JC Butler overcoming high expectations while creating a story of his own
IRVINE, Calif. (BVM) — In sports, high expectations far too often lead to unjust assumptions when it comes to athletes.
Especially when the expectations are placed on the son of a former two-time NBA all-star.
JC Butler, a Racine, Wis., native is the son of Caron Butler — a 14-year NBA veteran and two-time NBA all-star and is a victim of these high expectations.
JC, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound redshirt junior forward on the UC (University of California) Irvine men’s basketball team, has faced the pressure of living up to his fathers legacy.
“At times I did feel some pressure to live up to what my dad has been able to accomplish,” JC said.
JC, now 21-years-old, has learned to ignore these expectations, enroute to creating his own basketball story.
“The older I get, the more the expectations and pressures go away as I become my own player and person,” JC said.
JC doesn’t blame his father’s illustrious basketball career for provoking the high expectations placed on him. Rather, JC credits his fathers pressureless approach for being the driving force behind his passion for basketball.
“My dad was the one who got me into basketball without even trying or really forcing it,” JC said. “It was all around me growing up so it was only a matter of time before I too fell in love with it.”
A passion that hasn’t always been effortless for JC.
In the early stages of JC’s basketball career, he encountered struggles. But that would eventually change.
As a result of constant training and determination, by his freshman season at The Prairie School, JC had blossomed into a legitimate Division I recruit.
A transformation during which JC garnered many prestigious accolades.
JC, a four-year varsity starter for the Hawks, was named Metro Classic Conference Player of the Year as a senior, was a three-time all-conference and all-county selection, and earned first-team all-state honors in back-to-back seasons. This led JC to receive a scholarship offer from UC Irvine. Which ended in a commitment from JC.
But who does JC credit for his impressive transformation?
“The top two influencers that I’d have to say turned me into the player I am today and the player I will become are my dad and my trainer Travis,” JC said. “The reason being because both of them approach my training in a way that is extremely uncomfortable, but has the best results. By them pushing me beyond my personal limits, has helped me realize there are none.”
JC has accepted that his father and trainer, Travis, push him beyond his limits and make him become uncomfortable. Ultimately, JC is willing to do whatever it takes to become the best basketball player he can be.
As JC progresses through his own journey with basketball, he will always be grateful for his biggest supporter, his mother — Lisa Escamilla.
“Although she may not be a WNBA champion and all-star, she was the one that brought me to and cheered me on through every one of my games growing up,” JC said. “She had to deal with my emotions after every game and always supported me.”
JC enters the 2021-22 season as a redshirt junior for the Anteaters. After redshirting the 2019-20 season, JC played a crucial role in the Anteaters success this past season. JC played in all 27 games for Irvine and started in 15 of them. He averaged 5.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.8 steals for the Anteaters who went 18-9 and lost in the Big West Championship.
In the end, JC has accepted his situation. He’s aware of the high expectations set on him as a basketball player, and has lived up to these expectations to the best of his ability.
JC Butler has his own basketball story and is his own player, but also remains determined to follow in his fathers footsteps.
“If anything, his success only motivates me more and sets the bar higher for me to shoot for and reach, on the court and, more importantly, off the court,” Butler said.
