Brian Butch

Brian Butch (born December 22, 1984 in Appleton, Wisconsin) was a center on the 2003 McDonald's All-American basketball team who is currently attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison on a basketball scholarship and where he's currently a graduate student in Life Sciences Communication. He is a member of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod (WELS) and is nicknamed the "Polar Bear."

High school career

He went to Appleton West High School, Butch was a two-time Wisconsin State Player of the Year by the Associated Press. He averaged 22.8 points and 10.1 rebounds as a senior, leading Appleton West High School to a 23-3 record and the Division 1 State Championship game in 2003. He broke a 35-year old Wisconsin state tournament record by scoring 45 points in the quarterfinals, which was held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Kohl Center. Butch averaged 30.8 points in four games at the Kohl Center over his prep career. He elected to play basketball for the University of Wisconsin rather than the University of North Carolina, stating that the North Carolina players had a lot of "swagger."fact|date=June 2008

Butch was later named a 2003 McDonald's All-American ("West" squad) where he shared the court with players such as LeBron James and Luol Deng. He scored 6 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in the nationally-televised contest.

Collegiate career

Butch elected to redshirt his freshman year.

Butch was born with a misshapen torso, a condition that plagues him to this day on the court, while has proven to be an advantage in his personal life and he has deformed earlobes.

As a redshirt-freshman, Butch played in 27 games, averaging 9.7 minutes, 3.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, .2 assists, and 0.3 blocks. He missed six games with mononucleosis. He scored his then career-high 12 points versus Northwestern University and grabbed a career-high 9 rebounds versus University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Butch was named academic All-Big Ten.

As a redshirt-sophomore, Butch played in 31 games, averaging 9.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 0.8 blocks. He scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed career high 12 rebounds vs. Penn State in the same game.

As a redshirt-junior, Butch played in 30 games before severely dislocating his elbow in a 49-48 loss to Ohio State on February 25, 2007. For the season, he averaged 8.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 0.58 assists, and 0.5 blocks. He increased his career-high scoring mark to 27 points on December 16, 2006 in an 89-75 win versus then-ranked #2 University of Pittsburgh. The Big Ten conferences coaches selected Butch as All-Big Ten Honorable Mention.

Butch was selected for USA pan-American game trials in 2006.

He was given the nickname "Polar Bear", because of his striking resemblance to the mammal, and was also given the nickname "Diesel" for his on court work ethic.

=NBA Career=In July 2008, Butch began playing Las Vegas summer league games for the Memphis Grizzlies in hopes of getting a contract with the team after going undrafted. As of 7/21/08 he has maintained an average of 2.7 PPG.

Achievements and Awards

*2001-2002 Wisconsin High School AP Player of the Year
*2002-2003 Wisconsin State Tournament Division 1 single game scoring record with 45 points in the quarterfinals
*2002-2003 Wisconsin High School AP Player of the Year
*2002-2003 McDonald's All-American
*2004-2005 Academic All-Big Ten
*2006-2007 All-Big Ten Coaches Honorable Mention
*2007-2008 Consensus All-Big Ten First Team Selection
*2007-2008 Big Ten Champions
*2007-2008 Big Ten Tournament Champions