Here is a 3 part series on Brian Butch from a Madison, Wisconsin newspaper.

<small>[ September 13, 2002, 04:41 PM: Message edited by: hoops13 ]</small>

<a href="http://www.madison.com/captimes/sports/uw/basketball/men/mbb_recruit/32035.php" target="_blank">http://www.madison.com/captimes/sports/uw/basketball/men/mbb_recruit/32035.php</a>
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The Big Catch: Appleton West's Brian Butch is at center of recruiting wars (First in a 2 part series) By Rob Schultz
September 11, 2002

APPLETON -- There is something special about Brian Butch and it has nothing to do with his basketball skills that have made him one of the hottest college prospects in the country this summer.

To cite an example, let's start with the six or seven Fed Ex envelopes that arrive at Butch's house every day. They are sent from the coaching staff at Arizona, which is one of five schools bidding for his services. Inside the envelopes are simple notes written by the coaches.

"Just random whatever," Butch said of the subject of the notes. "Nothing really serious."

Now Butch's eyes narrow as he prepares to make a point. The warm August sun is beating down on his thin, 6-foot-11 frame as it is stretched out in a chair on the patio of his west-side Appleton home. The family cocker spaniel, Oreo, is asleep at his feet.

"I can't believe how much money is spent on recruiting. It's unreal," Butch says as he shifts in his chair. "Fed Exs are like - what? - three dollars apiece or whatever? They are wasting so much money. That really gets me. You'd think they'd spend their money on something better. You can send that stuff through the mail for 37 cents. If you want to send all that stuff it's fine, but send it through the mail."

That is quintessential Brian Butch.

The 215-pound Appleton West star possesses an array of moves on the basketball court that belie his height. He can face the basket and shoot. He can play with his back to the basket and slice your heart out with a series of moves.

He's as skinny as a mid-court stripe and, surprisingly, he can't palm a basketball. But he's a virtually unstoppable scoring machine who is the highest-rated recruit to ever come out of Wisconsin and a shoo-in as the state's first McDonald's All-American since Sam Okey.

The University of Wisconsin wants him so badly that coach Bo Ryan would gladly re-name the Kohl Center after Butch to get him to commit. It's not out of the realm of possibility that more Final Four appearances are on the horizon if Butch is wearing a UW uniform.

Unfortunately for Wisconsin, it is nowhere close to getting him to commit. That's because four other schools also have visions of grandeur with Butch in their lineup. And three of them - Arizona, North Carolina and Kansas - are among the elite in college basketball and are used to engaging in recruiting wars for the country's best players.

The fourth, Marquette, is led by coach Tom Crean, who also knows how to recruit top talent from his days as Tom Izzo's right-hand man at Michigan State.

The recruitment of Butch is a bigger story than the UW's recruitment of both Rashard Griffith and Okey. Even the campaigning during the governor's race in this state pales in comparison to the campaigning from those five schools for Butch's services.

Just don't think that matters to Butch. Or that notoriety has changed him.

Butch is a 21st-century, state-of-the-art basketball player. Incredibly intense with a strong vision of where he wants to go, he knows that whatever school he commits to will get a player who can carry them to high places.

"I don't want to sound cocky," said Butch quietly, "but I know I can play with everybody."

Those are the strongest words you'll ever hear from Butch. That's because off the court, he's a throwback. Always respectful, always polite, the mature and cerebral 17-year-old is almost always devoid of ego and just an all-around pleasure to be around.

He's a good student, too. Already qualified to play under NCAA academic standards, Butch has a 3.86 overall grade-point average and scored a 21 on his ACT.

"(Arizona coach) Lute Olson told me he would love to coach Brian Butch because he likes him as much as a person as he is a basketball player," said Appleton West coach Greg Hartjes. "Lute is 65 years old or whatever and he doesn't want to put up with the mannerisms of some of the players out there today. Brian is really appealing that way, too."

***

Much of the credit belongs to Butch's parents, Pete and Nancy, who have raised their children in a house based on love, communication and following the Golden Rule.

Pete is Brian's best friend. They golf together. They attend baseball and football games together. They talk non-stop about everything from friends, school and basketball to the dangers of drugs and alcohol.

