Jimmy Butler is one of the finest players in the league ever since jumping onto the scene. His real breakthrough came when he took the responsibility to lead the Chicago Bulls. However, ever since joining the Miami Heat, he has shown great promise of what kind of talent he is. He is once again leading the charge to take the Heat to another conference finals, and possibly a title shot.
Butler has had a tough upbringing, as he was kicked out of the house at the age of 13. However, fortune favors the brave and Butler made the most of what life blessed him with. He has not always been the star player we see him today, even in his college years, he never made a serious case. However, since joining the league, he has majorly picked up his career. Let’s take a look at how Butler performed in his college days.
Jimmy Butler played for Tyler Junior College before moving to Marquette University
Before Butler received a scholarship from Marquette, he had to play for Tyler Junior College. He didn’t attract the attention of D1 schools. However, when he joined Tyler Junior College, he started getting attention. Butler was putting in 30-point, 40-point performances regularly. Butler in just his junior year in college was leading the team’s scoring charts. Butler averaged 18.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game.
After getting attention from several high-profile colleges like Marquette, Kentucky, Clemson, Mississippi State, and Iowa State. He ended up going to Marquette because they were offering him academically. However, when it came to basketball, he had a tough time in his first year and managed to average just 5.6 points per game in 35 games. Come the next season, the coach put Butler through a rigorous routine, which saw him almost quit basketball.
After hours and hours of training, Butler started to look stronger and more confident. From then, Butler averaged 14.7 and 15.7 points per game in his junior and senior years at Marquette. Butler in his first two seasons with Marquette won just a single game in the tournament. However, in his senior year, he managed to lead his team to a record of 22-15. Butler’s team entered the NCAA competition as the 11th seed.
Just like now, Butler caused huge upsets to the No.6 Xavier and No.3 Sycaruse seed in the competition. However, his team lost to the No.2 North Carolina in the third round. Eventually, Butler finished his college career averaging 12.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. Butler was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 2011, as 30th overall in the NBA Draft.
