San Diego Athlete of the Week : Butler Adjusts to New Successes

Shawndel Reddic had constantly encouraged volleyball teammate Terri Butler to try out for the school’s basketball team during Butler’s sophomore year at Crawford High School.

Each time, Butler explained to her senior teammate that she was not cut out for the sport. The only time Butler had played organized basketball was in the fifth grade at a local YMCA. Eventually, Butler relented, but she assured Reddic that she would soon be off the court and on the soccer field, where she really wanted to be.

To Butler’s amazement, she not only made the team but earned a starting position as a sophomore.

“I went out there and tried and (Coach Jeff Olivero) told me I was on the varsity, and I said, ‘Wow,’ ” recalled Butler, now a senior guard. “So I started liking it ever since.”

Basketball has been full of surprises for Butler, The Times’ athlete of the week. Last Tuesday, she scored 38 points, including two free throws in the final 13 seconds to give Crawford a 69-68 victory over University of San Diego High School. Last Friday, Butler scored 23 points in a 50-47 victory over Lincoln.

After both games, Butler was amazed at her point totals.

“I’m always surprised,” she said. “During a game, I don’t pay much attention to it. I’m shocked at the end of the game, usually.”

Scoring is new to Butler. During her first two seasons, she was primarily a passer, getting the ball to Karla Salmi, Carmela Hicks and Laura Hatcher.

But they have graduated.

“Before, I was looking for someone else to shoot,” she said, “and now they are looking at me to shoot. It’s a little more pressure, but it’s coming along pretty well.”

Butler, who scores mostly on fastbreak layups, doesn’t even think shooting is her top skill. She’s more proud of her ballhandling.

“It never really dawned on me that I was that good of a shooter,” she said.

Said Olivero: “Most of the scoring is placed on her shoulders. She has a nice shooting touch now. Instead of hoping the ball will go in, she can feel it go in. She has a lot more confidence this season.”

Though Butler’s older teammates have graduated, she says she is still motivated by them. In the USDHS game, Butler was sent to the line with 13 seconds left and her team trailing by a point. She admits she is a poor free-throw shooter.

“I never pay any attention to my free-throw percentage because I don’t do that great,” she said.

As she stood at the line, Butler thought back to the first round of last year’s section playoffs. Then, Salmi was at the line with two seconds remaining and her team trailing Southwest by a point.

Salmi sank both shots to give Crawford the victory.

“It was all on her,” Butler said. “I just thought about that. It was like, ‘Oh my goodness, I’m in her situation, I think.’ I think that inspired me to where I had to make it. I thought, if she can do it, I can do it. It seems like every time I go to the free-throw line, I think about that because I know she had a lot of pressure on her.”

The pressure continued for Butler in the Lincoln game. Not only was it the City Central League opener, it was against one of Crawford’s toughest rivals.

But when Butler walked off the court afterward, she was disappointed, despite the narrow victory. She had committed four fouls and figured she had played poorly.

“I was shocked when I read the newspaper the next day,” she said, after seeing she had scored 23 points. “I didn’t want to ask how I did after the game because I thought I did really bad. I just didn’t think I had that many shots. Usually I don’t feel that I did that much, but then I say ‘I guess I did.’

“But now I know what I can do, so I always strive for that.”

Terri Butler

Crawford High School

Position: guard

Height, Class: 5-4, Sr.

Last Week: Scored 38 points, including two free throws in the final 13 seconds, in Crawford’s 69-68 victory over University of San Diego High School; scored 23 points in a 50-47 victory over Lincoln.