An argument could be made that his mother, Nancy, and 13-year-old sister, Laura, are his best friends, too. How many 17-year-old boys ask their 13-year-old sisters if they want to go to the mall with them? And when Laura wanted to go on a river rafting trip with her friends recently, guess who took them?

But what makes Butch's parents special is that they don't hesitate to be parents. They don't provide a lot of frills.

Butch, for instance, doesn't own a car. And he is expected to do his share of chores.

"We are close, but you still have to be his father," said Pete Butch. "We do a lot of things together, but he still has respect for me being a father. Sometimes he might not like the answers, but he respects that. He knows we have to be parents and not a friend all the time."

Those parental moments usually occur when Brian Butch lets his mouth get as big as his game.

"There are times when I've gotten a big head," he admitted, "and my parents don't like that."

Butch allowed himself such a moment late last May after he dominated some of the country's other top high school centers at a tournament in North Carolina.

He was so impressive that North Carolina coach Matt Doherty offered him a scholarship on the spot. After that, Doherty trotted him around the Chapel Hill campus and introduced him to a bunch of current and former Tar Heels.

On the way home, Butch made some testosterone-driven, ego-laden statement that - considering his age and the circumstances - was not a surprise. It didn't matter that just his parents and sister heard it. He got yelled at.

"I don't remember exactly what I said," Butch said, "but I do remember my parents reassuring me it was something stupid.

"When I say something like that, my parents always step in and really kick my butt," he added. "They said, 'What are you doing? That's not you at all Brian. That's not how we raised you so knock it off.' "

The most special trait that Butch's parents gave him is his work ethic. Pete Butch has worked since high school for the Piggly Wiggly grocery store chain. He tirelessly worked his way up to manager for a few stores in the Appleton area until he bought a Piggly Wiggly in New London about 15 months ago.

Once Brian Butch learned to love basketball, he has worked equally as hard.

Said Hartjes: "This is what I tell our younger players: Brian Butch is where he is and on his way to things not because he's 6-11, but because he is goal-oriented, he has a great work ethic and wants to be a great player."

***

Butch started turning heads on the basketball court when he was called up to the West varsity team at mid-season of his freshman year. The team was 3-9 before he joined the team, 6-6 after he joined it.

"When I first got him, I knew he was going to be a great player because that is what he wanted," said Hartjes.

Butch went to every basketball camp that would take him during the summers. He joined the Fox Valley Skillz AAU team and traveled the country playing basketball with them. And he kept growing and improving.

Thus, most everyone connected with basketball in this state knew about Butch by last season, when the Terrors went 21-3 and made it to the WIAA state tournament where they were upset by Madison La Follette.

"College scouts marvel at what he can do with a basketball right now," said Hartjes. "He can just flat-out shoot. He can put the ball in the hoop whether he's going to his right or left. When he can become more physical, when he can use his body a little bit more, when he can jump a little bit more, he's just going to be an awesome player."

***

But what's important for Butch is finding a school that will allow him to remain unique, honest and humble.

He made an official visit to Arizona last spring and was at Marquette last week. He is heading to North Carolina this weekend, followed by trips to Kansas (Sept. 20) and the UW (Oct. 5).

Butch has enjoyed the parties and the attention during his official visits. For instance, Crean had a banner unfurled in front of the Al McGuire Center last week that said, "Future home of Brian Butch." His hotel room was decorated and he saw himself playing on the big screen at the Bradley Center.

This weekend, North Carolina will fly him to Chapel Hill on the school's private jet and he'll mingle with some former Tar Heel greats. "It's all neat to see," he said.

But Butch is mature enough to make the decision he truly believes will be best for him.

"It won't be a decision where, when I'm on my visit, I can say that school had the best party. I'll be able to look past the 'fakieness' that everyone puts on," he said. "When you do go to an official visit, they all put on a 'fakieness' to make their school look the best. But to overlook it and get down to the dirt is what I have to do."

Butch is amazed every time one of the coaches or their assistants call and ask if they are recruiting him the way he wants to be recruited.

"I think about that question all the time," he said. "I say, 'You recruit me the way you want to recruit me and I will decide if I want to go to school on the way you recruit me. It's a truthful-type thing. If you have to ask me, then you don't know who I am.'"

Just don't expect him to lose sleep over making his decision.

So many high school players can't handle the attention such a recruiting war creates. Butch is ready for it.

