2. Shelvin Mack (2008 – 2011)
Career Stats (3 years): 14.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game
Hayward may be the most famous recent Butler player but Shelvin Mack should not be far behind. Mack might not be the NBA star that Hayward is but his impact on the Butler’s program might be larger. He played three years with the program, steadily improving in each of them as a primary scorer and playmaker. Mack was one of the top three players on both of Butler’s runs to the national championship game. Even though he has been overshadowed at times by Hayward and the player that follows him on this list, Mack firmly belongs in the discussion of being one of the most influential players to ever don the jersey.
He started all but one of his 108 games with the program, all of which were when the team competed in the Horizon League. He was never awarded the Player of the Year in the conference but was a focal point of the Bulldogs, who won the league in every season he was on campus, each year. As a freshman, Mack was an instant performer alongside fellow freshman Hayward, dropping in 11.9 points, snagging 4.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game while starting every game.
In the next two seasons, Mack stepped up even more while helping to carry the Dawgs to back-to-back national championship games. He averaged 14.1 points per game as a sophomore and then 16.0 as a junior. Given his improvements year over year and constant success with Butler, Mack left after his third season on campus to begin his NBA career.
In similar fashion to over players on this list, Mack also collected his fair share of accolades. While he was never named to an All-American team, he was twice selected to the NCAA All-Tournament and All-Region teams. When it comes to players who stepped up big in Butler’s best seasons, Mack deserves to be mentioned in the same sentence as Hayward and the player next on this list.