Butler Basketball: Avery Woodson is the missing piece for the Bulldogs
Graduate transfer Avery Woodson will be an integral part of Butler basketball during the 2016-17 college basketball season.
In quite possibly the last domino to fall in the cascade set off by Josh Pastner bolting for Georgia Tech, Memphis guard Avery Woodson has transferred to Butler University. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Goodman.
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After playing two seasons in Memphis, Woodson is a junior after playing his first season at a community college. He is on track to graduate from Memphis in the spring.
Since he will be using his final year of eligibility as a graduate student, Avery will be available to play right away for Chris Holtmann’s club.
Memphis transfer Avery Woodson told ESPn he has committed to Butler.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 18, 2016
The move was expected for the Tigers, as Woodson had plans to transfer even before Pastner left. Even so, it still really sets the Memphis program back in Tubby Smith’s first season at the helm. If freshman phenom Dedric Lawson decides to hire an agent and officially enter the NBA draft, they won’t return any of their top five leading scorers from last season.
On the other side of the transaction, however, the addition of Woodson could not have come at a better time for Butler
After consecutive trips to the round of 32, the Butler basketball program is in the process of rekindling the magic of the Brad Stevens era three years after he left to coach the Boston Celtics.
This past tournament, Butler soundly defeated Texas Tech in the first round, despite poor shooting from star senior forward Roosevelt Jones. Jones will graduate this spring along with fellow senior, sharp-shooter Kellen Dunham.
The play of both Jones and Dunham will surely be missed in Indianapolis. However, on the surface, Jones’ output seems a bit easier to replace for Butler.
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They return three frontcourt starters next year in Kelan Martin, Andrew Chrabascz, and Tyler Wideman. The trio has had two years under coach Chris Holtmann’s system and all three have been key contributors to NCAA tournament teams. Butler will also bring in highly-touted recruit Joey Brunk, one of the most sought-after centers in the 2016 recruiting class.
What will be tough to replace is Jones’ ability to distribute the ball. He averaged four assists per game and almost always saw the ball go through him on each possession. The most obvious choice to step in as the Bulldog’s ball-handler next season would be Tyler Lewis.
A former McDonald’s All-American and NC State transfer, Lewis averaged three assists last year in 20 minutes per game, while leading the Big East in assist per turnover ratio.
The glaring need that the Bulldogs needed to address this offseason was the loss of Dunham. He led the team in scoring and had a consistent long-range shot that altered the outcome of countless games. While Woodson doesn’t offer the overall scoring punch that Dunham brought to the table, he will feature an outstanding 3-point shot on the floor of Hinkle Fieldhouse.
Woodson shot 43% from beyond the arc in the ’15-16 season, good for second best in the AAC behind Nic Moore. He also hit at a clip of 2.4 threes per game, only 0.2 less than Dunham. Woodson brings two years of experience in playing some formidable opponents in the American Conference.
Further, George Washington transfer Kethan Savage will be eligible to play next season. Savage averaged 12 points per game for GW in his last two seasons there and he proved to be an extremely athletic guard while scoring the majority of his points inside the arc. Thus, he seems to be the man to replace Dunham’s dynamic scoring ability.
Butler may not be returning the individual talent in Dunham and Jones, but they are using multiple pieces to recoup the skills lost with their departure.
The culmination of this process was on Monday when they landed Woodson, who can play right away if he graduates this spring. This next season will be key to sustain recent success after the exodus of Brad Stevens and prove to future recruits that the Butler brand is on the rise in a major power in the Big East.
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When he declared his intention to transfer, Woodson stated that his main goal was to go to a program that would allow him to realize his dream of playing in March Madness. It sure seems like Woodson made the right choice and will be a perfect fit for coach Holtmann in Indianapolis.