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Butler Basketball: What to expect from the Bulldogs’ 2017 recruiting class

By Lukas Harkins

Feb 19, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; A wide angle general view of the DePaul Blue Demons playing against the Butler Bulldogs at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 19, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; A wide angle general view of the DePaul Blue Demons playing against the Butler Bulldogs at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 19, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; A wide angle general view of the DePaul Blue Demons playing against the Butler Bulldogs at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 19, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; A wide angle general view of the DePaul Blue Demons playing against the Butler Bulldogs at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

Under new head coach LaVall Jordan, Butler basketball brings in four outstanding recruits. What will their roles be like and how much will they contribute?

This past year has been a hectic one for Butler basketball. After one of the most successful seasons in program history, the Bulldogs were awarded a four seed in the NCAA Tournament. From there, the team never trailed for the first 80 minutes of the tournament. Then, they ran into the eventual National Champions in the North Carolina Tar Heels, who they lost to.

Moving forward, Butler loses a very talented senior class that consists of impact players Andrew Chrabascz, Kethan Savage, Avery Woodson, and Tyler Lewis. Then, as the offseason got underway, Butler’s head coach Chris Holtmann was offered the job at (the) Ohio State University, which he accepted.

Butler went on to hire former Bulldog player and assistant coach LaVall Jordan, who was the head coach at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Jordan quickly jumped onto the recruiting trail and looked to keep what was regarded as the best recruiting class in program history. Of the five recruits brought on by Chris Holtmann and his staff, four of them have decided to stay, with top-100 recruit Kyle Young being the only one to follow Holtmann to the Buckeyes.

With that being said, the Butler is program is still in great shape moving forward. Although inexperienced for the most part, Jordan is regarded as a solid coaching mind and an above-average recruiter. He joins the Bulldogs along with four highly talented recruits and several returning studs.

Kelan Martin, Kamar Baldwin, and Tyler Wideman headline this group of returning starting caliber players, but that does not mention Nate Fowler, Joey Brunk, Sean McDermott, Paul Jorgensen (transfer) and Henry Baddley. All of these players likely seem to be in or around the rotation for this upcoming season, as will several of the recruits coming in.

Now, let’s take a look at what each recruit can bring to the storied halls of Hinkle Fieldhouse over the next few years.