San Diego State transfer Lamont Butler signs with Kentucky
San Diego State transfer guard Lamont Butler has officially signed with Kentucky less than 24 hours after committing to the Wildcats.
“Lamont Butler is the definition of a winner,” UK head coach Mark Pope said via press release. “He might be the best perimeter defensive player in all of college basketball. Lamont has helped lead championship teams for the last four years and hit one of the most epic shots in the NCAA Tournament to send his team to the championship game.
“He is an elite student who takes his academics seriously. He cares about the community and will embrace the power of wearing ‘Kentucky’ across the front of his chest. I’m extremely excited to coach Lamont and to see the influence he’s going to have on this team.”
His commitment decision to join the Wildcats comes after Pope, associate head coach Alvin Brooks III and assistant coaches Jason Hart and Cody Fueger flew to Las Vegas to visit him Friday.
Butler, a 6-foot-2 guard from Moreno Valley, California, signed with San Diego State as a three-star point guard in 2020 ranked as the 38th best point guard prospect in the country and as the 27th best player in the state of California
As a true freshman during the 2020-21 season, he played in 28 games and made two starts. Averaging 12.4 minutes of playing time, he averaged 4.3 points per game with 1.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists helping the Aztecs win both the Mountain West regular season and tournament title.
During his sophomore campaign of 2021-22, Butler played in 27 games starting 25 in which he scored 7.3 points per game with 1.7 rebounds and 1.5 assists. He shot 39.6 percent from the field and 29.0 percent from three helping the Aztecs once again make the NCAA Tournament.
