This is part seven of a 12-part series spotlighting the new head coaches in the region penned by D2EastHoops, Tim McCaffrey.
There’s something to be said about timing being everything, and for the ambitious JJ Butler, the new head men’s basketball head coach at Chestnut Hill College, the job is nearly right on time.
“When I was 22, I was working a 9-5, but I didn’t want to sit behind a desk. So I made a decision,” Butler said. “In five years, my goal was to be a head coach at the collegiate level.”
Butler was a year early, but the pandemic pushed his on-floor debut back a year. Hence, right on time! Being in charge has responsibilities, but it’s the possibilities that he cherishes.
“Coaching is about building relationships, helping people, taking care of people,” said the native of Bel Air, Maryland, just north of Baltimore. “For example, I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my wife, Marina.”
It’s a journey that he’s taken every step of the way with his wife.
“We’ve been together since the 10th grade. It’s been wild. I proposed, then got offered Susquehanna University. She went to grad school, but through it all I owe so much to her.”
How Butler found CHC, was a touch of luck and some pretty adept recruiting.
“I was looking for a place to get a Graduate Degree and play for one season,” said the 2016 grad of Lipscomb University. Butler sports two undergrad degrees (finance and corporate management). “By chance, I ran into an assistant from Chestnut Hill, Brandon Williams and we built an organic relationship. Once I was interested, Coach Jesse Balcer and his staff recruited me, built trust with me and I committed.”
Butler picked up his graduate diploma in administration of human services in 2018 and left for two seasons to be an assistant coach at Susquehanna, a Division III school a little more than two hours northwest of where he now calls home. Coming back was an easy decision.
“This is a special place. It’s a unique location.”
As for his vision for the Griffins?
“Legacy. Pride. We have to have energy and life in the program. Respect by the city of Philadelphia, appreciation from the CACC, and restoring the program to heights never before known.”
Lofty goals, but they’re certainly not out of reach for the man who will coach his first two games in Pleasantville, New York at the Pace University Tip-Off Classic.
“Scoring will take care of itself. Get stops, be tough to score on. Bring your hard hat to the defensive end!”
Butler brings a new unique energy to a school that has been on the precipice of taking the next step for years. If his plan for a championship is anything like his plan to be a head coach, fans of Chestnut Hill could see another on-time arrival!
Tim McCaffrey is an opinion and features writer for D2EastHoops. He can be reached at tpmccaffrey@gmail.com
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