Butler 2014-15 (Blue Ribbon's Preview)

THE BUTLER WAY

Adversity arrived from every avenue, most of it long before the 2013-14 season commenced, for a Butler program that had grown so accustomed to success and consistency and doing it all the right way. The Butler Way. 

But (former) coach Brandon Miller, who fell into a near-impossible situation before working through his first season as a college head coach, thinks he and his team and a program that had done it so well for so long will be better off for it. 

Butler’s first losing season in nearly a decade, and only its second in 20 years, could have led to a long and lonely soul-search of a summer, but Miller refused to dwell on all that had happened. Instead, he looked ahead to what Butler basketball can once again be in big-time college basketball. 

“We’re excited about what we’ve been able to do since the season ended,” said Miller, who saw his rookie season mark the first time the Bulldogs sat out postseason play of any kind since 2005. “Guys have done a tremendous job in getting better in the weight room, on the court, individually and as a team. We had a tremendous offseason.” 

As for the 2013-14 regular season? Not so much. Everything that Butler thought it could be in the Big East first jumped the tracks last July 3 when long-time coach Brad Stevens suddenly left the program he took to consecutive NCAA tournament championships games to become head coach of the Boston Celtics. A talented four-man recruiting class, arguably the most impressive quartet ever to enroll at Butler, already was on campus and in class and learning all about the Butler Way when Stevens took off. Miller, a former Bulldog point guard and assistant, was promoted days later to maintain continuity as the program prepared for its first season in the unforgiving Big East. There, the Bulldogs would lose seven league games by six or fewer points or in overtime. 

Butler seemingly weathered the Stevens departure storm before jetting off on a foreign tour of Australia. Upon return, the Bulldogs learned on a hot and steamy Friday afternoon in early August that they would be without their leading scorer and heartbeat, swingman Roosevelt Jones. Jones hurt his wrist during the trip and needed surgery that would wipe out his entire season. Strike Two.

“We had some things to overcome,” Miller said. Butler looked on its way to still being Butler as its first season in the Big East approached. The Bulldogs opened 5-0 for the first time since 2008-09 and were 8-2 after a win over in-state rival Purdue at the Crossroads Classic in December. 

But the new year brought a whole new list of challenges— some the Bulldogs answered, most they didn’t. Butler staggered to an 0-5 league start, then went winless (0-7) in February. There was some continuity, with four players starting at least 31 games each, but a lot of disharmony; five players were suspended for various reasons during the season. 

“For whatever reason we didn’t produce in Big East play like we wanted to produce,” Miller said. “We didn’t get the results that we wanted. I do feel that our team get better and we made strides in the right direction.” 

The coaching staff demanded that those strides continued in the offseason. The marching orders were simple—the Bulldogs had to be better, in every phase. They had to be smarter, more together, a tougher group. Butler finished eighth or lower in the league in 10 different statistical categories, including scoring offense (10th, 68.5 ppg), free-throw percentage (10th, 66.1), field-goal percentage defense (9th, 44.7) and 3-point field goal percentage (32.3). 

“Obviously, not the results we wanted,” Miller said. 

Miller thinks all those issues are correctable. With four starters returning, plus the return of a healthy Roosevelt Jones, Miller believes last season can be an exception rather than a rule for a program that enjoyed such sustained success for so long. Not only does he want to be better, his players want to be better. Now. 

“The way that we’ve handled our offseason in terms of our basketball program, we’re going in the direction that we want to go,” Miller said. 

GIMME FIVE BYE (Brown, Castro, Berry, Morgan, Smeathers)
There was one final step (can five departures count as a single step?) backward before Butler could move forward. Three members of last season’s freshman class—Elijah Brown (6.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 1.2 apg), René Castro (3.3ppg), and Nolan Berry (1.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg)—all transferred. Elijah Brown Brown landed at New Mexico, Castro at Duquesne and Berry at Saint Louis.
Sophomore backup guard Devontae Morgan (1.8 PPG, 0.9 rpg) transferred to James Madison, junior Andrew Smeathers left the team before the season started.
Additionally, seniors Eric Fromm (5.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg) and Kyhle Marshall (14.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 0.5 spg) exhausted their eligibility. 

