UC Irvine’s Butler Drafted by CBA Club

Ricky Butler of UC Irvine was drafted Tuesday by the Rapid City Thrillers of the Continental Basketball Assn.

Butler, a 6-foot-7 center, was selected in the seventh round. He averaged 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds for UCI last season.

After a standout career at Ocean View High School, Butler signed a letter of intent to play at Kansas. However, he failed to meet academic requirements and sat out his freshman season after transferring to UCI.

Butler was a three-year starter for Irvine. He averaged 13.8 points as a sophomore and 11.2 as a junior.