Butler transfers out of Penn Charter

Brianna Butler, one of the area's top girls' basketball players for the past three seasons at Penn Charter, will play her final season for Nazareth Regional High School in Brooklyn this year.

New Penn Charter coach Dave Bass said that Butler, a second-team all-Southeastern Pennsylvania selection last season by The Inquirer, had transferred to the Brooklyn school. The 6-foot guard/forward averaged 15 points last season in leading the Quakers to a 19-7 record overall, 8-3 in the Inter-Academic League.

"She's a very talented player, and we will miss her," said Bass, who succeeded Diana Caramanico as Quakers coach in June. Caramanico recently earned a master's degree and stepped down to pursue other interests.

Bass said it was a family decision for Nazareth to transfer to Nazareth, which has earned a national reputation under second-year coach Apache Paschall.

Efforts to reach the Butler family and Paschall were unsuccessful.

Paschall recently served as Butler's AAU team coach. During the summer, Bass said, Butler commuted two or three times a week to New York with her mother to practice and play with the AAU team.

"I have not had any contact with Brianna since she transferred," Bass said. "We want whatever is best for Brianna. We certainly wish her the best."

Bass said Butler began the new school year earlier this month at Penn Charter but stayed only a week before transferring.

Bass, who won three Friends Schools League championships in 10 years at Abington Friends, said Penn Charter has not changed its 2011-12 schedule because of Butler's transfer.

"I'm in this for the long term," said Bass, a 1988 graduate of Penn Charter, where he now serves as a diversity counselor. "I want continue to build up the program here."

Bass added that the Quakers will maintain a strong schedule of nonleague games in addition to its Inter-Ac slate.

"We're still going to Naples [Fla.] to play in a holiday tournament. We're also entered in other tourney showcases," he said.

Contact staff writer Don Beideman at 267-815-0733 or dbeideman@phillynews.com.