Butler dazzles crowd with dunks
Utah State forward Cardell Butler loves to dunk.
The evidence: Last season when he was unable to compete with the team he won a slam dunk contest during a timeout. This season during the annual Hoops Fest slam dunk contest Butler acquired yet another title.
Thursday against UC Riverside, there was no question who the slam dunk champ was.
Butler got his first jam of the night with 3:41 remaining in the first half. The basket was part of Utah State’s 14-0 run which was started by a layup by Desmond Penigar.
Following Butler’s hammer, the crowd began to chant “replay,” hoping to see the dunk again.
After a media timeout, the crowd got what it wanted as the play was shown again on the video screen.
“After that [dunk] I was just into it,” Butler said, although acknowledging he didn’t know what the crowd was chanting for. “I was just ready for another one.”
And that he did. Butler recorded two more dunks, one at the 8:36 mark, and the other at the 5:22 mark during the second half.
Utah State Head Coach Stew Morrill said Butler’s dunks, which contributed to all of his points on the night, come from rebounds, passes or a specific play that the team used to run for former Aggie Troy Rolle.
“It’s fine,” Morrill said of Butler’s crowd pleasing antics, “Obviously I’m more concerned about his defense [though]. But if it gets the crowd going its good, it’s positive.”
Butler currently leads the team with 10 dunks
this season.
Quotables
“I’m still kind of mad about the first half. I keep trying to remind myself to be happy about the second half but there is no reason for coming out that flat,” Morrill said of the poor Aggie start.
“We were in a big fog and no one was going hard. Coach will go through his lineup, and if that’s not getting it done, he goes to guys like me or Calvin to get a spark in there,” Utah State guard Mike Stowell on his seven minutes of game time against UCR. Brown chipped in five minutes on the court.
By the numbers
7,056 — paid attendance for Thursday’s game.
57 — field goal attempts by each team.
38 — rebounds by Utah State. The Aggies were down on the battle of the boards 19-16 at the break.
26 — bench points by UCR. Klaus Schille led the charge with 12 points.
12 — rebounds by USU for ward Spencer Nelson. He recorded eight off the defensive glass.
10 — free throws by UC Riverside. The Highlanders shot 50 per- cent from the charity stripe, while USU13-of- 22 for 59.1 percent.
10 — points scored by Highlander Nate Carter. The freshman currently leads the Big West Conference with 18.8 ppg.
2 — minutes played by freshman walk-on K.C. Comadena. The Logan High grad hit a 12-footer with 0:17 seconds remaining.
1 — lead changes. USU nabbed the advantage with 5:08 to go in the first half.
1 — former teammates of Penigar. Highlander walk-on Mark Peters played with the Aggie forward for a season while the two were at Ventura Junior College. Penigar said the two were roommates in California.
Up next —
CS Fullerton
It’s clear that Utah State is not the only university having problems with its student athletes. Cal State Fullerton center Pape Sow was suspended indefinitely by the NCAA for stealing a $15 beanie from the school bookstore.
Sow, the 6-foot-10 junior who led the team in scoring and rebounding last season, has appealed the decision which dates back to Dec. 18. According to the CSF media release, the appeal is in its final process, and should be released late next week.
The absence of Sow doesn’t necessarily mean the game will be a walk in the park — at least that is what Morrill thinks.
“They might not have Pape Sow but they are going to have the same guys that beat Santa Barbara,” Morrill said referring to the 57-55 overtime win against the Guachos on the road Jan. 4. “We’re going to see a pretty good team.”
Seniors Babacar Camara and Brandon Campbell are also both out indefinitely with a sprained right ankle and a degenerative bone problem in his left ankle, respectively.
Junior starting forward Derick Andrew was the hero of the most recent OT victory, 57-53 at Long Beach, with 16 points, seven of which came down the stretch.
The only Titan averaging more then 10 points a game, Ralphy Holmes with 16.9, is questionable for Saturday’s game because he reinjured his shoulder at Idaho State on Jan. 14. He has missed the last four games.
The Titans are coming off a 56-49 loss at Idaho on Thursday.
–juag@cc.usu.edu