Men's Basketball | 3/19/2026 11:40:00 AM
TRAFFORD, Pa. (pacathletics.org) - More honors continued to roll in for Franciscan University junior guard Sawyer Butler (Beaver, Pa./Beaver) and Westminster College graduate student guard DJ Harrell (Cleveland, Ohio/East Technical) when the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) announced their postseason awards.
Butler was recognized with First Team All-District 7 from the NABC and All-ECAC First Team, while Harrell collected All-ECAC Second Team laurels.
These honors add to an already impressive haul for Butler. So far this postseason, the 6'2" guard has been named the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Player of the Year, First Team All-PAC and First Team All-Region 7 from D3hoops.com. He is first Baron to earn PAC Player of the Year after he topped the conference in scoring with 21.9 points per game, the highest scoring average by a PAC scoring champion since Geneva's Lyle Tipton in 2022-23 (24.5).
Butler also led the conference in steals (67) and free throw percentage at 84.7 (200-236); his 236 free throw attempts ranked fifth in the country. In addition, he also averaged 5.7 rebounds and a team-leading 2.2 assists per game as Butler helped Franciscan go 21-7 this season, reach the PAC Tournament semifinals for the first time and earn a second consecutive ECAC Tournament bid.
The ECAC honor also adds to Harrell's awards, as the 6'0" guard was First Team All-PAC and Second Team D3hoops.com All-Region. Harrell finished second in the league with a 21.0 points per game average and his .508 field goal percentage ranked fifth in the league while his 3.1 assists per game average was sixth. Harrell's 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio was third in the conference and his .718 free throw percentage was 10th in the PAC.
Harrell's efforts helped the Titans wrap up the season with a 19-9 overall record, a 12-4 conference mark to earn the PAC North Division's top seed and then advance to the PAC Tournament Championship game for the first time since the spring of 2021.