BY GERY WOELFEL
Two years ago, it was Steve Novak.
Last year, it was Carl Landry.
This year, will it be Brian Butch?
Neither Novak nor Landry were given much of a chance of playing in the NBA following their fine collegiate careers at Marquette and Purdue, respectively.
But both Wisconsin products – Novak attended Brown Deer High School and Landry attended Milwaukee Vincent High School – were given an opportunity to showcase their skills before a horde of NBA general managers and scouts by playing in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament at Portsmouth, Va.
And they seized the moment.
Novak and Landry each turned in impressive showings at the PIT and eventually wound up being second-round selections in the NBA draft: Novak was the 32nd overall pick in the 2006 draft and Landry was the 31st choice in the 2007 draft.
Both Landry and Novak are now collecting nice paychecks from the Houston Rockets.
Like Landry and Novak before him, Butch will now get the chance to prove to NBA personnel that he is worthy of playing in their league.
Mahlon Parker, chairman of the PIT, told me Tuesday that Butch will be one of 64 players in the tournament, which will be held April 9-12.
“We extended an invitation to Brian Butch and he confirmed today that he has accepted it,’’ Parker said. “Brian is a big guy who is fundamentally sound and has played for a good coach (Bo Ryan).
“We’re very happy to have him in our tournament.’’
The 6-foot-11, 235-pound Butch is having a quality season, averaging 12.7 points – second-best on the team – and a team-high 7 rebounds.
Butch, a graduate of Appleton West High School, is shooting .445 from the field and .703 from the free throw line.
Butch’s strong season is one of the major reasons why the Badgers have a 19-4 overall record and 9-2 Big Ten Conference mark.
While Butch is the only player from Wisconsin that has been extended an invitation to the PIT, Parker acknowledged two other players from the state are on a “reserve list’’ in the event other players would decline invitations.
Those players are Marquette center Ousmane Barro who, in 22 games for the Golden Eagles, is averaging 5.3 points and 5.5 rebounds, and Wisconsin guard Michael Flowers who, in 23 games, is averaging 9.3 points.
Butch is one of the first players to accept a PIT invitation. Some others who have committed to playing are Patrick Ewing and Jonathan Wallace, both of Georgetown, and Mike Green and A.J. Graves, both of Butler.
Last year’s PIT attracted more than 200 NBA officials and another 60 scouts from foreign countries.
Said Parker: “The kids who play here realize there’ll be a lot of eyes watching them and that they can help themselves.’’
Landry and Novak would undoubtedly attest to that.
