Lamont Butler, an Aztecs basketball player, is leaving SDSU and will move to Kentucky.
Final Four hero is heading to Lexington to play in the SEC.
Lamont Butler will always be remembered as one of the most beloved players in San Diego State basketball history. He’ll have one year to make a name for himself at one of history’s most prestigious programs.
After four years on Montezuma Mesa, the point guard is off to Kentucky. Butler, best remembered for scoring a buzzer-beating shot in the 2023 Final Four to defeat Florida Atlantic and bring the Aztecs to the National Championship game, went via the NCAA’s Transfer Portal on Wednesday and quickly found a new home.
Butler was a vital part of three Mountain West Conference regular-season titles and two MWC Tournament championships, and he guided the Aztecs to back-to-back NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearances for the first time. In his final year of eligibility, Butler opted to see what else was out there. The Wildcats quickly came calling.
Mark Pope, Kentucky’s new head coach, spent the last few years at BYU and has met Butler in person a few times. He knows what he’s getting: a tough, knowledgeable, team-oriented guard who is also the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
Butler’s departure opens up another scholarship opportunity for San Diego, and Coach Brian Dutcher’s staff has been active in the portal, so this move will almost certainly result in another player going to America’s Finest City.
Butler has taken the Aztecs to places they have never been before, and he is now heading to a place where Final Fours are expected. The Wildcats have won eight national titles, appeared in 12 title games, and advanced to the Final Four 17 times. Kentucky has the most Division I wins of any program on the planet, trailing only North Carolina in all-time NCAA Tournament victories.
Butler may be testing his abilities against the SEC, one of the top conferences in the country, but he will remain an Aztec for life.
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