Family first: Neoga's Butler named EDN

Area Player of the Year

Tyler Dixon Daily News | Posted: Saturday, March 28, 2015 8:00 am
Neogas Madison Butler was part of a school record-setting squad for wins in a
season, and is the Effingham Daily News Area Player of the Year.
Standing at only 5 feet 3 inches tall, Neogas Madison Butler has grown up with a
chip on her shoulder, but Butler hasnt let her height slow her down.
Ive always gotten picked on about my height, she said.
Neogas senior point guard stood above the pack during her final season, and is
the Effingham Daily News Area Player of the Year.
Barry Wolfe, Butlers AAU coach at Elite Basketball, has enough knowledge and
experience to know that lack of height doesnt translate to lack of ability. Wolfe
said the last three guards that have stood at 5 feet 5 inches or less have gotten
college scholarships.
I think it just shows no matter what your size it, its what the size of your heart
is, he said. Madisons proven that.
Butlers love is basketball, but after one conversation with her, its well known
what she puts above all else.
Family.
Theyve always been to games, theyve always supported her, Wolfe said. I
cant remember a time they werent there for her.
Butler grew up playing with her father, Troy, and her mother, Julie. Her younger
brother Clayton is 15 years old and plays junior varsity basketball for the Indians,
and her sister Sydney is 12 years old.
Wolfe said one reason Butler decided to stay close and go to Webster University
in St. Louis is so she could still be close to her sister.
Sydney was diagnosed with Isodicentric chromosome 15 syndrome when she was
younger.

The National Institute of Health states it as a developmental disorder with a broad

spectrum of features. It occurs in about 1 in 30,000 newborns.
Butler plans to study physical therapy at Webster in the fall and that has been her
plan for quite some time.
Ive actually always wanted to be a physical therapist because of my sister, she
said. The doctors told her there was a chance she wouldnt be able to walk or
talk.
For anyone who has seen the Lady Indians this season, they know Sydney has no
problem walking or talking as she cheers on her sister from the stands.
Butler said she remembers physical therapists coming to the house to help her
sister and said she wants to do that for other people.
Watching that growing up was a big influence and I thought that was good being
able to change peoples lives, she said.
Butler said Sydney means more to her than anything and her sister has taught her
patience as well as being able to adjust to different situations.
She just brings a lot out of you, she said. Shes that type of person that brings
out the good in everybody. Its definitely been a gift to help raise her and have her
be a part of my life because shes taught me so many things about life.
Butler attributes her work ethic to her parents and Sydney.
I dont like giving up and I dont give up, Butler said.
Growing up, Butler didnt always bleed the red and white of the Indians.
She said she started playing basketball in fourth grade in the Teutopolis youth
league, but went to Sigel St. Michael and then to Neoga.
I always watched T-Town growing up because of my cousin, she said. I was a
T-Town follower for a while.
Butlers life off the court has only adds to her ability on the court.
She averaged 16.8 points per game for the Lady Indians along with 5.7 assists per
contest. Neoga finished 25-4 this season after falling to Arcola in the Class 1A
Casey Regional championship game, but the 25 wins were the most in school
history for girls basketball.

Neoga took home the National Trail Conference Tournament this season as well as
the NTC regular season championship, while being named the conferences Most
Valuable Player. Butler said after the Indians clinched regular season title that it
was the best senior year she could ask for.
In true Butler fashion, her basketball team connected with the most important
thing in her life.
I consider my basketball team a family to me, she said. My coaches are a
family, everything, the relationships and the friendships that are built there will
last forever.
Neoga had the luxury of having several players that could score this season. If
Butler had an off night, EC Thies, Jaycie Roy or Olivia Ott could have stepped up
and filled that void.
She said she couldnt have asked for better teammates.
Its unbelievable, I knew if I had a bad game people were going to pick up the
slack, she said. I didnt have that pressure on me all the time.
During her senior campaign at Neoga, Butler said the game she enjoyed the most
was the Indians win against Sullivan earlier in the season.
She said it was a big game and everyone on the team stepped up.
Everybody played well, she said. It was a total team effort.
Butler admitted she is concerned about the speed of the college game next season
and knows it will be a tough challenge.
I still think I need to be faster, she said. Theres no excuse for me not to be
working harder and bettering myself in every way.
Although Butler went out on a high note with Neoga, it wasnt always easy with
the Central Illinois Storm, her AAU team.
Two years ago, I wasnt sure I was going to keep her on my team as my point
guard, Wolfe said.
He sat down with Butler and told her his concerns. Her answer was simple.
I will be point guard, Butler said.

Wolfe said she worked hard during the school season and came back the next
summer as the starting point guard and she never relinquished that spot while a
member of the Central Illinois Storm.
Wolfe and Elite Basketball arent strangers to producing players with the talent to
play at the next level.
According to their website, four 2015 graduates have committed to play basketball
in college and Wolfe said 19 of the 20 players that have went through the program
are playing college athletics.
Butler and her AAU teammates are as thick as thieves. If a tweet mentions Butler
or Effinghams Jantzen Michael or several others, it triggers a chain reaction of
favorites and retweets throughout the Elite Basketball camp. Michael and
Charlestons Morgan Sherwood were both in attendance at Butlers signing to
Webster among a number of Butlers relatives.
We are very, very close, she said. We spend a lot of time together.
Butlers plan of playing college basketball has been around since her freshman
year, but it was last summer when she started getting the attention of college
programs.
Some players might not have expected Butler to be as dominant as she is because
of her height, but its never wise to judge a book by its cover.
I think its an advantage for me, she said. Ive always had a chip on my
shoulder, and its gave me a a lot more drive and to work a lot harder.
Butler starts at Webster in the fall and said she wont have much down time this
summer. Butler is going to coach the 16U and 14U team for Elite Basketball
during the summer.
Wolfe said shell be a great role model for the younger players.
It will definitely be a different experience being on the other side instead of
playing, Butler said. Im looking forward to it, itll give me a good experience
because I always to coach.
After college, some students are ready to return to where theyre from or hit the
road to start a new adventure, but for Butler, she wants to come back where it all
started back at home.

Theres so much here, she said. Itll be hard to leave.