In his time as a coach with the West Liberty men’s basketball team — six seasons as an assistant and now in his fifth as the head coach — Ben Howlett has seen his share of freshmen come into the program. And of all of them, the one Howlett said he had the most confidence in was Latrobe grad Bryce Butler.

Butler, however, had to develop confidence in himself. Not as a player. Butler always had the moxie to score from anywhere, rebound and facilitate the offense, and he buttressed those capabilities with a yeoman’s work ethic.

Being a leader? That was a different story.

“I’m definitely a quiet guy,” Butler said. “In high school, it was kind of hard for me to be a leader. I wasn’t really there mentally yet. Over the last couple of years, I’ve really taken a bigger step forward toward being a leader.”

Now in his third season with the Hilltoppers, Butler is a team captain. He has helped West Liberty to a 10-1 mark (5-1 in the Mountain East Conference) and a No. 9 ranking in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II poll.

Butler credited former Hilltopper standout Dalton Bolon, a two-time MEC Player of the Year who scored more than 2,000 points, with showing him how and when to speak up.

“He came in as a quiet kid, but now he’s kind of our vocal leader, too,” Howlett said, “which is really cool to see him mature and be that kind of leader for us.”

Adding the words complemented Butler’s actions. Howlett said Butler is the proverbial first guy in the gym, last guy out of the gym at practice. He also has shown the willingness to play everything from the point to the post.

Often outsized when he plays down low, Butler (6-foot-5, 200 pounds) concentrated on bulking up in the offseason. It seems to have worked: He is averaging a personal-best 7.4 rebounds.

“He takes a beating during games,” Howlett said. “He’s able to get what we call tough rebounds — rebounds he shouldn’t get — because he’s smart, and the weight and muscle he’s put on the last couple years have really helped him.”

Oh, and he can score, too.

Butler has been sizzling on offense, averaging 17.5 points on 62.4% shooting. His shooting percentage ranks 24th in Division II and 10th among players who have taken at least 100 shots.

“I would say the experience, just being more experienced, having two years under my belt,” Butler said about his shooting accuracy. “Knowing what a good shot is, what isn’t a good shot. Just taking high-quality shots.”

Added Howlett: “He’s taking the right shots. He doesn’t force shots. Our confidence in Bryce right now is at an all-time high.”

Butler’s high-percentage shooting has helped West Liberty average nearly 96 points per game — the Hilltoppers have eclipsed 100 points six times in their 11 games — and in a Dec. 13 victory over West Virginia State, he scored a career-high 28.

All the numbers are nice, but Butler has bigger goals in mind, such as a national championship. A perennially strong program, West Liberty was an Elite Eight team a year ago. That wasn’t the first deep tournament run for the Hilltoppers, who reached the NCAA title game in 2014.

Butler, however, wants to be known as the leader of a national championship team.

“I think we can make another run at a national title,” he said. “Last year we had a lot of success, and I think a few people kind of wrote us off when a couple of our main guys (graduate). But I think, as of now, our team is developing well. Our ceiling is very high.”

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