Former Badgers Brian Butch, Charlie Wills will be part of radio broadcasts
Wisconsin Badgers fans will be familiar with the names behind the new voices on the radio broadcast for the 2023-24 men's basketball season.
The university announced Thursday that former UW big man Brian Butch will join the Badger Radio Network as the lead men's basketball analyst for game broadcasts, working alongside longtime play-by-play man Matt Lepay. Additionally, former Badgers forward Charlie Wills will fill in as analyst for some games.
Butch, 38, hails from Appleton West High School, where he won the state's Mr. Basketball honor and became a McDonald's All-American before beginning his career at UW. He was named first-team all-Big Ten in 2008 and was a key component of the team's Big Ten championship (regular season and tournament) that season.
"Wisconsin basketball is truly a special program and I'm honored to have the chance to work next to the legend Matt Lepay," Butch said in a release. "I loved every minute of my time at the University of Wisconsin and I cannot wait to be a part of the next chapter of Badgers basketball."
Butch played for UW from 2004-08, racking up 1,115 points and 667 rebounds before a decade of professional basketball overseas and in the NBA Developmental League.
His on-air experience is plentiful, including assignments with Fox and the Big Ten Network as a game and studio analyst. He worked with Woodward Radio from 2018-22 and started at iHeartRadio in 2020. He can be heard in Milwaukee on the "Nine 2 Noon" show on 97.3 The Game.
Butch takes the role vacated by Mike Lucas, who'd been part of UW broadcasts for nearly three decades and was unhappy with the circumstances of his departure.
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Wills, 44, was a member of the 2000 Badgers team that made a run to the Final Four under coach Dick Bennett. He was also part of the 2001-02 team that claimed a share of the Big Ten regular-season title under Bo Ryan. During his career from 1998-2002, he played in 129 straight games (61 starts).
He's worked in broadcasting at WPTV in West Palm Beach, Florida.
"It's exciting to add Brian and Charlie to our broadcasting team," Lepay said in the release. "As Wisconsin fans know, each of these two were integral pieces of championship seasons, and through the years they have stayed very connected to the program. On top of that, both 'Butchie' and Charlie are really good people who represent the University of Wisconsin in a first-class manner. I look forward to working with them."
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Brian Butch, Charlie Wills will be part of Wisconsin basketball radio