When he goes to bed each night, Butch asks for guidance from God. "I don't want to be like one of those athletes that says it just to say it. But, every night, I say a prayer before I go to bed," he said.

And then he falls to sleep.

"I don't think about it for long," he said.

<small>[ September 12, 2002, 06:14 PM: Message edited by: hoops13 ]</small>

<a href="http://www.madison.com/captimes/sports/uw/basketball/men/mbb_recruit/32093.php" target="_blank">http://www.madison.com/captimes/sports/uw/basketball/men/mbb_recruit/32093.php</a>
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The Big Catch: Where's Butch going? UW on short list, but he still is undecided (Second Part in a 2 Part Series)

By Rob Schultz
September 12, 2002

APPLETON - The question is always the same. So is the response after his answer. And both always make Brian Butch smile.

Every day, whether it's at the mall, school, the gas station or his father's grocery store, strangers ask the 6-foot-11 Appleton West star where he's going to play basketball in college.

After he answers that he still is undecided, the woman at the gas pump, the kid at The Gap or the truck driver at the grocery store yells, "Go to Wisconsin!"

"I just tell them that I'm going to do what is best for my family," said Butch. "It might be Wisconsin, it might not be Wisconsin, but hopefully everybody will understand whatever decision I may make. If they don't understand it, they don't care about me or they don't care about my family."

University of Wisconsin basketball coach Bo Ryan desperately wants Butch. A scoring machine who can pour in points from the paint, outside the arc and everywhere in between, Butch would be the cornerstone in the foundation of an already strong UW basketball program.

More Big Ten Conference titles and Final Four appearances aren't out of the question if Butch commits, the current group continues to improve and Ryan adds a few more strong recruits.

Appleton West coach Greg Hartjes openly admits he'd love to see Butch wearing a UW uniform. His AAU coach, Richie Davis, wants him to play at either the UW or Marquette. His parents would like to see him play closer to home, too, not to mention virtually everybody who lives in the Fox River Valley.

But none of that holds any weight with the skinny, 215-pound Butch, who has narrowed his list of schools to the UW, Marquette, North Carolina, Arizona and Kansas.

There is no question that Butch is enamored with the idea of playing for the Badgers and leading them back to the Final Four.

"It's the home school. You'd definitely love to bring a national championship to the home school," he said. "You'd love to make all the people in the home state happy."

Butch said Ryan has a fire in his eyes that proves to him how badly he wants to win - on the basketball court and in this recruiting battle.

"I think this is a little bit hard for him," said Butch, who then paused before carefully constructing his words so that he didn't sound cocky and could be understood.

"I think it's a little bit hard for him to get a recruit of the status that the Arizonas, Kansases and North Carolinas chase," he said. "I think it might be a little bit different than recruiting somebody from somewhere where you don't have to worry about those other three schools.

"I think this is different for him, but I think he's getting better every single day at understanding that stuff."

Ryan and his coaching staff, who were the first to offer Butch a scholarship - all the way back to last summer - have never worked harder than during the recruitment of Butch. Yet the Badgers have seen nothing from their labor.

They want a commitment, and all Butch says to them is to be patient. He will make his decision sometime after his official visits to North Carolina this weekend, Kansas on Sept. 20 and the UW on Oct. 5. He visited Arizona in the spring and Marquette last week.

Butch is going to base much of his decision on his visits. Today, it appears that the UW, Arizona and North Carolina have the inside track toward getting a commitment. But Butch acknowledged that Kansas and Marquette are by no means out of the equation.

He calls recruiting "a business of feeling," and he will choose a school partly on where he feels closest to the players and coaches. It's what Butch calls the social part to equation.

"You will have days and practices where you need guys to pick you up when you're a little bit down," he said. "So, if I'm not comfortable where I'm at and I feel I have to watch my back because I don't trust my teammates and the people around me, I don't think I can become the best basketball player and person I want to be."

Butch, who has a 3.87 overall grade-point average and scored a 21 on his ACT to meet NCAA academic qualifications, has no idea what he will major in at school. His father, Pete Butch, said one day Brian talks about majoring in business, the next day it's sports medicine.

"That's a big gap, a big difference," said Pete.

