Butler freshman forward Augusto Cassia's first season with the Bulldogs has been full of starts and stops.

Few players possess the combination of size and athleticism Cassia packs into his 6-8, 220-pound frame. He showed glimpses of his potential during a preseason scrimmage, soaring for putback dunk attempts and attacking the rim with vigor. But lower body injuries sidelined the native Brazilian for the first half of the season, pausing what could've been a breakout Year 1 with the Dawgs.

"I've said this, Augusto, man was he playing before he got injured," Butler coach Thad Matta said. "We hit that stretch where he missed all the preseason games, exhibition games, and that's where freshmen get minutes."

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Cassia joined Butler as a member of its three-player 2023 recruiting class. Cassia didn't start playing basketball until he was 14 years old. He grew up in Brazil playing everything from handball and soccer to swimming. In his hometown of Salvador, a city located along the eastern coast of Brazil, he spent a lot of time at the beach and swimming was his best sport as a kid.

Cassia said he wasn't very good at basketball when he started. He left his hometown to train at the NBA Academy Latin America in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, the same program that produced Indiana Pacers first-round pick Bennedict Mathurin. After training in Mexico, Cassia moved to the NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia, an NBA Academy program for top international players.

Cassia's time at the NBA Academy helped him catch the eye of former Butler assistant Kevin Kuwik, when Cassia played in the NBA Academy Game in Atlanta. Cassia's continual progression earned him an offer from Butler, and he joined Matta's team as a 20-year-old freshman.

Injuries slowed his on-court progression, but Cassia continued to put in work behind the scenes to get healthy and be ready when his number was called.

He made his season debut in Butler's nonconference finale, playing 14 minutes in a win against Saginaw Valley. Cassia would not see the court again until more than a month later, playing one minute against DePaul on Jan. 20. He played three minutes against Georgetown on Jan. 23, scoring four points, but he began to carve out a role as a defensive stopper two games later versus Creighton.

Cassia's length and lateral quickness allows him to guard position 1 through 5. He can be caught out of position at times, made evident by his four fouls in 8 minutes against the Bluejays, but his ability to recover and get back into a play is rare.

After a delayed debut, the college basketball world got a chance to see Cassia's skills in the final seconds against Providence.

Coming off the bench cold, having sat for the first 39 minutes of the game, Cassia entered as a defensive replacement with 19 seconds left and Butler leading by one.

The play started how the Friars wanted, with Devin Carter passing to Corey Floyd Jr. at the top of the key, giving Floyd a full head of steam to get downhill and attack the basket. Floyd beat Cassia off the dribble, giving him a lane to the basket with center Jalen Thomas rotating over to help. As Floyd rose up to dunk, Cassia jumped along with him, swatting away the ball and sealing the win for the Bulldogs.

Despite not stepping foot on the court all game, Matta knew he needed Cassia's defense to get the victory. During the final huddle before play resumed, Matta turned to the freshman and asked, "Augusto, are you ready?"

Calmly and without hesitation, Cassia responded, "I am ready, coach."

"I was just looking to help my team win," Cassia said. "That's all I want to do. Get on the court and just help my team win. It doesn't matter what I have to do, if I have to jump, play defense, make a shot, push somebody — whatever I have to do I will do it to help us win.

"(Floyd) blew by me, and I had to recover. I saw that he tried to dunk it, I just timed (the block). I don't know how to explain how, but I got the timing and got all ball."

Matta credits Cassia and Butler's entire group of freshmen for staying ready while playing behind a talented group of veterans. Finley Bizjack, Boden Kapke and Cassia have all made crucial contributions to Butler's success throughout the season. Fellow underclassman Landon Moore is another reserve who has carved out playing time in a supporting role.

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Cassia has the tools to be an attacking wing or an uber-athletic power forward on offense, but for now, he's embraced his role on defense.

"I believe basketball is not only an offensive game, we also got to get stops to win the game," Cassia said. "We cannot just try to outscore every team because that won't work. As a defensive player, you just got to be mindful and try to help the team get stops.

"Sometimes it's not going to be you 1-on-1, but it's going to be you in the gap, it'll be you on the help, you've got to be in the right position to make the guy make the extra pass and recover."

Cassia said he's finally starting to feel like himself after dealing with the nagging injury. A few weeks ago, he may not have had the explosion to recover after being beat off the dribble. Playing at full strength, Cassia's showing the glimpses of potential seen only by those within the program.

"To his credit, he comes in here and he busts his rear every day," Matta said. "We don't play as much in practice now, especially in late January, February, we're not doing as much so we have been to give him a ton of the reps and stuff.

"We gotta keep banging on those guys and they're coming into their own. I think sometimes getting thrown into the fire is probably the best way to teach and learn."

What time is Butler basketball vs. Marquette?

6:30 p.m. ET Tuesday, February 13, 2024, at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

What channel is Butler basketball vs. Marquette on?

TV: FS1

Radio: 1430 AM in Indianapolis, with Mark Minner (play-by-play) and Nick Gardner (analysis)

Streaming: SiriusXM Channels 380 and 970, Varsity Network

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Butler basketball freshman Augusto Cassia finding his role