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TOP STORY OF THE DAY: Butts brothers rejuvenate Clay City with return to Eel Dome
It was a fun and exciting day for the Clay City boys basketball team inside the Eel Dome on Jan. 8.
The Eels had just defeated Bloomington Lighthouse to extend their winning streak to a season-high four games and had pulled themselves one game below the .500 mark after opening the year with five consecutive losses.
Clay City’s players and coaches were high-fiving and giving each other slaps on the back on their way out of the locker room with smiles spread across all of their faces.
However, less than an hour later, the day changed in an instant when Russell Butts, one of the team’s forwards off the bench, and his older brother, Corbin Butts, were involved in a serious automobile accident that left them with countless injuries and a long rehab pathway to recovery.
Dylan Butts, Russell’s twin brother, and their mother, Braiden Rains, were two cars ahead of them and were at the scene immediately.
Both Russell and Corbin were sent to IU Methodist Hospital where they’ve spent the last several weeks undergoing numerous surgeries and getting around-the-clock treatment.
Dylan has been by the side of Russell and Corbin throughout their time in the hospital, but last week returned to school, as well as practice, and was determined to be back in uniform for Tuesday night's game against Shakamak.
He succeeded in getting his body back into game-shape and instantly provided a spark off the bench for the Eels in the loss, scoring one point and ripping down a pair of rebounds while also providing interior defense they’d been missing.
However, just before the teams took the floor for warmups, Russell was placed at the end of the bench in a wheelchair. With a boot on his leg and a sling around his arm, Russell’s presence brought a smile – and numerous tears – to the eyes of the jam-packed Eel Dome crowd, Clay City boys basketball coach Chris Ames said.
“I didn’t know Russ was coming tonight. He was going to and then something came up and he didn’t think he was going to make it. As I told the team, it was a win-win for Clay City tonight. The scoreboard was whatever, but to have both Butts brothers in the house for the first time was amazing,” said Ames.
“Dylan had just come back recently. He was able to play a little bit tonight and you actually forget what he brings. A couple of times I thought to myself, ‘He really brings some good things, especially after missing the time he has due to the circumstances.’ It was pretty cool.”
After the 20-minute warmup period had ended, each of the Eels came over and rubbed Russell’s head or gave him a pat on the back. And then after each starter was announced and ran through the high-five tunnel, they made a special trip down to the end of the bench and gave him a fist bump before heading out onto the Eel Dome court.
“To see every kid give [Russell] a fist bump before they go out, it was cool,” said Ames. “It’s been a deal on their family, but again, the community of Clay County has just been tremendous. Those boys know that and they’re working. Russ has worked to get to where he is through therapy and those things. I know he’s still in a lot of pain but he’s surviving this.”
Clay City dropped the game, falling 52-41 to the rival Lakers. But afterwards, Ames, who admitted that he would have preferred to win, said that regardless of what happened on the floor, he wasn’t going to be upset. He was just grateful to have the Butts brothers, which he described as ‘a pair of miracles’ back with their Eel family.
“Tonight, I wanted to win, but it was fun. I told myself awards, ‘Ok. We didn’t play well in stretches, but that’s a miracle down there,’” said Ames, pointing towards the end of Clay City’s bench. “If people don’t want to believe there’s something else out there, him and his brother show there are miracles.”