Butler Basketball: Milwaukee transfer Bryce Nze commits to the Bulldogs

Bryce Nze has elected to transfer to play for head coach LaVall Jordan and Butler Basketball. He has two seasons of eligibility remaining.

It has been an eventful offseason for Butler basketball, to say the least. In the last month alone, the program has added three new players to the roster of the future. First, 2018 recruit Bryce Golden joined the ranks as a power forward prospect looking to see minutes right away. Next, highly-touted 2019 guard Khalif Battle committed to the program in an exciting move. And now, UW-Milwaukee transfer Bryce Nze has decided to join the team.

One of the best players for UW-Milwaukee over the past two seasons, Nze was part of the exodus from the program that also included the departures of Brock Stull and Jeremiah Bell. These were obviously all major losses to the Panthers given the fact that these three led the team in scoring. However, two former UW-Milwaukee coaches have already been able to swoop in and snag transfers. To start it off, Rob Jeter, who is now an assistant coach at Minnesota, was able to help land Stull. Now, Butler head coach LaVall Jordan has been able to snag Nze for his program.

Former Panthers basketball standout Bryce Nze is reuniting with his former coach LaVall Jordan at Butler University. Best of luck to him in the future!
— Noah Adamany (@NoahAdamany) May 31, 2018

What does Nze bring to the table?

Looking at Nze alone, he is coming off of an excellent sophomore campaign. Despite UW-Milwaukee having a tough season overall, Nze put up solid averages of 10.3 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. In addition, he started 29 of the team’s 33 games while playing 29.5 minutes per night. He is a high-energy player at both ends of the floor and often uses his size (6’7”, 230 pounds) to carve space out for rebounds and easy buckets. Of course, his athleticism also helped him notch a top-10 block rate in the Horizon League and a top-150 ranking in the nation (KenPom).

On the glass, Nze ranked just outside of the top-100 nationally in both offensive and defensive rebounding rates (No. 107 in both categories). He was exceptional in this facet of the game but it is important to remember his competition. As he joins Butler and the Big East, it will be more difficult for him to box out stronger opponents or leap higher than more athletic forwards. Nonetheless, his rebounding IQ and instincts are indicative of a player who should succeed on the glass in any conference. For reference of this, let’s take a look at his games against “high-quality” competition last season:

@ Iowa State: 22 minutes, 13 points (6-for-7) and 4 rebounds
@ Wisconsin: 33 minutes, 10 points (5-for-7) and 7 rebounds
Loyola-Chicago: 27 minutes, 10 points (5-for-8) and 7 rebounds

Nze has a variety of moves around the basket that allow him to score in post-up opportunities. He creates seals in the paint well and can finish from either block with either hand. What still needs plenty of work is his scoring outside of the paint. According to T-Rank, Nze shot 69.2% (117-for-169) “at the rim,” which includes dunks, lay-ups, and tip-ins. However, he was just 21-for-64 (32.8%) when stepping outside of the paint for either mid-range jumpers or 3-point shots. He still attempts these shots with some regularity, though, so hopefully more development is coming from the youngster.

How does Nze fit with the Butler program?

One of the toughest things about an incoming transfer is figuring out how he will fit in with the program. Thankfully, Nze has a leg up in this department due to the fact that he is already extremely familiar with the coaching staff. Butler head coach LaVall Jordan, assistant Omar Lowery, and basketball analyst Will Vergollo all worked with Nze in his freshman campaign.

In addition, Nze will have to sit out the 2018-19 season due to transfer rules before playing his junior and senior seasons. While taking a year off from playing in games can be hard, it can also allow a player to become familiar with his teammates. Given his years of eligibility remaining, Nze now lands in the 2021 graduating class that includes Aaron Thompson, Christian David, Joey Brunk, Jerald Gillens-Butler, and walk-on Campbell Donovan. As he looks to grow with these players, the hope is that Nze can be a small-ball big man for Butler at the power forward or center position.

By the time Nze is eligible to play, there will be three other true power forwards or centers players on the roster. This includes Bryce Golden (who will be a sophomore), Joey Brunk (who will be a junior) and John-Michael Mulloy (who will be a freshman). While there is a bit of a logjam at the small forward position that could cause some players to move up to play power forward, Nze should still find a role on the team. He brings a unique skill set with his ability to rebound and block shots, two facets of the game that Butler has struggled with in recent years. For fans of the program, this is a player that reminds me of former stud Khyle Marshall.

Here are some words from Coach Lowery and Nze from mid-way through his freshman season at UW-Milwaukee:

Next: Top-10 Butler players of the century

In conclusion, Coach Jordan and Co. already have experience with Nze so they must believe that there is a substantial role for him on the team in the future. Nze joining the team means that there are no more scholarships available for the 2019 recruiting class but they have added a two-year transfer with a solid base of talent and room for improvement.

(All statistics via Sports-Reference, KenPom, and T-Rank.)