Christian David is a Bulldog

After months of strong commitment from the Butler coaching staff, Christian David has finally returned the favor and announced that he will be a Butler Bulldog in 2017. David chose the Bulldogs over Creighton, Pittsburgh, Oregon, and Miami (FL). cd-1

Although Butler had shown some interest in David before, they really focused in on him this summer. David was pushing for a top 50 national ranking last winter as he had a huge high school season but then suffered a torn ACL in March. Unable to play this spring and summer, the Ontario-native went under-the-radar as coaches could not watch his development on the AAU circuit.

As several major programs backed off of David, the Butler staff did opposite. New assistant Mike Schrage took over the recruitment when he was hired due to an existing relationship from his days at Stanford, and David quickly became a priority for the Bulldog staff. An offer came in early July followed by Butler making his final five school list released a few weeks later. During the final July recruiting period, Schrage flew to Toronto to support David even though he could not play.

An official visit during the first weekend of August solidified Butler at the top of David’s list. Chris Holtmann and staff withstood strong late pushes by Pittsburgh and Creighton by flying out to Vermont multiple times over the past two weeks. Holtmann and Schrage, sometimes joined by other Bulldog assistants Ryan Pedon and Terry Johnson, spent several early mornings at Vermont Academy open gyms watching David do rehab and conditioning work. Watching him more than any other school, the efforts proved to be the finishing touches that led to tonight’s commitment.

David will bring a rare skill-set to Indianapolis. At 6’7″ with a 6’10” wingspan, he brings NBA size to the backcourt.  As told by his coach, Alex Popp, to ZagsBlog,

“He’s a 6-foot-7 guard with skill, length, athleticism, and basketball IQ. College coaches saw how the Golden State Warriors won the NBA championship (in 2015). They did it with versatility, athleticism and skill. The game is evolving, and Christian is what every program wants and needs… ”

“(He) is exceptionally versatile on the basketball court. As I said on your Podcast last year, his best asset is his passing. He is a knock down shooter and he finishes above the rim. In addition, he is a guy who can guard multiple positions.”

Although ranked 92nd on 247Sports Composite, David should be seen as an elite talent and major coup for Butler. In addition to great on-court talent, CD is a top-notch student who will fit right into the Butler family culture.

David joins Cooper Neese, Jerald Butler, and Kyle Young in a Butler 2017 recruiting class that is projected to finish in the top 25 nationally. The full remaining focus will now be shifted to point guard Wabissa Bede, the top and final remaining target for the Dawgs.

 

The thread view count is

Leave a Reply