Each object on the shelf represents a special accomplishment and memory for Lowery and his Butler team since he took over the program in 2014.
But, there is one spot on the middle of the self that remains empty.
Coach Lowery and his team all knows that empty spot is reserved for the one trophy that has eluded them: a 4A state championship (trophy).
\u201cWe\u2019ve got so many basketball and trophies on that wall that we are proud of, but the one we want most isn\u2019t there yet,\u201d Butler senior point guard, Omega Stitt said. \u201cThis team wants to bring home that championship more than anything. We know coach Lowery wants it (state championship) just as bad as we do. We all want to make our legacy live on here, and help put Butler basketball on the (state championship) map.\u201d
This year\u2019s Butler basketball team, No. 1 in the state and No. 1 in the Charlotte Observer for the first time ever (at same time), has had that championship focus at 21-0 overall, including 9-0 in Southwestern 4A (SW4A) conference play.
But Lowery and company know there\u2019s a long way to go in their 2016-17 campaign.
Each of the past two seasons, Butler has felt good about its chances going into the playoffs.
In 2014-15, the Bulldogs (23-4 overall) lost in third round to Myers Park in overtime, 67-66, on a last second shot.
Last year, Butler (24-6 overall) ran into perennial power, North Mecklenburg in the 4A state quarterfinals and lost 78-66.
This season, they hope to finish their season with a win, but know there is still a lot of work to do.
\u201cThis team understands what it takes to win, and there\u2019s no question our ultimate goal is to win a (state) championship,\u201d Lowery said. \u201cBut we have to stay in the moment. So, our only goal is to win the next game, and that\u2019s all we concentrate on. …
\u201cAt this point in the season, you have to prove yourself in every game. In the playoffs, you\u2019ve got to have the combination of a little bit of luck and making some great plays in the clutch against great teams. We know we are going to get everyone\u2019s best shot, so we have to be at our best (too).\u201d
Winning is nothing new for this Butler team as the core of this squad has been a part of 66 wins in the last three seasons, with only 10 losses in the same span.
Each of Lowery\u2019s three seasons at Butler, the Bulldogs have a prolonged winning streak, winning 17 in a row his first season (2014-15); 11 in a row last year and 19 straight to begin this year.
Butler\u2019s winning has also carried over into their summer play at camps and tournaments, where they are a combined 94-10 in Lowery\u2019s tenure, including a 42-1 mark in the summer of 2016.
That means the Bulldogs are 61-1 overall including this past summer, with their only loss coming to Cox Mill (this summer).
\u201cWinning definitely breeds an attitude, a since of ownership and even higher expectations with the entire program from the varsity to the junior varsity to the new guys coming in each year,\u201d Lowery said. \u201cBut, all of that success doesn\u2019t just come to you \u2013 it involves a huge amount work from the coaching staff and the players year round \u2014 from skill work in the gym, to the conditioning, to the weight room.\u201d
While the current Butler team hasn\u2019t experience a lot of losing, coach Lowery has been through his share of ups and downs in his 27-year career as a basketball and admits \u201che appreciates every single win.\u201d
Not long ago, in Lowery\u2019s last three seasons at Providence High (2010-2013), he went a combined 9-66, including a 1-24 season in 2012-13 campaign, his final season with the Panthers.
Lowery says he hit rock bottom as a coach that season.
But Lowery rediscovered his passion for the game the following season at Olympic as an assistant to former Trojans\u2019 head coach Ty Baumgardner.
Lowery (340-288 in his coaching career) says the tough times have only made him a stronger coach.
\u201cI believe the struggles have helped me become a good coach,\u201d Lowery said. \u201cI\u2019ve learned a lot from the tough times. All of those experiences have made me appreciate every single win.\u201d
After one season as an Olympic assistant, Lowery took the Butler job in 2014, and knew he was in right place from the start.
Former Butler basketball coach (2004-2011) and longtime rival, Kurt Wessler, was one of the first people to call him upon hearing the Bulldogs\u2019 coaching job was open.
\u201cMyron and I have a long history coaching against each other from when I was at Vance and he was at Harding (1996-2003),\u201d said Wessler, who is now the Crestdale Middle School basketball coach, Butler softball coach and a teacher at Butler. \u201cOne thing I\u2019ve always noticed about his teams is that he gets his players to play above their levels. Every time I\u2019ve faced Myron\u2019s team, whether they had superior talent, average talent or below-average talent, he gets them to play better than their level, and that\u2019s what coaching is all about. \u2026
\u201cI knew from the start with Myron (Lowery) at Butler, the equation was going to work.\u201d
The winning formula at Butler this year has again been about a team focus and balance, as six players have led the Bulldogs in scoring. Meanwhile, seven players average between six and 17 points per game, for a team that scores 73 points per contest.
The Butler defense has also been stout as they allow only 53 points per game.
On any given night, any of the Butler players in the regular rotation could lead the way.
This season, several, Bulldogs have had defining moments, especially from the senior class.
Butler\u2019s leading scorer, 6-foot-4 senior, Zane Rankin, is averaging nearly 17 points per game, doubling his average from a year ago.
Rankin already has eight games of 20 points or more, including two 30-plus efforts.
Meanwhile, Butler senior point guard, Tarique Stowe, has also had a career year (8.5 ppg, 4.8 apg) after struggling to get consistent playing time in his first three seasons.
\u201cI was really tough on Tarique in our end of the year meetings after last year,\u201d Lowery said. I remember telling him \u2018I have a brand new red car (comparing that to the Butler) and I\u2019m not ready to give the keys to that car. You are going to have to prove yourself.\u2019 \u2026
\u201cHe worked hard all offseason and at our first practice, we met on the track and I told him to hold out his hands and I handed him the keys. He had a huge smile on his face.\u201d
Another Butler senior, Chase Morrisette-Barnett, also struggled to find playing time for most of his Bulldog career, and has made the most of his opportunities this season.
Morrisette-Barnett is averaging a career-high 6.2 points, including a career-high 14 points in the season-opening win over Mallard Creek.
But no player may be appreciating senior success more than point guard, Omega Stitt \u2014 who is averaging a career-best eight points, three rebounds and two assists \u2014 just a few months after his older brother, and former Butler (and Clemson) standout, Demontez Stitt, 27, who died from a heart attack at his home in July.
The elder, Stitt, was in the midst of a professional basketball career abroad. The Butler basketball team will be raising Demontez Stitt\u2019s No. 2 Clemson jersey into the rafters on Senior Night, Feb. 3
This season, Omega Stitt, has had not only had a career year, but also had a defining moment with 20 points to lead Butler past archrival, Independence, Jan. 12, in front of a capacity crowd.
Butler senior, Jah\u2019lil Carter (6.2 points, 6.3 rebounds) and juniors, Gerrale Gates (12.8 points, 9.4 rebounds) and D. J. Little (12 ppg) also have big moments for their team.
While Butler has won a lot of games over the last three seasons, they know the next two months will define their season and even careers, for the seniors.
Lowery and his team\u2019s focus is on one thing.
\u201cWe all know the (ultimate) goal is, but we have to patient, stay in the moment, and make sure we don\u2019t get ahead of ourselves in any game,\u201d Stitt said. \u201cIt\u2019s one game, one day at a time. We just have to keep playing Butler basketball.\u201d
While coach Lowery\u2019s focus is \u201con the next game,\u201d all he has to do is look up from his office desk to remind him what his playing for (this season).
\u201cWe absolutely want to prove that we are the best team in the state,\u201d Lowery said. \u201cI look at that empty spot in the trophy case (shelf) and know we have to fill it. I know everyone on this team feels the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n