Butler Gets Commitment From 2014 Recruit
With a new coach at the helm, everything is different for the Butler Bulldogs. After Brad Stevens left the team to join the Boston Celtics as their head coach, Brandon Miller took over the coaching duties at Butler. Yesterday, Miller got his first recruit of the post- Stevens era and it is an in-state kid.
Tyler Wideman, of St John Lake Central, is a 6”7 power forward. He is ranked the 56th best power forward in the 2014 recruiting class and is a 3 star recruit by ESPN. What Wideman brings to the game is great physicality and strength down low. His play type is very similar to the kinds of players Stevens would have gone after and recruited. This could be a sign that Miller is planning on coaching the Bulldogs in a similar fashion, which would be a good thing for the current players who might be experiencing a bit of a culture shock with the coaching change.
In his junior season last year, Wideman averaged 15.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 2.1. On the stat sheet, he can do a little bit of everything and while he may not be a starter at Butler right away, he should arrive ready to contribute effective minutes.
Most pressing for the Bulldogs at the moment is trying to find a way to convince Trey Lyles to commit to Butler. The fourth ranked recruit in the class of 2014 has whittled his list of schools down to four and Butler made the cut. Along with the Bulldogs are perennial recruiting powerhouses Kentucky, Louisville and Florida. Convincing Lyles to attend Butler would be a major coup and one of the biggest signings in school history. While Miller has big shoes to fill, if he were to get Lyles in a Bulldogs uniform, he would almost immediately become a Butler folklore legend.
While they wait on Lyles, Wideman is a nice addition that will make the 2014 roster deeper and continue their nice growth in their recruiting department. I will leave you with a highlight video of Wideman to get a taste of his abilities.