Racine Native Turns in to Good Guy

I found this in a Racine Journal Times article:

Talk to any high school kid who has played on the Bucks’ homecourt at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee and they’ll tell you it’s an unforgettable experience.The Case High School boys’ basketball team had such a memorable moment last Friday, and got another treat in the process: meeting former Park High School and current Washington Wizards All-Star small forward Caron Butler.“After our game and before his game against the Bucks, he was supposed to be out there on the court shooting around with his teammates,” Case senior post player Steve Jaskulske said. “But he told them (his coaches) that he wanted to say hi to us, which was nice.“He was real easy to talk to. He was even nice enough to take a picture with me.”Case senior guard Craig Trott, who had met Butler before, also was excited to chat with him again.“We talked and I told him about our game,” Trott said. “He’s a good guy. He’s got good character.”

I am sure at some point, most of you around there parts have heard Caron Butler's story. I was a senior at Case when he was a Freshman and a lot of his stuff went down. When he came back and went to Park, I saw him play once and he was way better than everyone else on the court. Anyhow, the point is, it is nice to see someone actually be able to turn their life around. Stories like Vick and PEDs get all the play, but it is nice to hear about someone who raised to the top from the bottom as opposed to someone who tumbled from the top.

From all I have gathered, Caron does a fair amount of nice things like the story mentioned. He has the typical charity basketball game in Racine and collects coats for kids in the winter. He purchased his Mom a new home in Racine and the best part is, he stays out of trouble.

One of the best stories I have heard about Caron is his Mountain Dew addiction. From the D.C Sports Blog:

Caron Butler is no longer permitted to drink Mountain Dew. How much Mountain Dew did he used to drink, you're wondering? A lot," he said. "Before every game at Connecticut, I drank a two-liter of Mountain Dew. I'm dead serious. Ask my wife what she would have to go get me before a game. I'd be like, 'Hey, stop by the 7-11, bring me a two-liter.' "
I had prefaced my Mountain Dew inquiry by saying I had a stupid question, but now the serious beat writers got interested. Two liters of oh-so-sweet highly caffeinated neon-yellow liquid hyperactivity, really?
"Yeah, I'd be wired," Butler confirmed. "I'd drink half [before the game], and then I'd drink half at halftime. Because, you know, it shoots you up. And then there's a down, and you're flat-lining, and you've got to go back up again. That's what I've been doing, but they don't want me to drink it any more. They done took my Mountain Dew from me."
Outrageous. Someone call Billy Hunter. The ban went into effect about two months ago. Not sure if anyone's been paying attention, but Butler is in the midst of a career, if less-artificially-flavored, season. Coincidence? No way. Still, he didn't seem too happy about the ban. He demonstrated the gravity of the situation, asking a team employee for a Mountain Dew. She told him that wasn't allowed, and offered him a water instead as media persons laughed.
"Y'all think this is just a game; it's dead serious," he said. "I've got six refrigerators in the house. I used to have Mountain Dews filled in all of them. I don't have A Mountain Dew in my refrigerator no more. It's crazy, man. Pretty soon they'll say I can't chew my straws any more."