Baldwin Will Lead Butler Bounce Back
By SEAN BRENNAN
Special to
BIGEAST.com
A lot of things happened to the Butler Bulldogs last season and, well, much of it wasn't good, at least at the end.
The season started 5-1, but the year slid downhill at the end with losses in six of the final seven conference games. The Bulldogs finished tied for eighth in the BIG EAST at 7-11, were 2-10 in road games, 3-7 in games decided by six points or less and - when they lost their first-round NIT game -- posted just their third losing season in the past 26 years.
The Bulldogs also missed participating in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014. So yes, a rare forgettable season for Butler and one the Bulldogs are looking to leave in the past as they prepare for the 2019-20 season.
"It motivates us because we know we can be better than what we showed last year," said stellar senior guard Kamar Baldwin. "But we're not looking in the rearview mirror. We're just moving on to this year, focusing on this year and just trying to be the best we can."
A good place to start for a reversal of fortune for Butler would be in the backcourt where Baldwin, one of the BIG EAST's elite players and a selection to the preseason All-BIG EAST First Team, will reside along with rising junior Aaron Thompson. Baldwin averaged 17 points a game last season to lead the team and was also tops in rebounding with almost five caroms a game. He also comes into the season with a very real shot at becoming only the fourth player in Butler history to log 2,000 points. Baldwin comes into the season with 1,453 career points, leaving him 547 shy (we did the math). Last season he piled up 560 points for the year and 548 in his sophomore season so a typical Baldwin season should leave him in elite Butler company by season's end.
He'll be joined by Thompson, who has already posted 260 assists in his two years at Butler. He finished last season with a flurry when he posted 12 assists in the Bulldogs NIT loss at Nebraska.
Some solid play in the Bulldogs' backcourt would go a long way towards erasing the nasty aftertaste of last season and you just know Baldwin wants to make his senior season a memorable one.
"I'm just looking at this season as an opportunity to be the best player that I can be," Baldwin said. "That doesn't necessarily mean scoring a lot. It means doing what I need to do to help this team win. For me that's my main goal, just do whatever needs to be done to help this team win."
To help Baldwin in that endeavor will be players such as Jordan Tucker. Tucker was a transfer from Duke who wasn't eligible to play until mid-December last season. He did manage to average 9.7 points and 4.1 rebounds but with a full season now in coach LaVall Jordan's system, you can expect those numbers to rise for the 6-7 junior.
Butler also received big presents, and big presence, from a pair of large transfers in 6-7, 235-pound Brian Nze from Milwaukee and 7-1 Derrik Smits from Valparaiso. Nze averaged 10.3 points and 8.5 rebounds two seasons ago before sitting out last season as a transfer while Smits, the son of former NBA star Rik Smits, averaged 12.2 points and 5.7 rebounds for Valpo last season. Smits is a grad transfer and will be eligible to play right away.
Khalif Battle, a 6-5 guard out of Trenton, New Jersey, and the brother of former Syracuse star, Tyus Battle, should also get some major minutes in the backcourt behind Baldwin and Thompson.
But all in all, Baldwin thinks Butler should resemble, well, Butler this season a lot more than it did last year.
"I would say we have the pieces to be a very good team, even a great team," Baldwin said. "But we definitely have work to do in some areas to get there. We just have to guard against being complacent and just continue to want to be better. I think we have a good group of guys who just want to continue to get better and want to win."
He is especially excited about the arrival of Nze and Smits to bolster the middle this season.
"They'll definitely give us some size inside because we were a little small last year," said Baldwin. "Nze will give us a four (power forward) who can guard some of the bigger guys and we'll be able to go with some bigger lineups this year when we go up against bigger teams. And Derrik is really going to be a big help to us as well."
Toss in the talents of returners Sean McDermott, who averaged almost 10 points a game and led the team with 73 three-pointers, and Henry Baddley, who was among the team leaders with 26 steals last season, and the pieces are certainly in place for a return to normalcy for Butler.
Just in time for Baldwin's swansong season at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
"I've just loved playing at Hinkle," Baldwin said. "We have tremendous crowds each and every night so the students and the other fans give us that extra boost. It's great that I've been able to play there for my four years. It's been a special, special place."