A disappointing season leads to a Butler Bulldogs team hungry for a resurrection into relevancy. The Bulldogs come into this season a very new team, and a team excited to shake things up in the Big East. Today’s article gives a preview of the Bulldogs and their season last year.
Butler Bulldogs Preview 2023-2024
Recap of Last Season
Butler did not have their strongest showing last season. It was Thad Matta’s first year back at Butler, and they were erratic with their performances. They were 14-18 and 6-14 in the Big East Conference, ending with a loss to St.John’s in the First Round of the Big East Tournament.
Butler’s Strengths (2022-2023)
Defense
Butler was a strong defensive team last season. Ranking third in scoring defense in Big East play, the Bulldogs have a side of the floor that helps build potential success. While it was due to a slower pace of play, Butler played solid defense in the conference. Butler also was 5th in the conference in opponent’s three-point percentage at 31.5%. The ability to defend the three is critical, and the Bulldogs did well in this area. The goal of this season is to make their field goal percentage defense stronger while keeping teams under 65 points a game. Coach Matta preaches defense, so it is no surprise that Butler succeeded on this end of the floor.
Their Weaknesses (2022-2023)
Productive Offense
Butler had weaknesses that led to close losses, but their biggest problem was their offense. The Bulldogs were last in scoring offense in the entire conference. More importantly, Butler was 303rd out of 363 Division One teams. They did not shoot the three well in conference play at only 31.5% and were below average in effective field goal percentage. Therefore, Butler needs this side of the ball to improve.
The Notable Returners
Jalen Thomas
Jalen Thomas is the one Bulldog coming back with experience playing meaningful minutes. Averaging 7.1 points a game on 50% shooting, Thomas is an efficient big man with versatility. He does shoot the three. Thomas only shot 33% from three-point range, which isn’t great, but can spread the court for Butler. More importantly, he has experience playing with Coach Matta.
The Bulldogs’ Notable Transfers
Posh Alexander
Posh Alexander is an exciting guard, who transferred from St.John’s. Posh is athletic, disruptive on defense, and an excellent passer. He helps get the tempo faster for the Bulldogs and improves the shot quality for the Butler shooters. He is good at getting into the paint, and spreading it to shooters when the defense converges. His fit for Butler is a good one because they need a good point guard, which Posh is. The only thing Posh needs to do is get his three-point shooting better as teams are going to give him space on ball screens and isolation situations.
Jahmyl Telfort
Another exciting transfer coming into Indiana for the Bulldogs is Jahmyl Telfort from Northeastern. Telfort gets buckets, plain and simple. He post-ups smaller guards, can drive by bigger wings, and is excellent in catch-and-shoot opportunities. While he only shot 32% from three, he is a better shooter than that. His effective field goal percentage in catch-and-shoot was 59%, which is in the 85th percentile. Furthermore, he is a solid passer with an assist rate of 16%. Telfort has great size at 6’7” and 220 LBS, so he can match bigger wings in the Big East. Jahmyl brings scoring, versatility, and physicality to a Butler team starving for an offensive engine.
DJ Davis
DJ Davis is another scoring guard that Butler picked up in the transfer portal. Coming over from UC Irvine, Davis averaged 15 points per game last season. The biggest strength of Davis’ game is his shooting. DJ shot 40% from three-point range, last season. He can shoot off the catch or dribble into his shot. As previously mentioned, Butler struggled to shoot threes. Davis allows Butler to get some spacing into their offense and build a productive offense again.
Pierre Brooks
Pierre Brooks is another transfer for the Bulldogs from Michigan State. A mixture of a wing/power forward, Brooks is a three-point shooter. 64% of his field goal attempts came from three, so he spaces the court. Pierre needs to shoot the three at a higher clip than his 32% last season, but his mechanics and the volume of threes make it plausible he will make the adjustments. Brooks helps space the court for Thomas, Telfort, and Alexander, who all score in the paint.
Other Transfers
Landon Moore-St.Francis (PA): averaged 13.1 points per game last season.
Andre Screen (Bucknell)-7’0” big man, who averaged 11 and 6 last season for the Bison
The First Years
Finley Bizjack
Finley Bizjack is a scoring guard from Texas, who comes off a successful high school career. Ranked 97th in the 2023 ESPN Recruiting Class, Bizjack is a good addition to the Bulldogs. Finley is an elite shooter, with excellent vision. He can play on the ball or move off the ball. His game is needed because Butler does not have a lot of shooting in their lineup. Bizjack scored 2,832 points in his high school career. He can score the basketball in many ways. Look for him to make an immediate impact as a bench scorer.
Boden Kapke
Boden Kapke is another excellent addition to the incoming recruiting class for Butler. He was a finalist for Mr.Basketball in Minnesota and averaged 23 points and 13 rebounds in his senior season. He possesses great size at 6’11, and elite skill. Boden shoots it from the perimeter, can create his shot with the dribble, and has a post-up game. Kapke is also a good rim protector who “walls up” instead of jumping and getting foul calls. He is an excellent addition to the big depth at Butler. However, Boden’s ability to defend ball screens will be his biggest challenge this season.
Augusto Cassia
Augusto Cassia is a prospect coming into Butler from the NBA Global Academy. Cassia is 6’8” and 195 lbs. Cassia is very athletic, defends multiple positions, and has immense potential. His size and athletic ability help him fit as a slasher and versatile defender for the Bulldogs. Augusto needs to continue getting stronger. Nevertheless, his work ethic and potential make him a good prospect for Butler’s future. A lot is unknown about Augusto, so there will be a better sense of his game once he gets into the games.
Other Freshman:
Projected Starting 5
PG-Alexander
SG-Davis
SF-Telfort
PF-Brooks
C-Thomas