Butch's parents are focusing most on the academic side during his recruitment. College is a big deal to Pete and Butch's mom, Nancy. Pete, who has spent his entire adult life managing grocery stores before buying one in New London last year, started working before he graduated from high school and never attended college. Nancy went to a tech school.

To see their son go beyond where they went in school is a dream come true, so they want to make sure it's the right place for him.

Pete Butch said it's not just important to find a school that is good academically. It's just as important to find a school that will help him succeed academically while handling the difficult schedule and the pressure he'll be under.

"On the visits, we kind of want to see where Brian is going to live on campus, what's going to happen with his day-to-day routine and if he's going to be able to adapt to it and do a good job for everybody," Pete Butch said.

What the UW can offer is something perhaps the other schools can't touch. And that's a strong future once he's finished with basketball. If he commits, he'll be set for life if he gets his degree because business people around the state will remember the commitment he made for the home-state school and will be more than willing to offer him a job.

There are hundreds of former UW athletes who can attest to that, and Butch knows it.

"To have all those connections inside the state is definitely huge because you can do almost anything that you want because you'll have people who know you, people who saw you play basketball," he said.

"There's also a disadvantage because I don't want anything handed to me. Stuff will be handed to me, but I want to work for it. That's the way I grew up."

Butch thought about that for a moment before saying, "I just have to think if I want to spend the rest of my life in Wisconsin."

He just wishes that was all he had to think about. Butch knows the next two months will be as difficult as any he has been through. There will be decisions to make and questions to answer.

Just don't ask him if he has made his decision before he makes it. You'll get the same answer every time. It got to the point at Appleton West last year where Butch was asked about his decision so many times that another student decided to help him out. He built a sign and followed Butch around the hallways with it.

The sign said, "He doesn't know yet."

Sorry, the articles are long, but I figured it was better than just posting a link (which I did too <img border="0" title="" alt="[Razz]" src="tongue.gif" /> ). <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" />

Hmmmmmm. I sure hope that Doherty isn't sending him 7 Fed-Ex packages a day. Sounds like it would be cool to have him come to school here though cause he's a pretty down to earth kinda guy. I hope that Wisconsin realizes that we can offer him a job anywhere in the world, including Wisconsin... <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" /> Can't wait to see you guys in the Dean Dome! Go Tar Heels!

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by Heel_Yeah:
I hope that Wisconsin realizes that we can offer him a job anywhere in the world, including Wisconsin... </font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Amen to that! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[Cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/cheers.gif" />

<a href="http://www.madison.com/captimes/sports/uw/basketball/men/mbb_recruit/32157.php" target="_blank">http://www.madison.com/captimes/sports/uw/basketball/men/mbb_recruit/32157.php</a>
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The Big Catch: Dominating Butch looks for right fit (Last in 3 part series)

By Rob Schultz
September 13, 2002

APPLETON - Richie Davis already knows how Brian Butch looks dominating a basketball game in the Dean Smith Center.

Last May, at a Tournament of Champions Invitational game played on the North Carolina home court, Butch scored 33 points, including the final six of the game, to lead his Fox Valley Skillz AAU team to victory.

The 6-foot-11 sharpshooter from Appleton outplayed Jackie Butler, a 6-9 center from McComb, Miss., who already has committed to Mississippi State. Butler scored just 12 points and had 8 rebounds before fouling out.

Butch then scored 36 points while outplaying another top-rated center, 6-10 Darryl Watkins of Patterson, N.J., as the Skillz lost to Milwaukee Bucks forward Tim Thomas' AAU team made up of select East Coast prep all-stars at Cameron Indoor Stadium on the Duke campus. Watkins finished with 9 points before fouling out.

Finally, Butch returned to the Dean Smith Center and scored 25 points and grabbed 16 rebounds as the Skillz defeated an AAU team from Massachusetts led by 6-10 Hassan Fofana, who finished with 13 points.

By the time he left North Carolina, Butch was offered a scholarship from the Tar Heels and was a media celebrity. Within a few weeks, he jumped up the charts of every national recruiting list in the country.

"I've never seen such a swarm of people come in to watch a kid play," said Davis, the Fox Valley Skillz coach. "It looked like an NBA playoff game with all the media surrounding Brian asking him questions."

And college coaches swarmed to Davis to learn more about Butch. "Everybody wanted him," said Davis. "Florida, North Carolina State, UConn all tried to jump in."

