Lamont Butler will forever remain one of the most beloved players in San Diego State basketball history. It would take him a year to make his mark on one of the most decorated programs in history.
After four years at Montezuma Mesa, the point guard will be heading to Kentucky. Butler, best known for hitting the buzzer-beater that defeated Florida Atlantic in the 2023 Final Four and sent the Aztecs to the national championship game, entered the NCAA transfer portal on Wednesday and said he is waiting for time to find a new home. It didn't take.
Butler helped lead the Aztecs to three regular-season Mountain West Conference championships and two MWC Tournament championships, leading them to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 for the first time in history. In his final year of eligibility, Butler decided to see what else was out there. It didn't take long for the Wildcats to come calling.
Kentucky's new head coach is Mark Pope, who spent the past few years at BYU and met with Butler several times in person. He knows what kind of players he's getting. He's tough, smart, the team's No. 1 guard and the reigning Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
Butler's departure leaves San Diego State with a new scholarship offer, and coach Brian Dutcher's staff themselves have been active in the portal, so this move could lead to another player being named to America's Finest. Very likely to come to City.
Butler has sent the Aztecs to a place they have never been before, but they will be going to a place where they are expected to make the Final Four. The Wildcats have won the national championship eight times, the title game he has appeared in 12 times, and he has advanced to the Final Four 17 times. Kentucky has more Division I wins than any other program on the planet and ranks only behind North Carolina State 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-lifer.