Lamar Butler was the face of Mason basketball during the Patriots run to the 2006 NCAA Final Four. The 6-2 guard, won the Washington, DC Regional's Most Outstanding Player award, scoring 14 points against Wichita State and 19 points against top-seeded UConn.

The Fort Washington, Md, native is the program's all-time 3-point FG leader with a career 295 treys. He is 14th all-time in scoring with 1,488 points, finishing with an average of 12.1 points in 123 career games. He was honored as Mason's Legend in 2014 and served two seasons as color analyst on Patriots radio. GoMason.com caught up with Lamar now coaching high school basketball at St. John's in Washington, D.C.

Q. Do you keep in touch with your Mason teammates?

A. Yes I still keep in touch the guys. I talk to T Skinn like 3 or 4 times a month. JV, Tim, Shaq, about once a month. 

Q. Do you keep in touch with the coaches?

A. I text all of the coaches throughout the year. Now that I'm coaching, I see them at my games or on the summer circuit.

Q. What have you been doing since you graduated?

A. Played ball overseas, I have my own sporting goods business. IG sportsheavenusa & Facebook Sports Heaven USA

Q. What experience did you gain playing overseas?

A. I learned the pick and roll game overseas. I learned how to attack different defensive coverages. It helps me with my coaching now.

Q. Did you play with or against a Mason teammate overseas?

A. No I didn't

What have you been doing since retiring as a player?

A. Coaching

Q. Do you still get recognized as a member of the 2006 Mason team?

A. Yes. People always ask what was the run like. I'm still looking for a word in the dictionary to describe it.

Q. What do you remember about Selection Sunday?

A. Everyone saying let's win the first one for Tony. Michigan State was the draw and we knew we could beat them because we played them in 2005.

Q. What memory do you have of eating at Outback in March 2006?

A. Salmon. I ate the same thing every time. Gabe Norwood influenced that decision.

Q. What are your top moments from the 2006 season?

A. Coming back to campus after we beat UConn and the Pat Center was packed with fans

After we loss to Florida, the hundreds of fans in the street were chanting GMU and our names as we walked with our families. That was something I'll never forget.

Q. Tell me a good story about that run in March that maybe fans don't know?

A. We hit a car on the way to the UConn game. It was parked illegally. Their bumper fell off and the cop wrote them a ticket.

Q. Which pregame speech from coach Larranaga struck you the most? Why?

A. The Michigan State speech. He let us know how much he didn't want to suspend Tony but he had to. And it was up to us to get our brother back on the court one more time. We wrote his name on the board before the game. It said “Tony's back”.

Q. How do you fill out your bracket in March? What's it like to now watch March Madness from your home?

A. I stopped doing them. I'm never close to winning. When I watch it now, I understand that look in the guys eyes knowing what they are thinking during the tournament. It's win or go home on the biggest stage in college basketball. Everyone is watching. I can relate to the emotions and energy during the game.

Q. How do you compare Mason to other underdogs that have gone to the Final Four?

A. We were teams that no one believed could beat the big names in the tournament. That's why you play the games.

Q. Do you think the media and fans look at underdogs differently now that Mason paved the way as a double-digit seed?

A. Definitely. The seedings are just numbers now. You have to prove it on the court.

Q. What do you do when you hear Bon Jovi's 'Livin on a Prayer'? 

A. I think of all of the mason fans screaming it during the tournament at the games

Q. What was going through your mind when Denham Brown was dribbling down the court for the final shot?

A. Don't let Anderson get the ball and if he misses it I'm getting the rebound. No second chance opportunity.

Q. In 2006 was there a particular music you listened to or dance during that time?

A. I listened to Jay Z & GoGo

Q. How would you describe the 2006 run to the Final Four in one sentence?

A. I wish we could go back and play Florida again.