When Marquette forward Jimmy Butler was drafted by the Bulls on Thursday, some people called his story the “Blind Side of Basketball.”
Butler does have some similarities to Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Michael Oher. Both were homeless teenagers who found a loving home with a white family. Oher’s story was made famous by the movie “The Blind Side,” starring Sandra Bullock.
In an interview with ESPN’s Andy Katz, Butler pointed out a significant difference in his own experience. After spending nearly four years bouncing around his friends’ homes, he found a permanent residence with the Lambert family of Tomball, Texas, when he was a senior in high school.
The Lamberts were with him on senior night at Marquette, and Butler said his “adopted” mother, Michelle Lambert, cries whenever she watches “The Blind Side.” But most of the time he spent with the Lamberts was during breaks from college.
What’s truly amazing about Butler is how he maintained a positive attitude during his teenage years. He said he was sent to live on his own at 13 by his biological mother.
“He was always happy. He still is,” said Mike Marquis, who coached Butler for one season at Tyler (Texas) Junior College. “He has a great personality, wonderful to be around.
“Especially now that everyone knows what he went through, to know how upbeat and positive he was off the court all the time, it was really impressive. He still had such a great outlook on life.”
The coach at Tomball High School, Brad Ball, didn’t even know until Butler’s senior year that his star player was technically homeless.
“I never knew there was anything going on,” Ball said Friday. “I had a kid who really loved basketball. He was great. He spent more time in the gym and more time shooting and watching video than any kid I’ve ever had. I loved coaching him. He was fantastic.”
Butler was just 5-feet-7 as a high school freshman, roughly a foot shorter than he is today. He also was young for his class, with a September birthday.
“We thought he’d be a good little point guard for us and he just kept getting bigger and better,” Ball said.
Butler was an academic qualifier when he left high school, but he didn’t play AAU ball and was lightly recruited. When he spent a season at Tyler, his game started to blossom. Butler scored 43 points in his final contest at Tyler, a triple-overtime loss in a regional playoff game.
“Jimmy in high school had to play a lot of center and post position,” Marquis said. “We didn’t have him play any of that. We just let him get out and run. Right from the first game, he just took off. It was so much fun to watch.”
All three of Butler’s previous coaches, including Marquette’s Buzz Williams, talked about an incredibly high basketball IQ.
“He was the smartest player I’ve ever coached,” Williams said. “His intellect, combined with how hard we worked every day, was a great combination.”
“He’s very bright,” Ball said. “We didn’t have to tell him things twice. He usually knew what everybody else was supposed to be doing before they knew.”
After being chosen by the Bulls with the last pick of the first round, Butler has a chance to earn a role as an extra defender at small forward. Maybe next season the pressure won’t be on Luol Deng to guard Heat star LeBron James for 40-plus minutes per game.
“I talked to him maybe five minutes after they announced that pick and of course he was elated,” Marquis said. “One of the neatest things — I think this is why I always loved him as a player — is he said, ‘Coach, we can win a championship right away.’
“I would say a lot of draft picks, the second thought out of their mouth isn’t about winning or losing. It’s about money or ‘Look where I’m going.’ He’s already thought about winning a championship.
“I always thought that’s what separated him from a lot of other kids. He understood the big picture.”
Added Williams: “He’s not into foolish things. He’s not a kid that’s going to play 42 games of PlayStation. Everyone knows what his story was. He’s mature by nature because of the things he’s endured.”
原文链接：http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110624/sports/706249738/
When Marquette forward Jimmy Butler was drafted by the Bulls on Thursday, some people called his story the “Blind Side of Basketball.”
Butler does have some similarities to Baltimore Ravens offensive tackle Michael Oher. Both were homeless teenagers who found a loving home with a white family. Oher’s story was made famous by the movie “The Blind Side,” starring Sandra Bullock.
In an interview with ESPN’s Andy Katz, Butler pointed out a significant difference in his own experience. After spending nearly four years bouncing around his friends’ homes, he found a permanent residence with the Lambert family of Tomball, Texas, when he was a senior in high school.
The Lamberts were with him on senior night at Marquette, and Butler said his “adopted” mother, Michelle Lambert, cries whenever she watches “The Blind Side.” But most of the time he spent with the Lamberts was during breaks from college.
What’s truly amazing about Butler is how he maintained a positive attitude during his teenage years. He said he was sent to live on his own at 13 by his biological mother.
“He was always happy. He still is,” said Mike Marquis, who coached Butler for one season at Tyler (Texas) Junior College. “He has a great personality, wonderful to be around.
“Especially now that everyone knows what he went through, to know how upbeat and positive he was off the court all the time, it was really impressive. He still had such a great outlook on life.”
The coach at Tomball High School, Brad Ball, didn’t even know until Butler’s senior year that his star player was technically homeless.
“I never knew there was anything going on,” Ball said Friday. “I had a kid who really loved basketball. He was great. He spent more time in the gym and more time shooting and watching video than any kid I’ve ever had. I loved coaching him. He was fantastic.”
Butler was just 5-feet-7 as a high school freshman, roughly a foot shorter than he is today. He also was young for his class, with a September birthday.
“We thought he’d be a good little point guard for us and he just kept getting bigger and better,” Ball said.
Butler was an academic qualifier when he left high school, but he didn’t play AAU ball and was lightly recruited. When he spent a season at Tyler, his game started to blossom. Butler scored 43 points in his final contest at Tyler, a triple-overtime loss in a regional playoff game.
“Jimmy in high school had to play a lot of center and post position,” Marquis said. “We didn’t have him play any of that. We just let him get out and run. Right from the first game, he just took off. It was so much fun to watch.”
All three of Butler’s previous coaches, including Marquette’s Buzz Williams, talked about an incredibly high basketball IQ.
“He was the smartest player I’ve ever coached,” Williams said. “His intellect, combined with how hard we worked every day, was a great combination.”
“He’s very bright,” Ball said. “We didn’t have to tell him things twice. He usually knew what everybody else was supposed to be doing before they knew.”
After being chosen by the Bulls with the last pick of the first round, Butler has a chance to earn a role as an extra defender at small forward. Maybe next season the pressure won’t be on Luol Deng to guard Heat star LeBron James for 40-plus minutes per game.
“I talked to him maybe five minutes after they announced that pick and of course he was elated,” Marquis said. “One of the neatest things — I think this is why I always loved him as a player — is he said, ‘Coach, we can win a championship right away.’
“I would say a lot of draft picks, the second thought out of their mouth isn’t about winning or losing. It’s about money or ‘Look where I’m going.’ He’s already thought about winning a championship.
“I always thought that’s what separated him from a lot of other kids. He understood the big picture.”
Added Williams: “He’s not into foolish things. He’s not a kid that’s going to play 42 games of PlayStation. Everyone knows what his story was. He’s mature by nature because of the things he’s endured.”
原文链接：http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20110624/sports/706249738/
