July 27, 2016 at 1:44 p.m.
Former Badger brings basketball camp to area
Former Badger brings basketball camp to area
By Ben Gauger-
Butch, a native of Appleton, has been playing basketball for most of his life.
"Since I was a little kid (I) just have absolutely loved the game," he said. "I had some really good success in high school, Appleton West went to state my junior and senior year (losing the championship in 2003). I was a McDonald's All-American player with LeBron (James). Did that, then went on to the University of Wisconsin and we won the Big Ten championship (2003). So I had a lot of success and really enjoyed it."
Despite only just coming to the area, Butch has hosted camps throughout Wisconsin for several years.
"We've been running camps the last six years. We've been to Altoona, Augusta, Oconto Falls, Marathon, Fort Atkinson. So, I mean, we've been all over."
Butch said his reason for wanting to start the camps and bring them to smaller towns across the state is simple.
"I'm big on opportunities. A lot of what we do is about opportunities. It's a lot easier to bring myself and a coach up versus having to try to get 20, 30, 40 kids to come down to Appleton. I just want to give more kids the opportunities to get the game of basketball and to play and those sorts of things."
Not only was it he first time Butch had a camp up here, it was his first time visiting the area.
"It's beautiful, it really is," he said. "I know why a lot of people have cottages and cabins up here, it's amazing."
The camp has steadily changed since its beginnings in Appleton.
"Over the six years we've grown a lot. We've had a lot of interest," Butch said. "Six years ago, it was just in Appleton we started. Four years ago, we started doing some different satellites. This year we're doing 15-17 satellite camps at different schools, plus our Appleton camp still. We've grown a lot."
Butch said the camp was designed to help kids learn the mechanics of playing basketball, even if they play if often on their own.
"All we focus on is making sure the fundamentals are done the right way, making sure kids are taught. We don't play any 5-on-5," he said. "There's a conscious effort to make sure that the development of the game is happening. Kids nowadays play a lot of 3-on-3, 5-on-5 already, so we're trying to go back a little bit and get them in the gym to just work on their game first."
Monday's camp was split into two segments: a morning session for fourth through eighth-graders, and an afternoon session for high schoolers. Butch said that the goals of the younger group were simple.
"A lot of it is about making sure we have some fun, some excitement, get some drills and introduce a lot of new things."
For the afternoon session, Butch said he and his team had a slightly different mindset.
"The older group, their time period of basketball might be short. A lot of them might not play college basketball, so they only have four years left. So we really want to emphasize to them not only the fundamentals part of it, but what we want to introduce is "your time is low, you've got to get in the gym, you've got to put in the time."
Because they constantly change and evolve the way the camp runs, kids keep returning, he added.
"Our Appleton camps, we've had our sixth year of it and we've had kids that have been to all six years of it," he said. "And each year it's different. We're changing things up. We're doing some things I always did. We're learning as coaches, we know we've got to teach differently and do some different things and some new drills always. So it really is a good mix, and I think kids really enjoy what we do. Not only are we teaching them basketball, but we do have a lot of fun with what we're doing too."
Adding a few thoughts about his alumni team in the Wisconsin Badgers, Butch said he was confident they would succeed.
"I had a chance to go down there a couple weeks ago and talk with coach (Greg) Gard," he said. "I know they're all really excited. I know they're working hard. I think they're going to have a great season."
Butch went on to reminisce about his time overseas. He played professionally following his time with the Badgers.
"Dubai was a little different. There wasn't a lot of crowd support, but they still understood the game, so that was cool to see," Butch said. "Japan, where I was at there, it was really good. We had a good crowd, good support. Germany had really good basketball when I was there. Spain (also)."
Butch said the experience was unique, but that international fans are just as passionate about the game as Americans.
"I think people don't understand how good overseas basketball is and how much the fan base is. If you watch European soccer, it's similar to that as far as the fans with drums and those sorts of things. It's definitely fun to play with."
Even though he played in many stadiums throughout the world, Butch couldn't decide where his favorite was.
"I really enjoyed Japan. I did enjoy Dubai, too. That's tough, I don't know I can give you one exact place. Each place had their own quality. But I'm very fortunate to still play and fortunate to be able to still do this for a living."
Ben Gauger may be reached via email at [email protected].
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