Welcome to my team preview series for 2024-25. Each day between now and the start of the college basketball season, I will preview one team or conference, both on Instagram (@collegehoopsoutlet) and through an article here. The preview will go in-depth on the roster build of the team, my expectations for their upcoming season, and the state of the program under their current head coach.
Butler (Projected: 7th in Big East)
The past four seasons at Butler have been a struggle, but Thad Matta continues to try to slowly rebuild this team. The Big East is a very tough conference for Butler to compete in night in and night out, but it seems as if Matta is heading towards that. The 2024-25 roster has some roster consistency and also dipped into the transfer portal.
Two outstanding guards headline the returners for Butler, Pierre Brooks (15 ppg, 5 rpg) and Jahmyl Telfort (14 ppg, 5 rpg). Both have big frames and thrive in the physicality of the Big East. Brooks led Butler in scoring last season and is an elite three-level scoring, shooting 45.6% from the field and 40.6% from behind the arc. Telfort doesn’t have the same shooting stroke, but loves to get to rim and has a great post-up game.
Five others return to the Bulldogs, most of which should see meaningful minutes this year. Senior center Andre Screen (5 ppg, 5 rpg) steps into the starting center role, and at 7-1 should be a solid rim protector for the Bulldogs. Sophomore guard Finley Bizjack (4 ppg) is my pick to take over the starting point guard role after withdrawing his name from the transfer portal earlier this offseason. Junior guard Landon Moore (4 ppg) is another returner who should see solid playing time once again, averaging 16 mpg as a sophomore. Sophomore forwards Biden Kapke (2 ppg) and Augusto Cassia (1 ppg) complete the list of returners.
Just four players left Butler this offseason, but all of them played solid minutes last season. Senior guards DJ Davis (14 ppg) and Posh Alexander (11 ppg, 5 rpg, 5 apg) each found a new home in the transfer portal for their fifth seasons. Senior Jalen Thomas (8 ppg, 6 rpg) and sophomore Connor Turnbull (4 ppg) both moved on from the program in the frontcourt.
Thad Matta brought in three transfers this offseason, all of whom should play meaningful minutes this season. My favorite transfer comes in the backcourt, Tulane transfer guard Kolby King (10 ppg, 4 rpg at Tulane). I’m projecting King to play big minutes off the bench this season, entering the game as a spark plug for the second unit. King is a solid passer and could start ahead of Bizjack, but I like his scoring in a second unit where he can be more of a feature. King shot 37.9% from three last season and is excellent in the catch and shoot with a 66% eFG%.
Matta’s other two recruits both transfer over from the Big Ten, Patrick McCaffery (9 ppg at Iowa) from Iowa and Jamie Kaiser Jr. (4 ppg at Maryland) from Maryland. I’ve got McCaffery projected to start, another supporting guy in the lineup next to Brooks and Telfort and someone who gives the lineup an experienced look. McCaffery isn’t a big offensive talent, but provides a little bit of just about everything else you can ask for on the court. Kaiser didn’t have the freshman season many hoped he would have at Maryland, struggling to shoot the ball just like everyone else on the team. Kaiser’s still a good defender, and maybe a change of scenery can fix his shooting struggles.
Two high school recruits enter the fray for Butler this offseason, guard Evan Haywood (3*, NAT 272) and forward Colt Langdon (4*, Reclass). Haywood may see limited minutes in the backcourt this offseason, but is a pickup more geared for the future. Langdon, a 2025 recruit, committed to Butler earlier this month and announced he would reclassify from 2025 to 2024 and play this upcoming season. While he isn’t yet on the official roster, if Langdon does play, he’s another young player that Matta can mold into whatever he wants at the three or four.
Thad Matta’s homecoming breathed new life into Butler after a couple of down years following the pandemic, but it looks as if this program is on the up. In 2024-25, I’m not sure this squad has enough juice outside of Brooks and Telfort, but with two veteran scorers they have the chance to make something happen. Thad Matta has found a couple of recruiting gems in recent weeks, adding a four-star for the class of 2025 in Jack McCaffery.
We know what this team will get out of Brooks and Telfort, but it’s everybody else that gives this team its question marks. The X-factors for this team for me are Finley Bizjack and Kolby King. Each provide something different for Butler in the backcourt and need to get the best out of Brooks and Telfort for this team to succeed.
The Big East has a pretty solid set of teams at the top of the conference looking into 2024-25, and it doesn’t seem as if Butler has the firepower to compete at the top. The Bulldogs’ duo of Pierre Brooks and Jahmyl Telfort will take them as far as they can, but an NCAA Tournament berth is probably a bit of a stretch. I have the Bulldogs finishing 7th in the Big East.