Just four years ago, Jared Butler was the star of the Riverside Academy basketball team, helping lead the Rebels to three state championships and earning All-State honors twice.

But this week, Butler was the star on a much bigger stage, with a worldwide TV audience, as he helped the Baylor Bears men’s basketball team win the NCAA National Championship — their first in school history.

Baylor defeated previously unbeaten Gonzaga, 86-70. Butler, a 2018 Riverside Academy graduate, was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Game after scoring 22 points with seven assists and three rebounds.