NEW KIDS FROM THE BLOCK (Etherington, Lewis)
The Bulldogs added two offseason transfert.
One, former Indiana reserve Austin ETHERINGTON, is eligible this season but was injured during a summer workout and had to undergo foot surgery. He was expected to miss three to four months.
Another, former NC State guard and McDonald’s All-American Tyler LEWIS, will sit out but provide daily practice competition.

Three freshmen also want to prove themselves. 

“Hopefully with our new additions and the [returning] guys in our program, we’ll have more depth to our team this season than last,” Miller said.

Everything starts with the 6-4 junior Roosevelt JONES, who was on the verge of a breakout season before the wrist injury. He was coming off a sophomore year that saw him lead the team in scoring and assists and earn first-team All-Atlantic 10 defensive honors. His size and skills should fit smoothly into a league with high-level athletes. So should some of his intangibles, which the Bulldogs lacked last winter. 

“He’s a competitor; he’s a winner,” Miller said. “What he brings to the team you can’t measure in a box score. What he brings to practice on a daily basis you can’t measure. We couldn’t be happier to have him back.” 

Roosevelt Jones (10.1 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 3.5 APG in 2012-13) joins a veteran starting lineup led by 6-6 (1,97) junior guard Kellen DUNHAM (16.4 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.7 APG), who led the Bulldogs in scoring. Dunham has in-the-gym range from 3 (78 made, fourth-best in Big East), but the second-team all-conference selection understood before last season began that his game still had holes. To be even better, Dunham had to get bigger. Get stronger. Be tougher. He lived in the weight room during the offseason, then took a 10-day trip to the Bahamas with Athletes in Action to round out any rough edges. 

“He’s continuing to work on his game in a lot of different areas,” Miller said. “He’s been creative to find ways to improve.” 

As has 6-9 (2,04) senior forward Kameron Woods (7.5 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 2.0 APG), who led the Big East in rebounding last season. Like Dunham, Woods realized that to battle in the Big East, he had to get stronger. Miller said Woods has tried “a million and one ways” to pack on more pounds— shakes, weights— only to see his body protest. Woods weighs a spindly 200 pounds, but what he lacks in muscle he makes up for in length, versatility, bounce and the all-important basketball IQ. 

“He just understands the game; he can think the game,” Miller said. “We need that.” 

The Bulldogs again need the consistency that 6-7 sophomore Andrew CHRABASCZ, (6.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 1.1 APG) provided as a true freshman last season, something that few around the program projected. Chrabascz was seemingly ready-made to compete in the Big East from the jump. That effort and energy earned Chrabascz a spot on the conference’s all-rookie team. Part of that stemmed from Chrabascz’s basketball ability, but a big chunk of it was thanks to his maturity level. Despite all the problems on and off the court that swirled around the program, Chrabascz simply kept his head down and his motor running. 

“If you’re around Andrew, he acts and carries himself at a much later stage in his life than his actual age,” Miller said of Chrabascz, who turned 20 on June 14. “He’s a mature kid. He’s a smart kid. Because of who he is and his attributes, that allowed him to make the transition from high school to Big East and have the year he had.” 

Chrabascz has added 20 pounds (10 kg) and is up to 225 (103 kg) for his sophomore season. 

Senior point guard Alex BARLOW (6.6 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 3.5 APG) also returns. When the league losing streak started last winter and seemingly never would stop, the 5-11 (1,79) Barlow just kept playing, kept trying to get the Bulldogs into their offense and kept taking care of the ball. Real good care of the ball—he led the Big East in assist/turnover ratio (3.1), while still learning the nuances of the position. That endeared the current Bulldog point guard to the former point guard turned head coach. 

“He’s made great decisions as a point guard,” Miller said. “He just finds ways to get things done.” 

OFF THE BENCH
Butler may go only as far as its starting five dictates. The bench, while willing and able, may be a bit too thin. Backup guard Jackson ALDRIDGE (1.6 PPG, 0.5 RPG, 0.5 APG), a 6'0" (1,82) senior, brings the all-important steadiness and experience, but he may be a step slow to do it at a consistent clip in the Big East.
Austin ETHERINGTON (2.0 ppg, 1.6 rpg), a 6-6 (1,97) junior, comes from a basketball family—his father played at Butler—but he never could crack the rotation at Indiana, and his summertime injury will no doubt set him back at his new school. 

