Nate Butler and Connell Crossland ‘Find a Home’ at TCU

One man was born in Puerto Rico. That man never had spoken English, and he had never been to the US until his basketball talents brought him to the states.

The other grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. He was like so many young Americans. He had a game he loved, and hoped to one day play college basketball.

They come from different cultures. They spoke different languages, but they shared one thing.

Basketball.

Nathaniel Butler and Connell Crossland met when Crossland transferred to John Logan Junior College this past year to play basketball. Butler had already been at John Logan Junior College for one year.

After playing this past season together, both have decided to take their talents to Fort Worth to team up with

Jim Christian

and his

Horned Frogs

basketball team. Their friendship is something both value, and now they both have an opportunity to play together for two more seasons while living their dreams.

“Connell is like a brother to me,” Butler said.
“Me and Nate are like brothers,” Crossland said.

Their bond is unique. Both Butler and Crossland are long athletic wing players who bring athleticism and a hard-nosed attitude, making them unselfish and ready to give of themselves for the team.

As both visited TCU together, it did not take either long to decide that TCU was a place that both of them could call home.

“When I talked to Coach Christian, I could just tell that we had trust, and he was a guy that I ultimately just really liked because of his dedication and vision,” Crossland said in a phone interview with me when asked why he chose to come to TCU.

“Another thing was that Coach was looking to add another wing man that could score, and I felt like that was me. Everyone is concentrated on going to the Big East, but we still have another year in the Mountain West, and so I feel like we can do really big things next year in the Mountain West,” Crossland went on to say.

Nate Butler echoed the sentiment of Crossland and added, “I really like that the team is like a brotherhood, and all the players seem to have a great relationship with their coaches.”

Crossland and Butler both stressed what all five of TCU’s recruits have now told me. Coach Christian is a coach that the players they can trust. “He doesn’t sugarcoat,” as Connell Crossland, and “He is not going to give you that BS factor” that so many other coaches feed to recruits, said TCU signee Kyan Anderson.

The size, speed, and athleticism that both Butler and Crossland bring make them versatile players who can ‘do it all’ or whatever is asked of them.

“I feel like my defense can help the team a lot,” Butler said. “I can rebound, put the ball on the floor, or just do the little things for my team. I even used to play a little point guard in the past.”

Crossland averaged 12.3 rebounds per game this past season in junior college and believes that his rebounding ability will be valuable to the Frogs game. “My scoring and rebounding are two things that [I will bring to the team],” said Crossland. “My defense is also getting a lot better. I think my defense will help the team too.”

“I really really really want to be a shut down defender my two years at TCU,” Crossland said. He stressed his passion and willingness to play defense. For Jim Christian, such a mentality is a great asset to have. Defense is all about wanting to stop somebody, and hard-nosed defense is contagious, and both Butler and Crossland stressed that they want to shut people down.

At times last year for the Frogs, their defense was excellent. At times, their offense was excellent, but putting together a complete game was a difficult task, but both Nate and Connell stressed that they have an all-around game to be able to put the ball in the basket, and then shut people down on the other end of the court.

“Coach Christian told me that he was having to replace too good players on the wing and he was just looking for me to come in and make an impact,” Connell said about Christian’s expectations for him.

“Connell brings a lot of energy. I love playing with him,” Butler said of Crossland. “He is young and athletic, and he can do a lot of things on the court.”

Crossland had praise for Butler as well saying, “I know that Nate can really help TCU. He is always a threat on the court, and we are excited to play together for two more years and help TCU accomplish big things.”

With Ryan Rhoomes, Kyan Anderson, and Adrick McKinney already signed along with Butler and Crossland, two duo will have a chance to accomplish those big goals that they have set for themselves.

And their improbable journey to friendship and being teammates will continue for two more years as they help lay the foundation for TCU heading to the Big East.

Click here to view my interviews with TCU’s other three signees:
Ryan Rhoomes
Adrick McKinney
Kyan Anderson

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