Women's Basketball | 5/16/2018 11:37:00 AM

FAIRFAX, Va. – Natalie Butler's professional career will continue overseas.

The former George Mason standout has signed a contract to play with Belfius Namur Capitale in Belgium of the EuroCup Women's league. Butler will head to Belgium in September to begin the seven-month season.

Butler, a 6-foot-5 center from nearby Fairfax Station, Va., earned Associated Press Honorable Mention All-America honors in her lone season with the Patriots this past winter as she led the country in rebounding (16.6 rpg) and double-doubles (33).

Namur Capitale is led by Philip Mestdagh, who also serves as the head coach of the Belgium National Team. Mestdagh coached Belgian Emma Meesseman, a WNBA All-Star who has spent the last six seasons with the Washington Mystics.

"I'm very, very excited to have the opportunity to go over to Belgium," Butler said. "I think it is going to be a great experience. The coach there worked with Emma Meesseman and she plays for the Mystics. She is a post player and to see her development was also appealing to go to a coach who likes to work with post players. I'm going to use this as an opportunity to advance my game and enjoy the experience of playing overseas basketball."

In April, the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year was taken 30th overall by the Dallas Wings in the WNBA Draft. She became the first Mason player in program history to be drafted. She spent nearly two weeks in training camp with the Wings and played in two preseason games.

Though 16 players were invited to training camp, each WNBA team must finalize its roster to 12 players before the start of the season this upcoming weekend. Last week, Butler, along with second-round pick Loryn Goodwin of Oklahoma State, was waived.

"It was a great opportunity," Butler said. "There is a lot height on the Wings. There were two 6-8 girls. They had five centers on the roster. Aside from the three draft picks, everyone else was a returner. A lot of talent and I was excited to be able to go and learn from Coach (Fred) Williams and get feedback from the assistant coaches. I felt every day I got better throughout the camp. I thought I had a great camp. I thought I did some really, really great things. It is just they had a lot of people in my position. But it was overall a great experience and a great opportunity to go to Dallas.

"There is no doubt in my mind I can play at that level. It is just Dallas is the biggest team in the league. It is tough as a center going into a team with such height. I wish them the very best and I think they are going to do well this season. I'm just looking at (playing overseas) as an opportunity to really continue to work on my game and then hopefully come back next year, whether it is with Dallas, whether it is with another team and hopefully play (in the WNBA) next year."

Butler enrolled in grad school at Mason after spending the previous two seasons at Connecticut. In her only season with the Patriots, she broke the NCAA Division I single-season rebounding record with 563 rebounds.

The former Lake Braddock star also tied the Division I mark for the most double-doubles (33) and consecutive double-doubles (33) in a season. She led the nation in rebounding (16.2 rpg) and ranked first in the A-10 in scoring (19.2 ppg). She also set the program's single-season scoring record with 653 points. Her 563 rebounds are 15th-most all-time in program history and she needed just one season to crack the top 15.

Her collegiate career began at Georgetown in 2013-14 as she was named the Big East Freshman of the Year and ranked fifth in the nation in rebounding. She then transferred to Connecticut, sitting out a year due to NCAA transfer rules, before playing in 63 games for the Huskies. She helped UConn reach two Final Fours and win the 2016 national championship. She finished her collegiate career with 1,443 points and 1,275 rebounds.  

She anchored a Patriots' squad in 2017-18 that set a school record for wins (24), finished fourth in the Atlantic 10, made the WNIT for the first time in 14 years and won a postseason game for the first time in program history.

"I'm very grateful for the support Mason has given me," Butler said. "This process, a lot of people have reached out, including coaches, and have been incredibly supportive. It is amazing how much people want to see you succeed. My teammates from Mason have been texting me and keeping in touch and just have been incredibly supportive throughout the process as well. They still very much care about you and your success. It just goes to show you what type of program Mason is. It is motivational for me. I'm just going to keep working and I think good things will come from that."