Tyler LEWIS played big minutes last season in helping NC State get to the NCAA Tournament. Under NCAA transfer regulations, he must sit out the season, but he can still be an asset. Like Roosevelt Jones, Alex Barlow, Kellen Dunham and Kameron Woods, Lewis knows what it takes to be good and to be a part of the NCAA tournament. He’s delivered at the highest level, something that can rub off on others. 

“His work ethic and his mentality of how he wants to get better off the court, all those things are contagious,” Miller said. “He has that personality about him.” 

The three freshmen—6-8 Jackson DAVIS (24.6 PPG, 13.8 rpg, 2.3 BPG) of Lexington, Ky.; 6-6 Louisville product Kelan MARTIN (22.8 PPG, 8.7 RPG); and 6-8 (2.02), Schereville, Ind., signee Tyler WIDEMAN (15.8 PPG, 7.1 RPG)—all want to contribute but have yet to be baptized into what it takes to be good—really good—in the unforgiving Big East. 

“We’re extremely excited about those guys,” Miller said. “They’ve had good summers; they seem willing to work. We’ll see how they progress and transition, but we have high expectations.” 

In this program, that will never change. 

Feeling sorry about losing their former head coach who took the program to unbelievable heights, feeling sorry about the guys who no longer are part of the program, and feeling sorry about being ground down and counted out in the Big East simply is not an option for a a group of players who know all about overcoming seemingly staggering odds and still finding ways to win at a high rate. 

Three years removed from 28 victories and four shy from 33, Butler basketball has done it before, and Miller thinks it can do it again, likely sooner than anyone else might expect. Last season was tough for myriad reasons, but Miller is determined to not let that become the norm. Not on his watch. 

“I don’t know what people are going to learn this season about our program and this team,” he said. “But I do know this—Butler has always played the underdog role very well. We have a chip on our shoulder, and we’ll probably play the underdog role this season. We’ve fit that very well, and we look forward to fitting that role this year.” 

This summer was unlike any other in recent memory for the Bulldogs. They had to deal with a losing overall record, a losing league record and no postseason. And thanks to the continued $17.1 million renovation of historic Hinkle Fieldhouse, the Bulldogs were a group without a home. The playing floor was covered by plywood; the chair-back seats were torn out. So too were the bleachers and the scoreboard. The place was a hard-hat-only construction zone. That meant no late-night trips to Hinkle for hoops. No quick pop-ins at the basketball office to chat with the coaches. It shook the players from their collective comfort zones. It forced them to find other ways to bond. It was rough. 

But there is a belief that everything will get better. Soon. 

“We’re in a really good spot mentally as a basketball team right now,” Miller said. “We need to continue to carry that moving forward.”

Tom Noie, Blue Ribbon

BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS:
BACKCOURT:     B-
FRONTCOURT: B 
BENCH/DEPTH:  C-
INTANGIBLES:   C-

LOCATION: Indianapolis, IN
CONFERENCE: Big East
LAST SEASON: 14-17 (.452)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 4-14 (9th)

STARTERS RETURNING/LOST: 4/1 

NICKNAME: Bulldogs

COLORS: Blue & White

HOMECOURT: Hinkle Fieldhouse (10,000) 

COACH: Brandon Miller (Butler ’03) (* medical leave); Chris Holtmann (Taylor ’94 ; his first year as head coach)

MILLER's RECORD AT SCHOOL: 14-17 (1 year) 

MILLER's CAREER RECORD: 14-17 (1 year)

MILLER'S ASSISTANTS:

Terry Johnson (IPFW ’98) 

Michael Lewis (Indiana ’00) 

Chris Holtmann (Taylor ’94);

WINS (LAST 5 YRS.) 33-28-22-27-14

RPI (LAST 5 YRS.) 7-19-106-21-154

2013-14 FINISH: Lost in Big East first round.