Butler Basketball: 2017-18 player grades for the Bulldogs

In his four-year career with Butler, Tyler Wideman was never a flashy player. He rarely dominated a stat sheet but consistently made an impact with each performance. This season was more of the same. He posted similar per game numbers to the rest of his college career but was an on-court leader all season long. Wideman exemplified what it means to be a senior leader and that was evident in his on-court interactions and through his acceptance of the Sportsmanship Award for the Big East Conference.

Wideman’s improvement as a free throw shooter in his career at Butler, though, is worth pointing out. Here is a quick look at his foul shooting by percentage and volume over the past four seasons:

• 2014-15 (Freshman): 17-for-41 (41.5%)
• 2015-16 (Sophomore): 61-for-101 (60.4%)
• 2016-17 (Junior): 53-for-81 (65.4%)
• 2017-18 (Senior): 73-for-89 (82.0%)

This kind of improvement is truly a testament to the hard work Wideman put into his game. He consistently got better with each season even though he never reached double-digit scoring per game. Wideman epitomized “The Butler Way” and was an underrated big man throughout his career.

Despite not being a superb shot-blocker, Wideman used his wide frame to disrupt shots in the paint constantly. Instead of swatting shots into the stands, the 6’8″ big man altered attempts at the rim and snagged rebounds.

If only he could have hit that one, elusive 3-point shot (0-for-6 in his career)…