SOUTH WAYNE — On national signing day Nov. 11, Black Hawk star Bailey Butler officially placed herself on the path to play basketball for UW-Green Bay.

The senior guard had verbally committed to play for the Phoenix in June 2019, after sitting on an offer from the squad for 12 months.

“I’m a little bit nervous, but more excited for the next journey,” Bailey said. “I wouldn’t change it; I know Green Bay’s atmosphere up there — and it’s like family — and I just want to join that family.”

Bailey signed her National Letter of Intent with Black Hawk head coach Mike Flanagan, assistant coach and mom Angie Butler, father Scott, and sisters Hannah and Paige at her side, along. The school recorded the event to post to its Facebook page.

“It’s hard to pinpoint one thing” that sets Bailey apart from her competition and teammates, Flanagan said. “Certainly, her work ethic is apparent. The time she’s spent in the gym, and as I said on the video, that’s a testament to her folks, especially Angie. It’s not a coincidence that all of these Butler kids have been good athletes.”

In her three years with the Warriors her team’s have a record of 83-1, with the lone loss coming in the WIAA Division 5 state championship game her freshman season. Bailey has been in the starting lineup since her first day in a Black Hawk uniform.

“She really came into her freshman year undaunted and didn’t play like a freshman,” Flanagan said. “I feel like her maturation process was accelerated because she was thrown into the fire so early.”

After her freshman season ended, Bailey attended a camp at UW-Green Bay and impressed the coaching staff so much that they offered her a scholarship. The next year, Bailey played a key role in guiding the program to its first state championship, and three months later committed to play for the Phoenix before beginning her junior year of high school.

This past season, the COVID-19 pandemic kept the state tournament from being played, keeping the top-ranked and unbeaten Warriors from defending their title. Bailey’s sister, Hannah (1,582 points), and Wisconsin walk-on Natalie Leuzinger (1,803) both graduated from last year’s team and are the program’s career leading scorers. Third on that list is 2014 grad Jen Wellnitz (1,580), who also played for UW-Green Bay.

“Here we are at a high school of fewer than a hundred, and to have two, three opportunities to coach Division I talent, it’s just something that I know I am fortunate to have. I’ve been very blessed here at Black Hawk.

Bailey, with 1,337 points in her career, is fourth in program history, averaging 16.1 points per game. She has shot 44.5% from the field in her first three seasons, has a 66.2% free throw mark, and averages 4.7 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 5.7 steals per game. She’s also hit 194 3-pointers at a 38.8% clip in her career.

“Personal statistics and accolades, because a caliber of an athlete such as she, could play in a way that demonstrates a desire to pack the stat sheet,” Flanagan said. “But she really just has been a wonderful distributor and facilitator, and at the point guard position, having a kid who can make other people better, but then when she needs to, she can just go and make a play for her team, it’s just special.”

This past fall season in volleyball was the first time Bailey has dawned a Black Hawk uniform in any sport without her sister Hannah by her side. Bailey said it was difficult to play without her because they meshed so well on the court.

“In volleyball, I kind of noticed how weird it was without Hannah — it kind of sucks. Basketball is just going to be 10 times worse because I always know where she’s at on the court,” Bailey said. “My goals for this upcoming season is to just win conference and get as far as we can in the playoffs, like last year.”

Bailey has been a first-team all-conference pick in each of her first three seasons, twice shared the league’s player of the year with Leuzinger, and has been a first-team Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association all-state selection all three seasons. Her squad has reached the state tournament in each of her first three years in the lineup.

“What we’ve done is crazy. We’ve only lost one game, and that’s because of my teammates and the coaching staff — and the whole community — just helping us out,” Bailey said. “My family is so supportive and I can’t thank them enough. I hang out with them all day. Just this community is crazy at Black Hawk. I’ll never forget this community because it’s just crazy how supportive they are.”

What Flanagan loves most about his star guard is the natural facility and field general instincts she has. He’s called Bailey his quarterback, and a “coach on the floor.” Ever since he started coaching her, she’s shown to have a knack for being in the right place at the right time, and distributing the ball appropriately.

“I have no doubt that she’s going to elevate. We’re going to see people in roles that they have never occupied before, and the reason they’re going to be successful in those roles in large part is because Bailey’s going to help them out,” Flanagan said.

This year, without Hannah, Leuzinger or all-conference guard Maddy Huschitt, Bailey will have to carry more of the load on her shoulders than ever before. She said she is ready to handle the added responsibilities, and Flanagan has all the confidence that she will do just that.

“Just watching her in volleyball in some of those games — the five set ones to Monticello and Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran — I’m seeing the game through a different lens, because I don’t know anything about volleyball, but I know something about athletes and it was clear to me that she told her teammates, ‘Let’s go. I’m going to lead you,’” Flanagan said. “I felt like she understood the moment, and she understands the moment this year in basketball.”