But Butch has narrowed his list to the University of Wisconsin, Marquette, Arizona, Kansas and North Carolina.

Davis, as well as Butch's high school coach, Greg Hartjes at Appleton West, have gotten to know - and like - all the coaches involved in Butch's recruitment. They also have studied most of the pros and cons that Butch is weighing as he readies himself to make a decision.

First, they believe wherever he attends college he'll make a strong impact and will carry the program.

"There will be a lot of pressure on him," said Hartjes, "and I don't think that will bother him at all. He's a mentally tough kid."

But at what position he dominates is a subject for debate. Butch weighs just 215 pounds and he envisions playing at the 4 spot (power forward) in college, particularly after proving this summer that he can consistently make 3-pointers. Davis and Hartjes both believe he'll play the 5, or center position, as well as the 4.

The problems he may face won't be on offense. He has proven he can score on anyone. But stopping the other guy could be a problem initially, especially at the 4 spot.

Hartjes said coaches have a concern about his lateral quickness and ability to defend out on the perimeter.

For instance, "Duke has gone away from recruiting big kids. Their roster is full of 6-8 kids. They have gone away from the plodders because they want to make people match up with them," Hartjes said. "So North Carolina is saying that Brian has to go out and guard a very quick 6-8 kid. That's what they are more concerned about; more so than his bulk."

Duke isn't the only school going with quickness. As a 4, he would face similar situations in the Big 12 at Kansas, the Pac-10 at Arizona, Conference USA at Marquette and the Big Ten at Wisconsin.

But both Hartjes and Davis said the UW has an edge over the other schools because they have secured a verbal commitment for the 2004 class from Randolph center Greg Stiemsma, who is a much better defender. By the time he finishes high school, Stiemsma may end up as highly ranked nationally as Butch.

"With Stiemsma in there, that would allow Brian to match up somewhere else. That's what coaches are always looking to do," said Hartjes. "So Brian is not the best defender, you have to find somebody who is to guard the other team's best post players."

Davis had the luxury of coaching both players on the same team for a short period this summer. "In one word: awesome," said Davis.

"Anybody who says they can't play together I won't listen to them," he added. "I can honestly say that I've seen it happen and they were great together."

Butch knows UW coach Bo Ryan's swing offense is tailor-made for him because it would allow him to use his wide array of moves.

"That is really taste-worthy," he said of the offense. "I can step up and hit the long shot and then there's a one-on-one post where they can't double team. If they do, you have to kick it out for the 3. It's definitely a great system. And they won with it without having all the tools."

Butch also acknowledged the addition of Stiemsma makes playing for the Badgers even more attractive.

"He is 10 times a better defensive player than I am right now," said Butch, who played with Stiemsma in a few tournament games this summer and considers him a friend. He's a good guy. I like him a lot."

Hartjes said Butch has to look at all the potential situations at every school. "He has to look at the rosters of all these schools to see where he will fit in," Hartjes said. "I'm concerned about some of them. At Carolina I think he'll end up at the 5 spot because they signed the No. 1 power forward this year."

If Butch committed to Arizona, he'd spend his freshman year playing behind 6-10 center Channing Frye. They have even discussed the idea of redshirting Butch so he could develop more without so much pressure.

"They believe Frye will go pro after his junior year and Brian would then get 25-30 minutes a game his (redshirt) freshman year," said Hartjes.

Hartjes has had a hard time figuring out what Kansas has planned for Butch.

"We were kind of concerned about the scholarship offer at first because they were kind of vague," he said. "They didn't talk at all about him fitting in with this guy or that guy like the other schools have. Recently they've put a little bit of a push on, but I'm not sure how to read it."

Kansas also is recruiting highly regarded 6-11 David Padgett of Reno, Nev., and some believe he's leaning toward playing for the Jayhawks. But Padgett also is being recruited by Arizona and North Carolina as well as Stanford, which Butch crossed off his list earlier this summer.

"I think Kansas is higher on Padgett than they are on Brian while I think everybody else is higher on Brian," said Hartjes.

Arizona also is recruiting power forward Ndudi Ebi, another top-10 prospect from Houston.

"So if they get one of the three, they'll be happy," said Hartjes. "North Carolina loves Brian, but if they get Padgett they'll be pretty darned happy. Now Wisconsin has only offered to Brian. They have put all their eggs in one basket to get the kid. They have to do it that way."

