They say the path to success is filled with many different roads. You can go down one path and then suddenly find yourself on another.
That statement rings true for BGSU men’s basketball senior guard Derrick Butler, who has played for four teams in four years.
Butler is currently prepping for a return to Central Michigan, the place he spent the 23-24 season, as that trip looms over him- Butler has spent years jumping through the transfer portal from Eastern Florida State College, Chipola Junior College and Central Michigan to finally land with the Bowling Green Falcons.
When he began his journey, Butler wasn’t always as committed to basketball as he is now. In fact, it took him until eighth grade to start taking it seriously.
“I was truly a late bloomer. I didn’t start playing basketball and taking basketball seriously until I was in eighth grade, but I used to go back home to New Jersey, and I used to go to my aunt’s camp, and there I usually got better and better every summer. One summer, I went up there, I was like, I actually want to take basketball seriously.”
Butler has been involved with basketball for his entire life. His aunt, Janice Walker, played college basketball at Temple, becoming one of Butler’s biggest mentors.
“She taught me to have a great work ethics and be coachable. She taught me all the little things. Fundamentals, being coachable, and just being a great student and great basketball player,” Butler said. “You can’t be a person that doesn’t listen to the coach. You have to always be attentive and always dialed in on everything.”
After high school, Butler committed to play at Eastern Florida State College to kickstart his journey in the NCAA. Butler made the decision to go to a lower division school for development purposes, making the decision later into his prep year.
“Probably my prep year. I was like, junior college is the best route for me. I need the time to develop and grow into myself,” Butler said.
Butler only spent one year in Florida, hitting the transfer portal to join Chipola Junior College, where he averaged 10.1 points per game while starting 29 games as he was named to Second Team All-Panhandle Conference at the season’s conclusion.
The transition to the Panhandle Conference was a major step up in competition for the 6-foot-2-inch guard.
“It was hard, just a really tough year, probably the toughest coach I ever played for,” Butler said. “Probably the toughest coach probably ever in the country division one and junior college, and I learned just to be disciplined and just be coachable.”
“I mean, I just learned so much from Chipola, and not only that but playing in the Panhandle conference is like basically playing division one,” Butler said. “So, it was a great thing to play for Chipola playing for the Panhandle Conference.”
Even though the competition felt like Division 1 competition, Butler was ready to officially move on up, transferring to Central Michigan during the 23-24 offseason- officially joining the Mid-American Conference.
“I just felt it was the right fit for me and the best place for me to play right away,” Butler said when asked about the decision to join the Chippewas. “The place where I was going to get the most minutes right way.”
In his one year with the Chippewas, Butler played in 31 games, starting the final 26 games of the season.
Butler averaged 10.7 points per game (third on the team) and reached double-digit figures in scoring in 15 straight games, all while shooting 41.6% from deep, leading the Chippewas in 3-pointers made with 52.
“I mean, at first, I wasn’t really playing that much. I was waiting for my time to be called, so I was really being coachable, learning in practice, practicing hard, and next thing you know, my name is being called to play, and I was ready for my time,” Butler said when asked about his experience with Central Michigan. “So really just handling adversity, never giving up or anything, and just being focused at all times.”
Fellow senior guard Trey Thomas remembers playing against Butler quite well during his time with the Chippewas.
The Falcons faced Central Michigan three times that season, with Central sporting a 2-1 record in three matchups.
“The biggest thing he did, I’d say, was the shot he made when we played at their place, and he hit a contested shot over Jason Spurgin to go to overtime, and that kind of hurt us,” Thomas said. “So, just his shot-making ability that he did last year was something that really stood out the most.”
“He’s a winner, you know, they won games last year. They did a good job,” Bowling Green head coach Todd Simon said. “Obviously, he was a Falcon killer last year, with some big, timely shots that really hurt us.”
In his three matchups with Bowling Green, Butler recorded 17 points in the first game in a 77-76 double overtime win, an eight-point night in a 62-60 victory and 14 points in a 66-56 loss to Bowling Green in the MAC tournament.
Luckily for his future teammates, Butler would not remain a “Falcon killer” for very long, making his third trip through the transfer portal- finding another home at the Stroh Center.
I just think the right place for me and my career,” Butler said when talking about the reasoning behind his third transfer. “I mean, I had a solid year at Central Michigan, but I just wanted to have a great senior year at Bowling Green to skyrocket my career here with Coach Simon and the Falcons.”
Simon wanted to get to personally know Butler as he made his portal trip to Bowling Green.
“We’re big into the families and the whole situation. And so that was an important part of the process. Make sure, and his mom’s a great lady, cares about him deeply, and raise a tremendous young man,” Simon said. “So, you know, that part, all matters to us is we recruit people, not players, and I wanna be part of their lives going forward.”
Since joining Bowling Green, Butler has been one of the most valuable members of the team, according to Simon.
“He’s obviously a great scorer, very much a good defender. He’s competitive, you gotta know where he is on the floor,” Simon said. “I mean, he’s a guy that can go off for 30, and we use him in a variety of ways.”
Finding a home in Bowling Green has been oh-so-sweet for Butler, averaging a career-high in points at 13.4 on a highly efficient 41.2% from the field, including 34.5% from 3-point range.
To go along with all this scoring, Butler has stepped up the pressure on the defensive end; Butler has added 18 steals on the season so far, and that is good for 0.9 steals a game.
It was not just Butler’s amazing shot-making ability and competitive defense that has endeared him to his teammates but his personality.
“Just embracing him, getting him to come out of his shell, seeing the personality he has and just a player he is, you know, it’s been great,” Thomas said.
As Butler gets ready to return to McGuirk Arena, even through illness, he could not be more honoured to be back.
“It means a lot. I’m battling sickness right now; I’ve been battling sickness since Kent State. I’ve been battling sickness all week. But it just so much to me to go back to the place where I played my first Division I basketball game,” Butler said.” I know it’s gonna be a crazy game, I know it’s gonna be a fun game. I’m excited to just get to win with the guys.”
As the journey continues for Butler, he just has a few words left to say about his journey so far and what’s to come.
“A lot of adversity. My career wasn’t a clear-cut career. It wasn’t simple, but just a lot of adversity, and it really carved me into the player and person I am today.”
Butler and the Falcons will battle Central Michigan at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1.
