New Illini commit Jase Butler: 'They've always been real with me'
Oct. 5—CHAMPAIGN — More than 200 people tuned in to Instagram Live on Wednesday for Jase Butler's commitment announcement. They eventually got to see the Class of 2024 guard surrounded by his teammates and friends in the gym at The Branson School in Ross, Calif., roughly 20 miles north of San Francisco.
Some technical difficulties kept Butler from initially joining the feed and kept 247Sports' Travis Branham vamping about the 6-foot-4, 180-pound combo guard. The 200-plus viewers, which included Illinois forward Coleman Hawkins, simply had to wait a few extra minutes to hear Butler's decision
"My guy gotta fix his WiFi," Hawkins commented on the stream.
The connection was good enough, though, to see Butler take off his jacket and display an Illinois T-shirt while announcing he had committed to the Illini. A decision that pleased Hawkins, another northern California native, given his reaction in the comments.
"I think they've always been real with me," Butler said about why he picked Illinois. "I built great relationships with the coaching staff. I feel like it will be the best for me to achieve my goals, academically and on the basketball court."
Butler chose the Illini from a group of finalists that also included Stanford, UC Santa Barbara and San Francisco.
He popped on Illinois' radar at the end of summer and announced his scholarship offer from the Illini in advance of his official visit to Champaign on Sept. 22-24 after head coach Brad Underwood and assistant coach Chester Frazier made a trip to California to see him.
"I'd say just the environment and community," Butler said about what stood out to him during his official visit. "Everyone over there is super nice to you. I got a really warm welcome over there."
Butler helped The Branson School go 28-4 last season and finish first in Marin County with a 15-1 league record. The Bulls went on to reach the quarterfinals in the northern half of the CIF Division II state championship with Butler at the point.
"I'd say I'm a high IQ guard," Butler said. "I like to make others better. I can hit open shots. I'm a big guard with my size, and I like to take advantages of mismatches."
Butler is a near-consensus three-star recruit, having earned that designation from Rivals, 247Sports and On3 but not ESPN. He was an unranked three-star prospect until a recent update from Rivals slotted him in as the No. 132 recruit in the class.
"He's a very skilled guard," Branham said. "He can score from all three levels. A knockdown shooter with great feel for the game and his ability to operate in ball screens."
Illinois' 2024 recruiting class jumped from No. 20 to No. 10 nationally, per 247Sports, with Butler's commitment to go with four-star center Morez Johnson Jr. and three-star forward Jason Jakstys. That slots the Illini behind Rutgers and Purdue in the Big Ten.
