After standout career at Byron Nelson, Butler’s Finley Bizjack keeps ascending
Finley Bizjack, arguably the best boys basketball player ever from Trophy Club Byron Nelson, gained some national attention recently.
Playing in Texas for only the second time in his collegiate career, and in the DFW area for the first time, the junior guard nearly helped the Bulldogs rally for a win against SMU on Nov. 15.
His assists on Evan Haywood’s 3-pointer with 37 seconds left allowed Butler to pull within 85-82.
The next trip down, he got a steal and passed it to Michael Ajayi for a 3-pointer with 37 seconds left. The 7-0 run tied the game at 85-85.
However, the Mustangs escaped with an 87-85 win after a long 3-point attempt at the buzzer by Bizjack came up short.
“You’re never out of it with him. I learned that a long time ago,” former Byron Nelson coach Scott Curran said after watching the near-comeback. “If you’re within striking distance, that guy can fill it up in a hurry, and he can get to the free-throw line. He knows what to do with pressure situations, and usually, the bigger the game, the better he plays.”
The 6-foot-4 junior guard is averaging a team-best 17.2 points per game while hitting 42.1% of his 3-pointers for the Bulldogs (5-1), who are trying to get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018.
About 10 minutes after the SMU game, No. 11 walked out of the locker room onto the court.
Sitting behind the Butler bench were friends, families, old teachers and even some fans too young to remember what an ice-cold shooter Bizjack was for the Bobcats.
“I got all my family, all my friends, all my teachers ... lots and lots of supporters,” he said. “So it was a lot of fun to come and start off hot and then play a good game, for the most part. I have the best support system, I believe, in the entire world. I got so much family and people with great intentions that are willing to help me.”
He signed autographs of giant cardboard cutouts of his face from his Byron Nelson days, when his hair wasn’t quite as long.
Elite recognition
Bizjack had a team-high 18 points, hit five 3-pointers, and had a behind-the-back assist on Ajayi’s 3-pointer that even caught the attention of NBA standout Kevin Durant on social media.
“I drove and saw everyone collapse,” Bizjack said of the play. “I did it the other night at Chicago State, so I just felt I was in rhythm and I got it to my guy. I knew he’d be open. I knew if four people were around me, that someone had to be open. I just said screw it ... someone will be there.”
While a future NBA Hall of Famer and plenty of others were stunned by the play, there was someone up in Section 214 of Moody Coliseum who had seen that magic before: Curran, now the assistant director of athletics for Northwest ISD.
“I never had a doubt that he was capable of being successful at the next level, and then to do it at a place like Butler makes it pretty special,” Curran said. “I think he’s a perfect fit for their program in the Big East. You know, tough competition, but, man, it’s always good to watch him. He’s just a special player. Always has been.”
A quick impact
The success of Bizjack at Butler came right away. He was named to the All-Big East freshman team after playing in all 33 games and averaging 4.2 points and 1.2 rebounds in 14.9 minutes per game.
There was definitely a correlation to what he did there compared to what he did as a freshman at Byron Nelson.
Curran started the program and was there for 14 years in that role. There was only one player who started as a freshman — Bizjack.
Curran said he knew right away that Bizjack could score, but he didn’t have to be the go-to guy on a team that went 23-9.
“He’s always just had a knack; he can score the ball in a lot of different ways,” Curran said.
In his coaching career, Curran started only one other freshman. When he was at Denison, TJ Taylor started and later became a three-time all-state player and Oklahoma signee.
By his sophomore season, Bizjack took the reins, and the Bobcats followed his lead for the next three years, Curran said. Bizjack said he “got the keys to the car,” and he turned in an average of 21 points per game.
The next year, he scored 25 points per game and eclipsed the 2,000-point mark. By his senior year, he was one of the best players not only in DFW but across the state.
“By the time my junior and senior years came around, I already knew what I was doing,” he said. “I know what play my coach is going to call before he even said it, like everything just kind of made sense to me. I just knew how to be a really good high school basketball player, and I kind of took advantage of that ... and had a lot of fun doing it.”
Standout senior
Bizjack saved his best games for his senior year.
After scoring in the high 30s several times that season, he finally set the school single-game scoring record with 51 points, breaking the previous mark of 43 and outscoring Haltom by himself in a 78-49 win.
The record didn’t last long. He scored 53 points in a game later that season.
“You know, as he got older and matured more, he started making people around him better,” Curran said. “When he started doing that, I knew that he was going to be playing basketball for a long time. He was just a fun kid to coach. I mean, he lives in the gym, he’s a good teammate, and he just does it the right way.”
Lasting legacy
Bizjack was an all-state player his senior season, a McDonald’s All-American nominee and was a finalist for Mr. Texas Basketball. He was an easy choice for the District 4-6A MVP and later as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram Player of the Year.
He averaged 28.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game while draining 113 3-pointers.
He scored 2,328 points in his career, one of three records he left at Byron Nelson, along with his 275 career 3-pointers and 435 assists.
Bizjack credits the success in large part to his coach.
“He gave me every opportunity that I could ever ask for, and he’s a big reason why I’m here is because of him and his never-ending belief in me,” he said.
The Bobcats won 100 games in his four years on varsity.
“When I talk about it to my friends here, it’s kind of cool to tell them my name’s on the board and just kind of talk about what I got to do in high school,” he said. “I like looking back on that now. It’s like a lot of fun to think about it. Obviously, you don’t want to live in the past, but I really hope that someday I get to bring some of my friends back and show them where I’m from.”
Where are they now?
Bizjack was one of the top 150 players in the country in the class of 2023, but ranked more toward the bottom half than the top half.
ESPN ranked him at No. 97, and 247Sports.com had him at 155 with a three-star rating.
He was the No. 15 recruit in Texas that year and ranked eighth among DFW players.
The list includes two current pro players — the Detroit Pistons’ Ron Holland (Duncanville) and Knicks G-League player Dink Pate (Dallas Pinkston), who were Nos. 1 and 2 in the state, respectively.
Bizjack saw most of those top players during the high school season and/or AAU ball, where he played for Southern Assault.
Duncanville’s KJ Lewis, once at Arizona and now at Georgetown, was also on Southern Assault.
“I’ve had just opportunity after opportunity to get better,” Bizjack said. “And I thought my mom really helped me take advantage of that and kind of surround myself with good players so that way I could hopefully be the best possible version of myself.”
His mom, Amber, helped foster the love of basketball in her son. After all, she played college basketball at San Diego State.
Curran pointed out that playing in Texas, especially at the Class 6A level, provided more than enough tests for Bizjack.
“It’s not like we were playing a weak schedule; 6A basketball in Texas is the real deal,” he said. “There’s a ton of talent and some really good coaches.”
An example of what Bizjack saw in high school?
In three of his four seasons, he ended up playing against a future NBA lottery pick.
His freshman season? Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George and Lewisville. His junior year? Richardson’s Cason Wallace, now an NBA champion with the Oklahoma City Thunder. His senior season? 2025 Washington Wizards first-round pick Tre Johnson and Richardson Lake Highlands.
Bizjack held his own in those games, and coaches noticed — Wisconsin, TCU, Stanford, SMU and North Texas all had offers for him.
When he signed, Butler coach Thad Matta knew what he was getting.
“He’s a gym rat, and that shows with how he shoots the ball,” Matta said on signing day in 2022. “I saw him take five charges in one of his AAU games. Butler fans are going to love him, and I can’t wait to coach him.”