Photo Courtesy of Sports Information
By Hannah Grove, Contributing Writer
Bryce Butler is a senior finance major on the men’s basketball team. He is from Abingdon, Md. and is this season’s team captain. Butler averages nine points, 1.5 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. Butler also has three varsity letters and made his first appearance vs. Bethany on Nov.15 his freshman year.
Butler started playing basketball at the age of four and continued playing throughout his life. He was a part of his school’s basketball club team and decided to continue his journey at Susquehanna because he found that the university’s program embodied hard work, dedication and unity.
One of Butler’s favorite things about the sport is how focused he has to be. It is almost like having tunnel vision when playing because you are only focused on one thing– the game.
The 6 foot-1 shooting guard has many highlights from his time being here at Susquehanna. He has a career high of 28 points on 10-14 shooting He also had 16 points, 12 rebounds and six assists against Drew his junior year. During the same game. Butler also had 19 points on 6-8 field goals and 4-4 three field goals in 23 minutes. The game resulted in a home win.
Due to COVID-19 Butler’s basketball season has been cut short. During the pandemic he stated, “I learned without basketball I tend to become really lazy so, I’ve learned how to stay active without actually being involved in my sport like a usual school year.”
During his time playing basketball at Susquehanna, Butler has been coached by his older brother.
“Having my brother coach me was the best basketball experience I have ever had. Him and I are really close, and still to this day have an unbreakable bond. He was able to push me and instill a killer mindset in me that really changed my view of the game of basketball,” Butler said. “In the past, I used to care a lot more about what my stat output looked like on the box score after games. With having him constantly challenging me, I was able to change my outlook and impact the game in a totally different way.”
Not only does his brother have a big influence on his life, but his biggest role models are his parents. “They have showed me exactly what it looks like to endure challenges in life and keep going day after day to improve your current situation,” Butler said. “Nothing for my parents was ever easy, but they never stopped going, because of this they were able to give my siblings and I a wonderful life.”
One of his most memorable moments on the team was winning the 2019-2020 Landmark Conference Championship home against Scranton in front of the biggest crowd he ever played at Susquehanna. “To make history winning the program’s first Landmark Championship with my brothers was unforgettable,” Butler said.
Although it was hard to pinpoint one person who impacted his time at Susquehanna the most, Butler ultimately believed it was his teammates, or “brothers.” “We are bonded together in the consistent work we put in together, and we all make countless sacrifices to make sure the program as a whole is successful,” he said.
His advice for younger students or student athletes would be to “never fall into the rabbit hole of comparing yourself to your peers or other players. Run your own race and stick to your journey because it won’t look like anyone else’s. Consistently focus on just getting 1% better each and every day no matter what is going on with those around you. Invest in you.”
