New Kentucky coach Mark Pope is rebuilding his squad through the transfer portal, and he is bringing in some experience to do it.
Former San Diego State guard Lamont Butler is expected to transfer to Kentucky, according to Jeff Goodman of Field of 68. Butler has one year of eligibility remaining.
Butler is most famous for hitting the shot that sent San Diego State to the national championship game at the buzzer in 2023, which will forever secure his place in Aztecs history. However, the senior clearly wanted to test himself at a higher level before his college career ended.
Though he is famous for that one shot, Butler is not actually a big-time scorer. He is an excellent perimeter defender with plenty of experience, however, which should have plenty of value in Lexington as Pope tries to set the tone for the program.
Butler will forever be one of the most beloved players in San Diego State basketball history. He’ll have one year to carve out a name for himself with one of history’s most decorated programs.
After four years on Montezuma Mesa, the point guard is headed to Kentucky. Butler, best known for hitting a buzzer-beater in the 2023 Final Four to beat Florida Atlantic and send the Aztecs to the National Championship game, entered the NCAA’s Transfer Portal on Wednesday and it did not take long for him to find a new home.
Butler was a key part of three regular-season Mountain West Conference titles and a pair of MWC Tournament championships, and led the Aztecs to back-to-back trips to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever. In his final year of eligibility, Butler decided to see what else might be out there. It did not take long for the Wildcats to come calling.
Kentucky’s new head coach is Mark Pope, who spent the last few years at BYU and saw Butler in person a couple of times. He knows what kind of player he’s getting: a tough, smart, team-first guard who also happens to be the reigning Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
Butler’s departure opens up another scholarship for San Diego State, and Coach Brian Dutcher’s staff has been active in the portal themselves, so this move will very likely lead to another player coming to America’s Finest City.
While Butler sent the Aztecs to places they’ve never been before, he’s going to a place where Final Fours are expected. The Wildcats have won eight national championships, played in the title game 12 times, and been to the Final Four 17 times. Kentucky has more Division 1 wins than any program on earth and trail only North Carolina in all-time NCAA Tournament wins.
Butler may be testing his game against the SEC, one of the best conferences in the country, but he will be an Aztec 4 Life.