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After graduating from Butler and starting his head coaching career there, Thad Matta is now in Year 3 of his second tenure with the Bulldogs. Matta’s first year back was the first losing season in his career, but after that roster needed a full reset, this year’s Bulldogs are one of the oldest (19th in nation in D1 experience) and cohesive (31st in nation in roster continuity) in the nation, led by last year’s leading scorers – senior Jahmyl Telfort and Pierre Brooks, both of which are positional unicorns that play up and down the lineup and are the team’s most versatile players. More on them later.
With this much roster continuity, Matta can finally focus on the style of “Butler Basketball”, which focuses on cohesion, energy and competitiveness. In addition to Telfort and Brooks, Butler returns bigs Andre Screen, Brooks Kapke and Augusto Cassia (who is injured) as well as guards Finley Bizjack and Landon Moore. Stylistically, this year’s group possesses quite a few differences from last year. On offense, Butler has become more of a high-efficiency offense with most of the team’s shot attempts from three (91st in 3PA/FGA) and close-rim attacks (6th in the nation in free-throw rate). Butler is able to improve their shot selection thanks to the team’s ability to share the ball well, especially with some of their lineups featuring all five players with ball skills (especially with Iowa transfer Pat McCaffery at the 5). On defense, Butler doesn’t foul a lot, they like to prevent three-point attempts and their mostly passive on-ball defense clogs up space to force teams to play more isolation. However, outside of Andre Screen, Butler is not a strong defensive team.
Overall, the key matchup is neutralizing Telfort, Brooks and McCaffery on offense as all three bring size, shooting and offensive versatility. Telfort is listed at 6’7 225 and starts at the 2, but also plays at the 3 in the small-ball lineups with McCaffery at the 5. A gritty and creative rim-attacker who can dish and shoot, Telfort is one of the most versatile players in the Big East. Matta calls Telfort the “heart and soul” of the team.
At 6’6 240 with guard skills and mentality, Brooks is a unique talent at his size, playing an efficient offensive game with an ability to score at three-levels and post-up on leaner 3 guards in their traditional lineup and can also space nicely as the team’s 4 in the small-ball lineup. Despite his girth, Brooks is not a positionally strong rebounder, though.
Coming in from Iowa, McCaffery oozes offensive IQ and fits the team perfectly as Butler’s swingman spacer in the starting lineup. Unlike last year, where Butler played a mostly traditional forward lineup with a true center rotation, McCaffery is also Matta’s second most used player at the 5 spot, especially following an injury to sophomore forward Augusto Cassia. A playmaker no matter where he plays, McCaffery is a strong enough rebounder to play the five, but he is a defensive liability at that position.
When Butler needs more stability at center, Andre Screen is their guy. The team’s best defender, the huge 7’1 Screen is a low-post presence on defense and is a strong rim-protector. However, he doesn’t possess the best set of feet, so his defense is neutralized when he needs to play away from the hoop. However, according to Matta, Screen is in the best shape of his life. Sophomore big Boden Kapke is a 6’11 255 bruiser who gets spot minutes at the 5, but has limited upside.
With DJ Davis at Washington and Posh Alexander at Dayton, sophomore Finley Bizjack has stepped up to start in the backcourt. At 6’4 190, Bizjack can play any backcourt position but is playing solely at point guard this year. Early in his career, he endeared himself to Matta and Butler’s fanbase thanks to his combination of grit, BBIQ and basically showing right away why he’s a “gamer”. Like Posh Alexander, his perimeter shot is still a clear weakness.
Former St. John’s commit and Tulane transfer Kolby King is Bizjack’s tandem at point and the two occasionally play together. King is Butler’s quickest and most athletic player, making him a strong positional rebounder, capable slasher, gritty defender and also a strong shooter. With Butler’s forwards starring the show, King takes a step back in usage rate, but I can see him developing into Butler’s leading scorer the following year.
Returning junior guard Landon Moore is best characterized as a three-level depth scoring piece, who is probably the team’s most fearless guard in terms of attacking the rim. He’s not overly athletic, is mistake-prone and isn’t a strong defender, but is physically strong for a guard.
