A Look At Keith Butler
Keith Butler (right), a 7-0 center from Celestial Prep in Philadelphia, Penn., signed this fall with Temple University.
And the big fella had a chance to "break in" his future home when he scored 20 points in a recent 105-100 loss to Hargrave Military Academy at McGonigle Hall.
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McGonigle Hall is the old gym where the Owl program used to play its home basketball games. Temple now uses the Liacouras Center, which is adjacent to McGonigle.
In the game against Hargrave, Butler started out like gangbusters, pumping in 14 of his 20 points in the opening half.
In watching Butler with both Celestial Prep and the BABC AAU squad, he has a tendency to float in and out of games. And that happened a little in the loss to Hargrave, where his effectiveness waned as the game progressed.
But the bottom line is that Temple has a potential future pro in Butler. Although his conditioning is still not where it needs to be, Butler moves exceptionally well for his size and is very nimble.
At his best, Butler is a rebounding and shot-blocking machine who is an effective offensive player around the rim. At Temple next year, the Owls won't need Butler to score much right away with the expected return of some talented wings.
So for all the talk of Temple's vaunted matchup zone, Butler will provide one more obstacle for opposing offenses next winter.
Butler is at Celestial in order to boost his academic resume. While he has already surpassed the 820 barrier on the SAT according to Celestial program director Darryl Schofield, he does need to boost his core grades in line with NCAA guidelines for freshman eligibility.
Whether he qualifies academically or not, the Massachusetts native will be at Temple next year, as John Chaney's program has done an exemplary job of providing educational opportunities for student-athletes with academic issues.