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football Edit

Big Man QA

FT. WAYNE, Ind. -- Brian Butch, a highly skilled 6-10, 215 pound power forward from Appleton West H.S. in Appleton, Wisc., sat down with the Insiders Report this past weekend to discuss his recruitment at the Spiece Run N Slam Tournament.
Butch took an official visit to Arizona from Apr. 27-29, and is also considering Iowa, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Kansas, Stanford, Marquette and Tennessee this spring.
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Here is a transcript of our interview with Butch, who helped lead the Fox Valley Skillz program into the Elite Eight at Spiece.
IR: Can you talk a little about your visit to Arizona?
BB: We got a lot of questions answered. My family came down with me. It was a very good visit. I know the players were very helpful and the coaching staff was very nice, too.
IR: Arizona also has a number of other talented big men slated to visit this spring. Have they kind of told you what the pecking order is, or where you stand on the list?
BB: No, they told me that they had [David] Padgett down and Ebi down and me down, and they said those are the three guys we are having down, and whoever takes it first, we'll take. I think we are all good players who work hard and play hard, so that's why I think that they are interested in us.
IR: Does that put any pressure on you to make a decision?
BB: Not really. I am going to commit in the fall. If a great opportunity is taken away from me because someone takes it early, I just told them that I would like them to be open and aware that the other guys are falling, so that if I do have to make a really early decision, then I will have some time to think about it. Things happen for a reason, and that's my theory about it.
IR: Are you going to take any more spring visits?
BB: No more, I don't have any more time. We have tournaments all through May, and then I am out of school on June 7, and there will be no more [open] weekends then.
IR: Out of your list of eight schools, only two, North Carolina and Kansas, have yet to tender scholarship offers. Of course, Stanford is in the same boat, but they have to accept you into school before they can offer you. How long will you wait for those programs to offer?
BB: Probably by midway through the summer. And if I see how interested they are. If I see that they are not at any of my games this summer, then it will be a totally different thing. They showed interest this spring by both coming in and visiting at the school, so they seem interested.
IR: You've already taken unofficial visits to the three Midwestern schools on your list -- Iowa, Wisconsin and Marquette. Any impressions on your visits to those schools?
BB: They are all just like Arizona. Right now, I think I am dealing with pretty good schools, academically and athletically. The Midwest schools kind of gave me a home feel to it, but yet I don't know if I want to get away or stay close to home. So it's not that big a factor right now.
IR: What are some of the things in your game that you do well, and what are some of the things you feel you need to work on?
BB: I can shoot the ball from the outside and go inside. My foot quickness is not the greatest and my defense is not the greatest. I play defense, and I try to play it with my heart, but my foot speed is not good enough to complete with some of the quicker players out here, and that's why I have to keep on working.
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