June 20, 2005

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - First-year men's basketball coach Chris Mooney stayed close to home and found his inaugural University of Richmond recruit in the Spider family. Richmond native and Douglas Freeman High School product Ryan Butler, son of former Spider Jeff Butler, will join the program for the 2005-06 season, Mooney announced today.

A 6-6, 185-pound guard, Butler averaged 15 points, eight assists and seven rebounds per game during his senior season at Freeman for head coach Larry Parpart. The Second Team All-Metro honoree led the Rebels to the Regional quarterfinals last winter.

"I am thrilled to have Ryan join our program," Mooney said. "He is the kind of player and person who can excel at the University of Richmond."

Butler and his father Jeff, an assistant coach at Freeman High, are the second father-son combo to play at Richmond. Pat DiServio, a forward at Richmond from 1981-83, joined his Dad, Tony DiServio, who played for the Spiders from 1945-47.

Jeff Butler led the Spiders in points and rebounds each of his two seasons at Richmond (1975-76 and 1976-77). He averaged 15.2 points and 9.6 rebounds in 54 career games. The Greensburg, Pa. native played his first two collegiate seasons at Robert Morris Junior College before coming to the West End.

"This has been Ryan's dream since he started attending Richmond's camp as an eight-year old," Jeff Butler said. "He knows this campus up and down."