Butler's dream of playing D-I hoops ends at Southeast

Cameron Butler never gave up on his dream of playing Division I basketball. His journey was filled with plenty of detours along the way, but it ultimately paid off.

Butler not only landed a scholarship at Southeast Missouri State over the summer, he quickly has established himself as a cornerstone among the Redhawks' 11 new players and team leaders.

"You've got to hand it to a guy who chases his dreams. I'm all for that," first-year Southeast coach Dickey Nutt said Wednesday during the Redhawks' media day. "His was to play Division I basketball. It's a really neat story."

It took Butler, a 6-foot-6, 220-pound junior forward, two seasons at Division II Southern Arkansas and a year spent away from basketball to realize his dream. He said the wait has been more than worth it.

"I always wanted to play Division I basketball. I knew I could," Butler said.

That, however, wasn't apparent to many coaches when Butler was an all-state high school player in Malvern, Ark., a town of about 10,000.

"I started slow. I didn't know much about the recruiting process," Butler said. "And being from Malvern, I didn't get a lot of exposure."

With no Division I offers, Butler took his game to Southern Arkansas, where he was a solid if unspectacular player for two seasons, averaging 6.1 points and 4.0 rebounds while leading the squad with 17 blocks in 2007-08.

Butler said he enjoyed it at Southern Arkansas, but still wasn't finished with his Division I hoop dreams.

With eligibility requirements more stringent in Division I than Division II, Butler decided to leave Southern Arkansas and put his basketball career on hold so he could become eligible for Division I athletics.

"It was a tough decision, but it really was the right decision," he said. "I knew I could play Division I."

Butler spent last school year at National Park Community College in Hot Springs, Ark., while also taking classes at Ouachita Technical College in his hometown of Malvern.

"It was tough, especially in the summer, grinding it out," said Butler, who added that a year away from playing basketball also wasn't easy.

When Butler left Southern Arkansas, he had no guarantee he would receive any Division I scholarship offers, although he said he had some feelers out and was hopeful.

Then, in mid-March, Nutt took over at Southeast after a year away from basketball following 13 seasons leading Arkansas State's program.

Butler believed Nutt's hiring was just the break he needed because Butler said he had envisioned one day playing for Nutt's Arkansas State squad while still in high school.

"I got in contact with coach Nutt. I told him I've been following him since I've been in high school," Butler said. "I told him I wanted to come here and help him win."

Nutt laughed when asked if he remembered Butler from his high school days.

"He wasn't as big in high school. I remember him being 6-3, 190, not 6-6 or 6-7 and 220, jumping out of the gym," Nutt said. "He called me and said, 'You remember me?' I said, 'Yeah, I remember you 6-3.' He said, 'No, I'm 6-7.'

"Usually when a guy calls you and tells you he's 6-7, he's really 6-2 or 6-3. But when he showed up, he was 6-6 or 6-7."

Added Nutt: "I knew his dad really well. And Cameron's high school coach, John Ware, we go way back. He convinced me to give Cameron a chance. Cameron brought his family here for a visit. ... I knew I wanted Cameron in my program. When he was going to [summer] school, we talked about it ... come help me build this program."

Nutt said Butler so far has been everything Southeast's rookie coach had hoped for both on and off the court. During Saturday's intrasquad scrimmage, Butler led all scorers with 18 points.

"He's long. He's 6-6 or 6-7, but he plays 6-8, 6-9 with those long arms," Nutt said. "He's very, very athletic. Better than that, he just brings you tremendous leadership. He wants to lead.

"If our guys do something as a team, like going to the movies, he arranges that."

Butler knows he joined a program that is about as low as low gets after the 2008-2009 Redhawks went 3-27 overall and 0-18 in the Ohio Valley Conference. They'll carry the nation's longest active losing streak, 19 games, into the season.

That hasn't diminished Butler's enthusiasm.

"I look at it in a good way, to help turn this program around," he said. "It won't start next year, it'll start this year and I'll be a big part of it."

Butler said he is motivated to exert maximum effort daily not only because he wants to see the team have success but because he's still got a chip on his shoulder.

"It's personal with me because I felt I could have been playing at this level all along," he said. "That's what motivates me to work hard every day."

In the end, after Butler's long and winding journey finally paid off with a Division I scholarship, he believes he's at Southeast for a reason.

"I always wanted to play for coach Nutt out of high school, but it never worked out," Butler said. "But God works in mysterious ways. I'm just glad it's worked out this way.

"I thank God every day."