St. Monica’s MVP

Palisadian Ricky Butler spent last summer working out five to six hours a day, running the track and swimming laps in the pool at Santa Monica College and, most importantly, shooting thousands of jump shots. Butler’s dedication to basketball not only made him a better player, it earned him First-Team All-Camino Real League honors and the team most valuable player award as a senior at St. Monica’s High, where he has played on varsity since midway through his freshman year. ‘After my junior year’after we lost in the playoffs’I lived, breathed and slept basketball,’ says Butler, a lifelong resident of Santa Monica Canyon. ‘I worked on every facet of my game. I got stronger, faster and became a more versatile shooter.’ Although his team won only a few games and missed the playoffs for the first time since he joined the program, Butler was team captain and averaged 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists a game. ‘Sometimes I’ve wondered what it would’ve been like to play at a bigger school like Palisades High,’ Butler says. ‘But I’m glad I stayed. I had a chance to be on the floor pretty much every minute of every game and lead a great bunch of teammates who are going to be really good next year.’ A 6-4, 180-pound off-guard, Butler grew up playing AYSO soccer and Rec league basketball in the Palisades. He chose St. Monica, a Southern Section Division IV high school with slightly over 600 students, because he would get a Catholic education. Last summer, Butler played with fellow Palisadians Geoff Schwartz (PaliHi), Matt Landes (New Roads) and best friend Davis Cantor on Total Impact’a travel team from inner Los Angeles. This summer, he will play for Branch West Basketball Academy. Butler and Cantor, who lives near Riviera Country Club, never played each other in a high school game, but often matched up in friendly one-on-ones. A standout point guard at Loyola High who is now a redshirt freshman at St. Mary’s College, Cantor had the same personal trainer as Butler and the two became instant friends. ‘Davis is an unbelievable player and we have a lot in common’movies, video games and, of course, basketball,’ Butler says. ‘Ideally, I’d like to play up there with him next year.’ Butler, who plans to major in business, suffered a torn miniscus in his knee that caused him to sit out half of his sophomore season, but says adversity has made him resilient. ‘The key is to keep improving. I got better every year in high school and now I’m working hard to get quicker and stronger because I’ll have to if I want to play guard at the next level.’