Butler Basketball: Preview of Bulldogs season-opening game vs Western Michigan
Western Michigan Breakdown
Who is this Western Michigan team? Well, it’s a program embarking on the 2020-21 season with a whole new look. For the first time since 2003 Steve Hawkins will not be roaming the Bronco sidelines and Clayton Bates, a longtime Hawkins assistant takes over.
Unfortunately for Bates, his first season at the helm is not going to be an easy one. The Broncos lost its top two scorers from a season ago to the transfer portal in Michael Flowers and Brandon Johnson, both All-MAC level players (Flowers Honorable Mention) from 2019-20.
This will force the faster development of two sophomores that are expected to lead Western Michigan in B. Artis White (7.3 Pts, 2.6 Reb, 1.6 Ast) and Titus Wright (6.2 Pts, 4.0 Reb, 0.5 Ast). Wright, a 6’8 center, is coming off a 1st Team All-Freshman season in the MAC.
Like Butler, Western Michigan also returns three starters as shooting guard Jason Whitens (4.6 Pts, 4.3 Reb, 1.4 Ast) joins Artis White in the backcourt.
Outside of those three returners and senior Rafael Cruz (7.1 Pts, 2.9 Reb, 1.8 Ast), a sparkplug off the bench, the cupboard is relatively bare for Bates, who was a highly criticized hire by the rabid Bronco fanbase who would have preferred a bigger splash. The pandemic and budgetary constraints largely dictated the promotion of Bates, but he’s a well-ingrained name in the MAC and highly respected as a recruiter. Western Michigan could have done much worse than Bates.