Riverside’s Butler asset to Baylor’s No. 1 ranking

February 29, 2020

By Ed Daniels

There are late bloomers and then there is Baylor guard Jared Butler.

The national player of the week for Jan. 12 was still six months shy of his 18th birthday when he averaged more than 27 points a game for the 2018 Riverside Rebels.

He was a key contributor on a Class 3A championship team in 2014 as an eighth-grader. Riverside Academy also won titles in 2015 and 2016.
That Jared Butler was very good then, and even better now, doesn’t surprise his high school coach.

“I absolutely knew how good he would be,” said Riverside head coach Timmy Byrd, “because I knew how young he was.”

In January, Butler led Baylor to the school’s first-ever win at the University of Kansas. Before the game, he picked up the phone and called his high school coach.

“Jared told me they were going to win,” said Byrd. “He wasn’t intimidated by Phog Allen (fieldhouse).”

In 32 minutes, Butler scored a game-high 22 points with three assists and two steals. He did not commit a turnover.

Four days earlier, Baylor won at Texas Tech. Butler made consecutive baskets in the final four minutes of a 57-52 win.

“He lives for the big moments,” said Byrd. “He has a very high skill set, and his intangibles are off the charts.”

But, the numbers for Butler only tell a sliver of the story. At Riverside, he carried a 3.9 grade-point average. At Baylor, Byrd said Butler was voted the most popular athlete on campus.

And, Butler’s ceiling continues to expand, both literally and figuratively. Byrd said because of his age, Butler may yet still grow another inch.
Byrd said he’s talked to several NBA scouts who project Butler as a second-round pick now, with a chance to move into the first round.

That’s if he chooses to go to the NBA draft, however.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if he stayed at Baylor for all four years.”

In a 65-54 win at Oklahoma, Butler made five 3-point baskets for the nation’s No.1 team. He scored 22 points, adding five rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Butler was recruited by former LSU head coach Johnny Jones, but when Jones departed, Alabama made a big push.

Butler signed with Alabama, and spent summer school there. He then enrolled at Baylor in the fall. He was granted a hardship waiver and was eligible immediately.

That he’s done so well, so quickly, makes his high school coach beam.
“Jared is all about winning,” Byrd said.

It is a lesson learned by Baylor’s opponents in the Big 12.

Ed Daniels is sports director of ABC26 WGNO. He can be reached at [email protected].