Da’Sean Butler said if an NBA team gave him a chance by choosing him in Thursday’s NBA Draft, “he won’t get out.”
Well, he has that chance.
The Miami Heat selected the former West Virginia star as the 42nd pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. He was the first Mountaineer chosen in the draft. Former forward Devin Ebanks was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 43rd pick.
“Miami wuz poppin!!!!!,” Butler posted from his Twitter account just minutes after being selected. He held a watch party in Morgantown.
Butler was the Mountaineers’ go-to player in 2009-10, and he was able to lead WVU to its first Final Four appearance since 1959.
Butler scored at least nine points in each of West Virginia’s NCAA Tournament games. He had 28 against Missouri in the second round and 18 in the team’s upset of No. 1 seed Kentucky to reach the Final Four.
Butler also led WVU to its first Big East Conference Tournament title. He scored the game-winning basket against Georgetown in the championship game to secure the win. Butler averaged just under 19 points in the Big East Tournament.
Butler, a second-team all-American and first-team all-Big East member, led West Virginia in scoring (17.2 per game), games played (38), games started (38), minutes played (35.8 per game), field goals made (208), 3-pointers made (70), free throws made (168), assists (119) and steals (37). He shot .414 from the field, .354 from the 3-point line and .789 from the free-throw line in his senior season.
Butler was clutch in multiple games this season. Besides the game-winning shot against Georgetown in the Big East Tournament, he had game-winning shots in the waning minutes against Cincinnati in the Big East Tournament, Villanova, Louisville, Marquette and Cleveland State.
Butler might be considered a dangerous pick after a severe knee injury he suffered against Duke in the Final Four. He has been rehabbing the knee after having surgery and is off crutches. He is expected to be at full strength in October.
Ebanks was the Mountaineers’ defensive stalwart in 2009-10 as a sophomore. He was challenged with guarding some of the nation’s best guards during the year including former Kentucky point guard John Wall, who was the first overall selection in this year’s draft, and former Villanova point guard Scottie Reynolds.
Ebanks led the Mountaineers with 8.1 rebounds per game. He also had 36 steals – second-best on the team.
Ebanks played in 34 of the Mountaineers’ 38 games last year, averaging 34.1 minutes – second-best on the team. He averaged 12 points per game, shot nearly 46 percent from the field and 77 percent from the free-throw line.
Many NBA experts believe Ebanks will have to improve his outside shot, though. He finished 3-of-30 from beyond the 3-point arc last season.
Ebanks was a pivotal part of the Mountaineers’ Final Four run. He scored in double figures in each of WVU’s NCAA Tournament games.