Busting Brackets
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Butler Basketball: Early preview of 2020-21 Bulldogs roster and rotation

By Drew Schmelzer

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - DECEMBER 21: Aaron Thompson #2 of the Butler Bulldogs dribbles the ball against the Purdue Boilermakers during the Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 21, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - DECEMBER 21: Aaron Thompson #2 of the Butler Bulldogs dribbles the ball against the Purdue Boilermakers during the Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 21, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – FEBRUARY 15: Bryce Nze #10 of the Butler Bulldogs (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – FEBRUARY 15: Bryce Nze #10 of the Butler Bulldogs (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Forwards/Centers for Butler Basketball

Bryce Nze, SR – 9.2 Pts, 6.6 Reb, 1.4 Ast

Nze is Butler’s returning leading scorer, but the hope is that he will not have to be the go-to guy on the offensive end. In his first year in a Butler uniform, the Milwaukee transfer was better than advertised. Nze led the team in rebounds, blocked shots and field goal percentage. Despite shooting 63% from the field he missed a number of inexplicable layups that could have had him in the 70s.

Nze, much like starting guard Aaron Thompson is going to be counted on for his leadership, the way he commands the glass and should be able to score a little bit more this season too. What Jordan loves about Nze is that he doesn’t have to run plays for him to be effective. If Nze can increase his points and rebounding numbers Butler will have a shot to contend in the Big East.

Bryce Golden, JR – 7.9 Pts, 3.9 Reb, 1.1 Ast

This guy is the key! How much Bryce Golden improves this summer will be a good barometer for just how far Butler goes this season. He made huge strides last season quadrupling his numbers in both points and rebounds and showed the All-Big East potential that many believed he had when he arrived on campus in 2017.

The Big East Conference lost a lot of frontcourt talent in Tyrique Jones (Xav), Romaro Gil(Hall) and Saddiq Bey (Nova), which really leaves the door open for Golden to become one of the best bigs in the league depending on the work he puts in this summer. In these times of social distancing, Bryce may have one advantage in his off-season prep. His brother, Grant Golden, is an All Atlantic 10 forward at Richmond and that daily backyard one-on-one could go a long way come next March.

Jakobe Coles, FR– Denton, TX #158 recruit & Myles Wilmouth, FR – Barrington, RI #359 recruit

Coles, at 6’7, is an undersized big, continuing the theme of undersized big guys that Butler has recycled through the program for years. That said, out of each of the five freshmen Butler brings in, he played against the best competition on a night in and night out basis in tradition-rich Texas and he was a highly coveted prospect, turning down in-state Texas and Texas A&M to come to Indy. What Butler fans will like the most about Coles is his shooting ability, something that former Butler players his size like Matt Howard and Andrew Smith had to develop and didn’t become proficient at until their junior or senior season.

Wilmouth probably won’t play much and may even redshirt in what is a surprisingly crowded frontcourt in 20-21, but he has a ton of upside. Physically (6’8) he is the kind of guy Butler needs in order to compete in the Big East but at only 200 lbs, Wilmouth will need to add some weight to his frame.

John Michael Mulloy, SO – 0.6 Pts, 1.2 Reb, 0.1 Ast

Unfortunately, the highlight of his career thus far is being inserted with less than a second remaining in a tie game against Seton Hall where Sandro Mamukelashvili caught an inbounds pass over Mulloy’s head and then hit a buzzer-beating shot to sink Butler. It might not have been his fault, but nonetheless, it’s what most remember

Butler Nation has never been high on this kid and it will be interesting to see if he can get any minutes. My gut tells me that unless he becomes a different player over the summer, he’s not a part of the rotation.