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Butler adjusts to faster pace of collegiate game, but still loves it
The game moves faster and homework is more difficult, but Amanda Butler still relishes playing basketball.
Butler, a former standout in basketball at Eastern, now comes off the bench for Hanover College, a Division III school. The freshman admitted she has had to make some adjustments, but loves playing for the Lady Panthers.
“I love it,” she said. “I absolutely love it.”
Butler has had to adjust to a different game from the one she played at Eastern. She said college hoops is a much faster game. Although the players usually practice 90 to 120 minutes a day, those move faster than practices did in high school.
“The speed is a lot faster,” Butler said. “The intensity is a lot different.”
Not only are practices faster, she continued, they are also fierce as players compete hard to get playing time.
“As a young team, we’re trying to get as much experience as possible,” she said. “Every day is a fight in practice.”
She also practices a great deal on her own. “In practice we usually focus on the team and working together,” she said.
When she works out on her own, Butler said, she focuses on improving her shot, putting up hundreds of jumpers, and handling the orange sphere. She said that is necessary because she plays as a point guard or a two guard.
“Shooting is the big thing,” she said. “I’ll do some ball-handling stuff.”
Butler starred for the Lady Thunderbirds, but she is a substitute at Hanover. When the Lady Panthers defeated Earlham College 93-71 February 11 at home, Butler played two minutes. She hit one of two shots for two points and dribbled out the last few seconds.
“It’s definitely hard going from being the person who’s number one on the team to being on the bench. It’s a good experience for me,” she said
However, she said she likes to close games. She explained that when she is on the floor she knows the Lady Panthers are going well.
Their season ended Tuesday night, as they fell at home to Franklin 65-64 in the Opening Round of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament. Hanover ended the season with a 13-13 record, 11-7 in HCAC play.
Butler did not see any action in that game, but she did play in 15 contests, averaging 3.5 minutes per game. She shot 4-15 from the floor (26.7 percent), missing her only three-point attempt, and 5-6 from the line (83.3 percent) to score 13 points. She also grabbed seven rebounds, handed out six assists, and made three steals.
She said she hasn’t decided on a major, but will probably select biology or chemistry with a second major in psychology. Butler said she would like to go into occupational therapy and hopes to do post-graduate work.
“I don’t have to decide until my sophomore year,” she said.
The coaches make the players concentrate on their studies, she said.
“It’s extremely difficult. The time commitment is huge when you’re playing,” she said. “There’s a lot of work done on the buses. You can look back and see our laptops on, doing homework on the way back from a game.”