Butler Basketball: Bulldogs snag commitment of 2019 guard Khalif Battle

Butler basketball is rolling on the recruiting trail. With the commitment of 2019 guard Khalif Battle, the Bulldogs have now snagged two recruits in just one week.

It seems as though head coach LaVall Jordan is finding his rhythm on the recruiting trail. After securing the commitment of 2018 forward Bryce Golden earlier this week, Butler basketball just nailed another big one in the form of 2019 guard Khalif Battle. A New Jersey native, the 6’4″ guard looks to be one of the best recruits to ever commit to the school. Assistant coach Jeff Meyer was noted as the primary recruiter.

Battle is rated as a four-star recruit by 247Sports and lands at No. 145 overall in the class. He is a powerful athlete at the guard position who already has a college-ready body. Battle is a two-way guard with extreme potential on both ends of the floor. He has shown the ability in high school to be a lockdown perimeter defender while also splashing home jumpers from beyond the arc. This will clearly be a welcome addition to the Butler program and is the second major recruiting win of the week.

What does Battle do well?

In the Indianapolis session of the Nike EYBL circuit in late-April, Battle posted 18 total points while nailing four of his seven 3-point attempts. While it would have been nice to see more of his playmaking ability (just one assist) or scoring inside the arc (37.5% shooting total), this proficiency from deep is a good sign moving forward. Battle is known as an explosive scorer who can finish above the rim as well as knock down the open 3-pointer.

While he can obviously make improvements on the offensive end of the floor, it seems as though he is hardwired to score. As a junior at Trenton Catholic High School this past season, Battle averaged 17.3 points and 2.6 made 3-pointers per game.

In addition, Battle has excellent size and length for the college game, which should allow him to be a terrific defender. Although his primary position will be on the wing offensively, he can be versatile on the defensive end of the floor and guard several positions. Butler already has a talented defensive backcourt with Kamar Baldwin and Aaron Thompson, meaning that Battle will be able to learn from those players before stepping into the limelight in a starring role after their graduations.

Battle is one of the most talented guards in the 2019 class and it is tremendous for Butler that they were able to secure his commitment so early. Among the other teams in the running for Battle were Syracuse (where his brother Tyus currently plays), UConn, and Miami, among others. Funnily enough, Butler now has commitments from three players that were heavily recruited by Syracuse: Battle, Golden, and Jordan Tucker (who transferred from Duke).

How soon will Battle be able to contribute?

Looking ahead to the 2019-20 campaign, which will be Battle’s first season in the program, he should receive immediate backup minutes in the backcourt. Both Baldwin and Thompson, who will be seniors and juniors respectively, will still be holding down the starting roles when he arrives on campus but Battle should immediately help in replacing Paul Jorgensen. Paulie will be graduating after this upcoming season, leaving a hole in the backcourt’s depth.

As a freshman, Battle could easily be the go-to bench scorer for Coach Jordan. Jorgensen excelled in the sixth man role this past season and Battle should be able to follow in his footsteps. As of right now, it looks like Battle is the future of the shooting guard position for Butler basketball. The expectation is that he can be a major contributor from the jump in Indianapolis and develop into a two-way star with the program.

Regardless, it is important to note that the 2019-20 roster is far from set. There is still potential for transfers to occur and the coaching staff still has one scholarship remaining to work will.

What does the rest of the 2019 recruiting class look like?

Battle joins one other recruit, big man John-Michael Mulloy, in the 2019 recruiting class for Butler. With these two top-250 recruits already in tow, the Bulldogs’ class is now ranked sixth in the country. There is still one more scholarship remaining to fill for the class and Coach Jordan will be eager to fill that.

As of right now, the program is targeting a few other top-tier prospects for the 2019 class. Most notably, local guard Armaan Franklin is receiving plenty of attention from the Dawgs. With Battle likely holding down the shooting guard position of the future, the hope is that Franklin will continue to develop his playmaking skills as a potential point guard down the road. If this occurs, Butler’s interest in a future Franklin/Battle backcourt might increase exponentially.

In addition, the Dawgs are looking at pure point guard Tyrell Terry and forward Mason Gillis. All three of these major targets rank in the top-200 for the class and would immediately fill roles necessary on the roster in 2019-20. It will be interesting to see which recruits are most interested in joining the program.

Next: 2018 Big East recruiting classes

All in all, this commitment likely marks the end of a tremendous recruiting week for Butler basketball. Snagging both Golden (2018) and Battle (2019) in the span of just a few days is one of the best recruiting weeks in the history of Butler basketball. Head coach LaVall Jordan and his staff are off to an excellent start with the program both on the court and off.