Overall, this is an interesting matchup with both physical, forward-laden programs sharing the ball well on offense and working hard on defense. With last year’s center Jalen Thomas graduated and Posh at Dayton, this year’s Butler squad does not have as many talented defenders, but their offensive versatility has improved. With Cassia injured, Butler’s rotations are a little bit more unpredictable, but it’s safe to expect about half of the game with a true center and the other half (or more) with McCaffery as the small-ball five, which spaces the floor better for Butler’s attackers.
With this much roster continuity, Matta can finally focus on the style of “Butler Basketball”, which focuses on cohesion, energy and competitiveness. In addition to Telfort and Brooks, Butler returns bigs Andre Screen, Brooks Kapke and Augusto Cassia (who is injured) as well as guards Finley Bizjack and Landon Moore. Stylistically, this year’s group possesses quite a few differences from last year. On offense, Butler has become more of a high-efficiency offense with most of the team’s shot attempts from three (91st in 3PA/FGA) and close-rim attacks (6th in the nation in free-throw rate). Butler is able to improve their shot selection thanks to the team’s ability to share the ball well, especially with some of their lineups featuring all five players with ball skills (especially with Iowa transfer Pat McCaffery at the 5). On defense, Butler doesn’t foul a lot, they like to prevent three-point attempts and their mostly passive on-ball defense clogs up space to force teams to play more isolation. However, outside of Andre Screen, Butler is not a strong defensive team.
Overall, the key matchup is neutralizing Telfort, Brooks and McCaffery on offense as all three bring size, shooting and offensive versatility. Telfort is listed at 6’7 225 and starts at the 2, but also plays at the 3 in the small-ball lineups with McCaffery at the 5. A gritty and creative rim-attacker who can dish and shoot, Telfort is one of the most versatile players in the Big East. Matta calls Telfort the “heart and soul” of the team.
At 6’6 240 with guard skills and mentality, Brooks is a unique talent at his size, playing an efficient offensive game with an ability to score at three-levels and post-up on leaner 3 guards in their traditional lineup and can also space nicely as the team’s 4 in the small-ball lineup. Despite his girth, Brooks is not a positionally strong rebounder, though.
Coming in from Iowa, McCaffery oozes offensive IQ and fits the team perfectly as Butler’s swingman spacer in the starting lineup. Unlike last year, where Butler played a mostly traditional forward lineup with a true center rotation, McCaffery is also Matta’s second most used player at the 5 spot, especially following an injury to sophomore forward Augusto Cassia. A playmaker no matter where he plays, McCaffery is a strong enough rebounder to play the five, but he is a defensive liability at that position.
When Butler needs more stability at center, Andre Screen is their guy. The team’s best defender, the huge 7’1 Screen is a low-post presence on defense and is a strong rim-protector. However, he doesn’t possess the best set of feet, so his defense is neutralized when he needs to play away from the hoop. However, according to Matta, Screen is in the best shape of his life. Sophomore big Boden Kapke is a 6’11 255 bruiser who gets spot minutes at the 5, but has limited upside.
With DJ Davis at Washington and Posh Alexander at Dayton, sophomore Finley Bizjack has stepped up to start in the backcourt. At 6’4 190, Bizjack can play any backcourt position but is playing solely at point guard this year. Early in his career, he endeared himself to Matta and Butler’s fanbase thanks to his combination of grit, BBIQ and basically showing right away why he’s a “gamer”. Like Posh Alexander, his perimeter shot is still a clear weakness.
Former St. John’s commit and Tulane transfer Kolby King is Bizjack’s tandem at point and the two occasionally play together. King is Butler’s quickest and most athletic player, making him a strong positional rebounder, capable slasher, gritty defender and also a strong shooter. With Butler’s forwards starring the show, King takes a step back in usage rate, but I can see him developing into Butler’s leading scorer the following year.
Returning junior guard Landon Moore is best characterized as a three-level depth scoring piece, who is probably the team’s most fearless guard in terms of attacking the rim. He’s not overly athletic, is mistake-prone and isn’t a strong defender, but is physically strong for a guard.
Overall, this is an interesting matchup with both physical, forward-laden programs sharing the ball well on offense and working hard on defense. With last year’s center Jalen Thomas graduated and Posh at Dayton, this year’s Butler squad does not have as many talented defenders, but their offensive versatility has improved. With Cassia injured, Butler’s rotations are a little bit more unpredictable, but it’s safe to expect about half of the game with a true center and the other half (or more) with McCaffery as the small-ball five, which spaces the floor better for Butler’s attackers.
