High School: Four-year varsity letterwinner at Joliet Catholic ... First-team All-Area and second-team All-State honoree ... Three-time All-East Suburban Catholic performer ... Helped Joliet Catholic achieve an overall record of 40-13 in his four years with the Hilltoppers ... Three-time Academic All-State ... Also an honor roll student and a member of the National Spanish Honor Society.

Personal: Born James Robert Butler in Joliet, Ill. ... Son of Tom and Margaret Butler ... Father played Division I basketball at Butler University ... High school teammate of current Wildcat Malin Jones... Chose Northwestern over Illinois, Harvard, Brown, Dartmouth and Northern Illinois ... Plans to major in economics.