Philly basketball competitors Joshua Wyche and Mark Butler will soon be teammates at Lafayette

In the Philly basketball community, everybody knows everybody, whether that’s through playing on an AAU, high school, or college team in the area.

So when Penn Charter’s Mark Butler found out that Cristo Rey’s Joshua Wyche received a scholarship offer from Lafayette’s men’s basketball program, he had to reach out.

“I don’t want to say we grew up together, but, like, in the basketball world, you kind of know everybody in the area,” Butler, a senior point guard, said.

“When Josh got an offer from Lafayette, I immediately texted and was like, ‘I think that’d be great if we teamed up.’ Then, after I committed, I was on his tail.”

Butler committed to join the Leopards the summer heading into his senior year. Although he only played against Wyche on their respective AAU and school basketball teams, Butler couldn’t help but try to persuade Wyche.

“He’ll post on his [Instagram] story about dropping the top five schools list and then I would just be like, ‘Make sure Lafayette’s on there,’” Butler said. “After I committed, we stayed in good contact, and I just kind of waited for the announcement. When he did, I was very happy.”

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When Wyche announced his commitment to play college hoops at Lafayette next season, he became the first Division I recruit in Cristo Rey history.

And, of course, knowing a familiar face while moving onto the collegiate level makes for an easier transition process. But the program has more Philly ties than just Wyche and Butler.

Lafayette first-year head coach Mike Jordan, who served nine seasons as an assistant coach at Colgate sandwiched around a one-season stint at Drexel, is a Philly native who spent his college basketball career at Penn.

Jordan is trying to rebuild a program that finished 10-20 last season, and he brought along a staff of mainly locals, like associate head coach Mike McGarvey and assistant coach Sean O’Brien, who are Penn Charter alumni.

During the recruiting process, Butler and Wyche consistently heard from other coaches about Jordan and his philosophy. When Wyche played for the K-Low Elite AAU program, director Lonnie Lowry mentioned Lafayette’s program.

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“There were a lot of people when I talked about Lafayette just, ‘I heard Coach Mike’s over there, he’s a good guy, great coach, he definitely wants to turn that program around,’” Wyche said. “It was just all good things.”

But aside from Jordan’s local connections, it was his coaching style that caught Wyche and Butler’s attention, one that resonated a similar feeling they had from their previous coaches who helped develop them into the players they are now.

Butler has been in contact with Jordan since his freshman year of high school, while he still coached at Colgate. During those conversations, Jordan compared Butler to himself, saying he has the potential to learn and grow as a smaller 6-foot guard.

“[Jordan] has all the intangibles that I wanted in a coach,” Butler said. “He tells me every day how he’s going to push me, and it’s never going to get easy, but, at the end of the day I will be a better player. I mean, what else could you want?”

It wasn’t till two weeks after Jordan got the job at Lafayette in March that he reached out to Butler to take an unofficial visit.

That’s when he pulled Butler aside and gave him a scholarship offer. Butler also had the chance to work out with some current players. He vividly remembers trying to throw a no-look pass, but he ended up turning over the ball.

“Even though there was another person wide-open, [Jordan] screamed at me in front of everybody,” Butler said. “He’s like, ‘Make the easier read, make the right read.’ That’s what I needed, like as a point guard, I need somebody in my ear constantly.”

It was at that moment, he felt like the program was the right fit. That tough-love mentality also is what led to Wyche’s decision to join Lafayette’s program.

Wyche had a different recruiting process compared to Butler. He played for Cristo Rey head coach Kyle Sample for two seasons at Harriton High School before following Sample to Cristo Rey in 2020. Wyche then reclassified to the class of 2023.

The 6-foot-6 wing guard/ forward received his first offer from Robert Morris in his junior year, but three games into that season, he fractured his ankle when a teammate dove for a loose ball and landed on it.

“It was one setback, but a major comeback from it,” Wyche said. “At first it was bad, but after being out for the whole season, I got more hungry. That’s why that AAU summer, I had to turn it up. I had to do well in front of the college coaches.”

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And he did just that. During the summer before his senior year, Wyche received an offer from Lafayette during a team camp in June. Jordan told Wyche he liked what he could do at his height, whether it’s shooting or passing.

Wyche felt that Jordan had similar coaching tactics to Sample, who played a large part in his development.

“Coach Mike just keeps it real,” Wyche said. “He wants the team to get better, so that similarity was something I’m used to.”

Wyche and Butler are used to playing against each other, with Philly Pride (Butler’s AAU team) and K-Low Elite being rivals. And while they’re focused on their senior seasons, the two also are looking forward to becoming teammates in the next phase of their basketball journeys.

“On the court and off the court, I feel like we’ll be able to connect,” Butler said. “Being from the same area, lots to talk about. Then on the court, I know his game a little bit. ... So going in there to a new environment with somebody that you kind know their game, that’s definitely a confidence booster.”