Uc
onn reserve center
Natalie Butler entered the American Athletic Conference Tournament championship game with 4:08 left in the first half Monday night.
Teammate
Katie Lou Samuelson was having a monster game; UConn led by 30. But Butler was happy to enter the game and contribute when she did.
"I'm definitely surprised I'm getting as much minutes as I am in the tournament," Butler said after UConn's 100-44 victory over
South Florida at Mohegan Sun Arena. "Because the way the season went, I struggled. I feel very fortunate that Coach [Geno Auriemma] trusted me to put me in the game when he did, as early on as he did. It helps me build confidence."
Butler had a double-double – 10 points to go with her season-high 10 rebounds – as well
as a block and a steal in 21 minutes. She had her previous season high for rebounds (nine) in the win over Tulsa in the quarterfinal and scored a season-high 13 points, her first double-digit scoring game since UConn played Houston on Jan. 28.
Butler, the 6-5 redshirt junior transfer from
Georgetown, is playing more and contributing more than last season, when she had a thumb injury that sidelined her into December. She's had to, because of the lack of depth on the roster. She's averaging 16.4 minutes, up from 12 last season, and five rebounds, up from four. Her scoring average has stayed about the same (5.7 points this year, 5.6 last year).
"I think I'm playing a lot better, but I think a lot of that has to do with my teammates," she said. "My teammates have been incredibly supportive. I think around tournament time, the team really comes together. I'm not saying we didn't come together before, because we've definitely been challenged with some big games, but it's just like there's a whole new chemistry and I honestly believe that everyone's able to succeed because of each other.
"I feel that I played good. But there's a lot of things fundamentally I still haven't done correctly — for instance, missing layups. The last layup of this game. Two layups last game. You can always improve something. But I do think I played better in the tournament than I have all season."
Still, Butler said she has struggled the last three years – starting when she sat out a year as a transfer from Georgetown, where she was the
Big East freshman of the year.
"It's been very challenging and a lot of adversity has happened, a lot of adversity I never expected," she said. "Personally, outside of basketball. It's been one thing after another. I think it's taught me a lot about how to handle things. And I think it can help me in life. It's amazing how lessons in basketball can sort of teach you how to handle things later on in life."
Butler wouldn't elaborate on the nature of the adversity, just that it was outside of basketball and it has been "continuous."
Auriemma said he was pleased with how Butler played in the conference tournament.
"I thought [Monday], especially when she was in in the third quarter, she really had a solid 4-5 minutes, because she did all the things she's good at and she played really well defensively and clogged up the lane for us and rebounded the ball," he said. "I like when she comes in and has an impact. I think sometimes people think the only way you can have an impact on the game is to score a lot of points. I thought [Monday and Sunday] and the first game, we're starting to see the impact she can have."
Butler said she's been working hard outside of practice to improve her skills.
"I'm glad I'm playing better in the tournament because I think it reflects on how hard I've been working," she said. "I do a lot of work outside of practice. I get in the gym quite a bit. I work on my post moves. I work on finishing. I work on my outside shots.
"It's frustrating when it doesn't go in because I'm working at it. My footwork. Jumping rope. Doing step-ups to increase my vertical. I think my athleticism has been a lot better from where it was two years ago. I'm happy about that. I kept my weight down. I've been eating healthy. So things like that are all positives, which I try to focus on, especially since it's been so challenging."
