Much of Jimmy Butler’s life has been highly publicized. From his rough upbringing to his rise to NBA stardom, people know the story of the Miami Heat shooting guard.
But before he was a six-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA member and five-time All-Defensive team selection, Butler was a zero-star recruit out of Tomball, Texas. With a population of just under 13,000, he stood out quickly. Averaging just shy of 20 points and nine rebounds per game as a senior, he was the Tomball Cougars’ most valuable player.
The thing was, colleges at the Division I level were focused on bigger name high schools and bigger name players. They seemed to ignore Butler. He would attend Tyler Junior College for a season before making the Division I jump.
Butler had a scholarship offer from Centenary College of Louisiana, then a Division-I school. That was his only full-ride offer to play at the next level. The only other mid-major team looking his way? Quinnipiac — partially.
What if he had come to Qu...