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Since our last update, the Bulldogs have been active, with multiple backcourt pieces either deciding to return to Hinkle, leave or commit for the first time. As we approach the deadline for transfers to enter, here is what Butler has done to get closer to finalizing their roster.
Posh Alexander enters the Transfer Portal
Posh Alexander was Butler’s starting PG last season and brought much-needed leadership and energy. He was the engine that drove this team and was a much-needed piece on last year’s team. His entry to the transfer portal was stunning, nobody saw it coming. He was a defensive pest and a leader that will be missed. Dayton has seemingly been in the lead here, and will likely be picking up the ex-Bulldog/Johnnie.
Posh averaged 11.3PPG, 4.9APG, 4.3RPG and 2.2SPG in his lone season in Hinkle Fieldhouse. He left the Bulldogs with a hole at PG that they needed to fill. His transfer allowed for Butler to make the next two moves.
Kolby King commits to Butler
Kolby King was a long-time Butler target, he visited about a week before he committed. His recruitment was down to Dayton and Butler, and with Posh likely headed to Dayton, King committed to Butler. King averaged 10.4PPG, shooting 47.8% from the field and 37.9% from three. At 6’2”, he’s much more of a Combo Guard, or a shooting guard than a pure point. I don’t think we see him running the offense much, he’s a score-first guard.
King excels in the open floor, he’s lightning quick and has excellent elevation off two feet. He gets up and can finish around or through contact, and can make you look silly with how well he can change direction in the open floor. When King can get downhill, he finishes really well for a 6’2” guard. He is also excellent in catch-and-shoot situations, he’s always shot-ready and has a quick jumper.
For his offensive skills, I do have some defensive concerns. Tulane was not a good defensive team last season, finishing 211 in KenPom’s Adjusted Defensive Efficiency metric, and 14-17 (5-13 in AAC Play) on the season. As a 6’2” SG, it’s hard for King to guard some bigger, more athletic guards, and I could imagine that is a problem next season, much like it was for former Butler G DJ Davis.
King’s offensive skillset is clear. He’s also not the highest-volume shooter, he doesn’t need to have the ball in the halfcourt to be effective, he plays well off the ball. I think he would be best used in a Lou Williams-style role, a bench scorer who can enter a game and immediately provide an offensive spark.
Finley Bizjack Returns to Butler
There were some rumors floating around that Bizjack could return to Butler for a little while, but once Alexander transferred, those rumors had legs. Bizjack will now get to play more on the ball like he did in HS, which is a huge factor for his decision to return to Butler.
Bizjack showed promise last year. He will be getting legit minutes as a lead guard for this team, so he will need to take a leap to be that guy. He showed flashes, and I am convinced that he is a much better shooter than the numbers say. Bizjack is the type of player who can build off of a promising season.
Bizjack is coming off a season where he made the Big East All-Freshman team.
The development of some of the younger pieces, Bizjack, Moore and Kapke to go with a transfer portal addition (who I am sky-high on) in Jamie Kaiser will largely decide how well Butler does next season. Being able to keep these guys for multiple years would go a long way to taking that next step that this program needs.
Next season, Butler will need a huge leap from the backcourt, as Moore and Bizjack return and are only joined by the aforementioned Kolby King. Butler has two open scholarships, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see them only fill one. There are some needs in the backcourt, so that is where I’d expect them to look. The forward group with Telfort, Brooks, Kaiser and McCaffery is locked down, and I think Butler is ok with going with Kapke/Screen up front, with some small ball minutes possibly mixed in there.
We’ll see what Butler does to round out their roster. Jaden Schutt is a name that Butler has been after, and would be an excellent shooter to add to a potential five-out rotation. There is a lot more to Schutt’s game than he showed at Duke, and I think Butler would be an excellent landing spot for him, I would expect him to play legit minutes here.
If Butler wants a playmaking guard who can play short minutes, 2024 recruit Ben Hammond is a name to look at. I have no idea if Butler has any interest (I’m really just trying to talk this one into reality), but I love his leadership, even as a smaller guard (listed 5’8”) and think he could give really good production off the bench.
He’s a winner through and through at Paul VI, the same high school that Aaron Thompson went to. I love Hammond’s maturity, leadership and unselfishness at guard, and think he will develop into a really good college player.
Hammond decommitted from URI a week or so back
There are obviously other names, some I bet we have yet to hear connected to Butler, but those are two guys I’d throw out there. Interested to see how Butler looks to fill out their roster.
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