There lies the major difference between perennial powerhouses and schools like Wisconsin trying to scratch their way to the top.

Hartjes said the UW coaches are impatient waiting for Butch to make a decision because they have so much on the line. Meantime, the other schools look more polished because they are more patient after going through so many recruiting battles and have the power to make contingency plans.

Even Marquette coach Tom Crean has been more patient than the UW staff. But that's because the Golden Eagles have nothing to lose with their recruitment of Butch. Hartjes said Crean knows his program is the lowest of the five schools on Butch's list.

"They were almost ready to concede that they weren't going to be the fifth school and gain a visit. And then, right at the end, Tom Crean did some smooth talking with Brian and got a visit out of it," Hartjes said.

"They are hoping they have a chance," the Appleton West coach added. "They are hoping to spark something. They are hoping that when he comes down for that visit, that he says this is the greatest place, this is where I want to be. But they also understand they are up against some big-time programs."

Hartjes has been most comfortable with Ryan and his staff and admitted he wants Butch to play there.

"Maybe it's because they are Midwestern people who are from Wisconsin. They understand a little bit more about Brian and Wisconsin kids," he said. "Some of the other schools, there is a lot of flash."

Ryan has even shown Hartjes a few wrinkles of his swing offense that he can implement into West's sets this season as the Terrors try to return to the WIAA boys state tournament in Madison.

"If he asks me where I think he should go, I'll say Wisconsin," said Hartjes. "But he hasn't asked me and I haven't told him."

Plus, Hartjes added, "It would also be pretty exciting to see one of my players run out on the court with a North Carolina uniform on, too. Or Arizona. That's the thing that Brian sees, whether he has a better opportunity at those schools."

Hartjes and Davis, as well as Butch's father, Pete, believe the star player's love for his family and their desire to see him play close to home may play a role in his decision.

"I mentioned that to Brian two or three times," said Pete Butch. "He knows it means a lot to have your friends and family there."

But, like Hartjes and Davis, Pete Butch will let his son make his own decision.

"Brian knows that he has to do what is best for himself and where he best fits into their style of play," he said.

<small>[ September 13, 2002, 04:41 PM: Message edited by: hoops13 ]</small>

The people who write this seem to be very biased towards Butch attending Wisconsin. From the way it sounds, Wisconsin is going to be the school to beat out.

While I'd love to have Butch, a top 10 recruit, I think we could have future success without a true center. No offense to Butch, but he isn't exactly the most athletic guy, and we need a guy who can bang down low and grab rebouds. Not a 7-0 guy who wants to shoot 3 pointers. IMO, if I could choose between Padgett and Butch, I think Padgett would fit better into our program. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have Butch, but if we don't get him or Padgett, we just save the last 2 schollys for 2004.

What do you all think?

<small>[ September 13, 2002, 04:47 PM: Message edited by: hoops13 ]</small>

Yeah, those comments about him having to play the 5 at UNC bothered me a little too. Sounds like he wants to be like a lot of the foreign big men. Handle the ball a lot, take the midrange shot and even the three but reluctant to play inside and body people up. I think we could be successful with him, since he would have May, McCants Jawad to help with the boards. I still prefer a beefy banger on the inside, but a Rasheed type I wouldn't turn down. I'd still be happy to get either Butch or Padgett.

I agree that Padgett might be a better fit and I also think we should save the 'ships for the next year if we don't get one or the other. Lots of good players in that class.

<small>[ September 13, 2002, 06:22 PM: Message edited by: The Bomber ]</small>

Yeah. I am confident that if we miss on both, Doherty and the staff won't go into panic mode like they did last year after we missed on a lot of centers and dish them out to low ranking players. Now that Chris Taft seems to be ready to committ to Pittsburg and Courtney Simms has committed there is nobody else on the radar.

Doherty and his staff will save the 2 schollys for 2004 if we miss on both Butch and Padgett. There are some very good players that we are recruiting in that class including: Brian Johnson, Lamarcus Aldridge, Daniel Gibson, Ra'Sean Dickey.

Let's just hope that everything falls in place.

I'd still be thrilled to sign Butch or Padgett, both top 15 prospects!

Go Heels! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="biggrin.gif" />