Women's Basketball | 10/23/2017 10:32:00 AM

Preseason Poll

FAIRFAX, Va. – Newcomer Natalie Butler is already receiving honors even before playing in her first women's basketball game at George Mason.

Butler, a graduate transfer from Connecticut, was named to the Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Conference Third Team, the league announced Monday. The 6-foot-5 center from nearby Fairfax Station will be immediately eligible to play after transferring from UConn, where she spent the last two seasons and received her bachelor's degree in May.

Mason was also picked to finish eighth in the A-10 Preseason Coaches Poll – the Patriots' highest projected finish since joining the league prior to the 2013-14 season.

Butler averaged 5.6 points and 4.6 rebounds in 62 games in two years at UConn as she helped the Huskies wins the 2016 national championship. During the 2016-17 campaign, she contributed to a UConn squad that reached its 10th straight Final Four. She averaged 5.6 points and 5.1 rebounds in 15.9 minutes a game. She played in 35 games, shooting 50 percent from the field, blocking 34 shots and dishing out 37 assists.

Prior to UConn, she played one year at Georgetown, where she was named the BIG EAST Freshman of the Year in 2013-14. She started and played all 32 games, averaging a double-double with 13.9 points and 13.3 rebounds a game. She was the top rebounding freshman in the country and ranked fifth overall. She also set the single-season school record with 59 blocked shots. Her 24 double-doubles were ninth-most in the country and most among freshmen. 

The Patriots hope Butler can provide an immediate impact. The former Lake Braddock standout showed a glimpse of her potential on Sunday in a scrimmage at West Virginia. She scored 16 points and grabbed 14 rebounds along with two blocked shots in 33 minutes.

Mason returns eight letterwinners and three starters for the 2017-18 campaign with head coach Nyla Milleson set to begin her fifth season at the helm. Rising sophomore Jacy Bolton paves the way as the team's top returning scorer (8.3 ppg) and rebounder (4.7 rpg). The shooting guard from Drexel, Mo., was tabbed to the Atlantic 10 Conference All-Rookie Team after starting all 30 games.

Mason also welcomes four freshmen and three transfers – Butler, Taylor Byrne and Camden Musgrave. Byrne (Seton Hall) and Musgrave (Central Connecticut State) were on campus last year but sat out due to NCAA transfer rules. 

The Patriots open the 2017-18 season at Michigan in the first round of the Preseason WNIT on Nov. 10 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.