broken hand. He finished
with 14 points Friday night."
2-2-98...Park coach Whiteley says it is possible that Butler
could return to action soon. He is scheduled to meet with doctors, and
if given the ok, will return to the lineup.
1-15-98...Butler has been sidelined indefinitely due to a broken
hand. The hand was injured in practice when it came in contact with
another player's knee. Butler currently leads the area in scoring at
26.3 points per game.
DATE MIN FG FGA FT FTA 3P 3PA RB A B S PTS
--------------------------------------------------
06-20-99 29 Lost 68- Howard Pulley 70
06-19-99 29 Won 94- Sam Rines 81
06-18-99 18 Won 87- Rockefella 57
03-05-99 9 14 Won 83- New Hampton 56
03-03-99 20 Won 89- Cheshire Acad 52
02-13-99 7 15 Won 83- Milford Acad 64
01-29-99 22 Won 120- Cheshire Acad 95
01-22-99 10 Won 85- New Hampton 61
12-10-98 7 16 Won vs Cent Maine Tech
12-06-98 3 12 7 31 Won 80- St Thomas 75
12-05-98 11 Won 117- Bridgton 96
11-10-98 7 4 12 Won 92- Husson 85
03-12-98 8 19 13 16 Lost 59- Case 68
02-26-98 14 Won 66- Case 49
02-19-98 16 20 Won 81- Oak Creek 49
02-16-98 10 39 Won 68- Muskego 62
02-09-98 2 19 Won 85- Franklin 53
02-05-98 18 Won 70- Tremper 50
01-26-98 * DID NOT PLAY DUE TO INJURY * Won 97- Oak Creek 93
01-22-98 * DID NOT PLAY DUE TO INJURY * Won 56- S Milwaukee 40
01-16-98 * DID NOT PLAY DUE TO INJURY * Lost 65- Case 73
01-13-98 18 10 23 Won 76- Horlick 62
01-08-98 27 Won 75- Horlick 53
01-05-98 28 Won 76- Muskego 67
12-11-97 2 7 8 32 Won 80- S Milwaukee 60
12-06-97 27 Won 72- Burlington 42
11-28-97 20 Lost 56- Bay View 65
Season thru PPG FG% FT% 3P% RPG APG SPG BPG RECORD RANK
------------------------------------------------------------------
01-22-99 17.5 9.4 19-2
01-10-99 21.3 .530 .740 10.0 4.0 13-0
97-98 season 24.3 11.1 4.3 2.1 1.6 19-3
96-97 season 10.3 4-17
98-99 season McDonald's All-American candidate
All-Tournament Team - National Prep Invitational
Tournament MVP - MCI Invitational Tournament
97-98 season Wisconsin All-State First Team (AP)
All-State Second Team (Wisconsin Coaches Association)
All-State Second Team (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
All-USA Honorable Mention (USA TODAY)
Tournament MVP - Spiece Run 'N Slam AAU Tournament
Top Rebounder - Nike Summer National Championships
All-Tournament Team - Jerry Watson Columbus Showcase
Date Day Time Opponent
---- --- ---- --------------------
11/10/98 TUE 7:00P W @ Husson College
11/13/98 FRI 7:00P W Redemption Christian
11/14/98 SAT 3:30P W Redemption Christian
11/16/98 MON 7:00P W @ Southern Maine Technical College
11/20/98 FRI 7:00P W Maine All-Stars
12/05/98 SAT 6:00P W MCI Invitational vs Bridgton
(Chesire, St. Thomas, Bridgton)
12/06/98 SUN 1:00P W MCI Invitational vs St. Thomas More
(Chesire, St. Thomas, Bridgton)
12/10/98 THR 7:00P W @ Central Maine Tech All-Stars
12/13/98 SUN 1:00P W @ Hesser Junior College
12/16/98 WED 7:00P W Maine All-Stars
12/19/98 SAT 12:30P W @ Notre Dame Prep
12/20/98 SUN 1:00P W @ Newbury Junior College
01/07/99 THR W Hamilton Cathedral
@ 1999 North American Invitational (Toronto, CA)
01/08/99 FRI W Eastern Commerce
@ 1999 North American Invitational (Toronto, CA)
01/09/99 SAT W Semis vs Riverside Church NY
@ 1999 North American Invitational (Toronto, CA)
01/10/99 SUN W Finals vs Hargrave Military Academy
@ 1999 North American Invitational (Toronto, CA)
01/13/99 WED 7:00P L Milford Academy
01/15/99 FRI 3:00P L @ New Hampton
01/16/99 SAT TBA W @ Naval Prep
01/17/99 SUN TBA W @ Naval Academy
01/22/99 FRI TBA W vs New Hampton Prep
@ St. Thomas More Invitational
(St. Thomas, New Hampton, Bridgton)
01/23/99 SAT TBA W vs St. Thomas More
@ St. Thomas More Invitational
01/27/99 WED 7:00P W Notre Dame Prep
01/29/99 FRI 7:00P W @ Cheshire Academy
01/30/99 SAT 4:30P W @ Worchester Academy
01/31/99 SUN 12:00P @ Holy Cross JVs
02/04/99 THR 7:00P Hesser College
02/06/99 SAT 6:00P MCI Classic
(Redemption Christian, Winchendon, Riverside Church)
02/07/99 SUN 6:00P MCI Classic
(Redemption Christian, Winchendon, Riverside Church)
02/10/99 WED 7:00P Central Maine Technical College
02/12/99 FRI TBA W vs St. Andrews
National Prep School Invitational (Providence, RI)
02/13/99 SAT TBA W Semis vs Milford Academy
National Prep School Invitational (Providence, RI)
02/14/99 SUN TBA L Finals vs Winchendon
National Prep School Invitational (Providence, RI)
02/24/99 WED 7:00P W @ Bridgton Academy
02/28/98 SUN 1:00P Milford Academy
03/03/99 WED TBA W Quarterfinals vs Cheshire Academy
(NEPSAC Tournament)
03/05/99 FRI 6:00P W Semifinals vs New Hampton Prep
(NEPSAC Tournament)
03/07/99 SUN 5:00P W Finals vs St. Thomas More
(NEPSAC Tournament)
* Schedule subject to change *
* For more information, contact MCI at (207)487-3355
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