If there was an award for most improved from last summer to now, there wouldn’t be much of a contest for it. When I first saw Derrik Smits last summer there really wasn’t a lot to see. He didn’t see much playing time for the Spiece Indy Heat in the games I saw and really didn’t show a lot when he did play. It’s well known that centers often develop later than guards, but I will admit at the time it was hard to imagine Smits reaching the level Butler recruits at.

Things are much different this summer, as Smits has vastly improved both his athleticism and his skill set. He not only has a few go to moves in the post but also has a nice looking jump shot and can even attack the rim off the bounce well for someone his size. He is starting to finish through contact better and will likely be very tough to stop around the rim once he adds more strength.

I caught up with the 6’11″ (and still growing), 225 lb junior-to-be to talk about his progressing game. “I feel like I have improved a lot in the last couple years. This year especially I think I have gotten mentally tougher even since the end of the season,” Smits explained. “But I certainly have a long way to go. I think some of that will come with growing but a lot will come with just playing. I usually have practice or just play 6 days a week. And I think that has really helped me and my confidence. I have a lot more confidence on the court now that I didn’t have during the season. But I need to get a lot better at rebounding and becoming more consistent.”

With all of his improvements over the past year, Smits is beginning to see increased production, although it has yet to come consistently. “I have always put one or two good games together in a season and that’s not good enough,” Derrik said about his play last season at Zionsville High School. “My team expects more, and my coaches do and I certainly expect more from myself. I’m going to be a leader next year and I want to be a good role model for the younger kids on the team. I think hard work will help me become a better player.”

Despite not putting up huge numbers, Smits is starting to attract more attention from high major coaches because of his excellent potential and how quickly he is improving. Derrik has been in contact with Michigan, Notre Dame, and Boston College and has taken visits to Butler, Indiana, Purdue, and Xavier. Smits was at Hinkle for the Elon and Penn games this past season and has been going to Butler camps for a while now.

Smits talked a little about what stands out for him about the Butler program. “The coaching staff and players seem so close and like a family, and I like that. I don’t want a coach to constantly be stressing me out about everything. I want them to push me but be there for me if I need them, and that’s how it seems at Butler. And I love Hinkle. It’s one of my favorite gyms to be in.”

Although he has yet to receive any high major offers, with arguably the highest ceiling of anyone in Indiana’s 2015 class it’s probably only a matter of time. Smits won’t be rushing into a decision anytime soon though. “I couldn’t see my self committing any time soon. I have talked to my dad about this a lot, and we want a chance to see as many schools as we can before I commit anywhere. I need to find the best fit for me. That could be my junior year or it could be my senior year it all just depends on what happens.”

And of course his dad is former Pacers All-Star center Rik Smits. Rik appears to be heavily involved in Derrik’s recruitment and has played a role in his development. “He was more involved my freshman year on an every day stand point helping the teams and coming to practice, but he stepped back this year and let me do my own thing,” Derrik mentioned about his father. “It gave me time to focus on my game but we still go to the gym a lot and he tells me what I need to work on and watches the games and tells me what I’m doing wrong and what I need to improve on.”

Derrik Smits will continue to play the rest of the summer with the Spiece Indy Heat. Butler targets KJ Walton and Bronson Kessinger also play for Spiece. They will play next in Fort Wayne at the Spiece Memorial Day Classic. Be sure to follow the message boards for updates and to find out if Butler extends an offer to Smits or any of his teammates this summer.

Trevon Bluiett – 6’5 2014 Forward – He’s the most important recruit in program history.  Okay, that’s probably overstating things just a little, and maybe they don’t get him and everything will turn out fine (a la Cody Zeller and getting Rotnei Clarke).  But after watching him live this weekend, his commitment would change the way recruits look at Butler.  Bluiett isn’t overly athletic, but it doesn’t matter.  He can still get his shot, rebounds well in traffic, has excellent court vision and was even bringing the ball up the floor and setting up the offense as much as anyone on a team absolutely loaded with guards (PJ Thompson, James Blackmon, and JaQuan Lyle are also on Spiece).  He is also surprisingly athletic where it matters the most with Butler, and that’s on defense.  Much like Roosevelt Jones, when he wants to, he can flat out move his feet.  He matched up in Spiece’s quarterfinal matchup with Kevon Looney, a 6’8 5 star recruit out of Milwaukee and shut him down on one end and scored at will on the other end.  Although shooting is what people tend to focus on with him, he’s the complete package.

Trey Lyles – 6’10 2014 Forward – He showed why he is one of the top recruits in the country this weekend.  He finished well through contact around the rim and also showed some surprising handles for a guy his size.  I even witnessed him drain a three and take a ball coast to coast for a dunk, and in both instances, it looked pretty natural.  He was also very solid from the foul line.  I would be incredibly surprised if he ended up at Butler, but wasn’t surprised when he answered “Coach Stevens” to the reason(s) why he might come to Butler.  I was also a little surprised that he had as tough of a time scoring against Jae’Sean Tate (6’5 2014 Forward) from All-Ohio as he did, but there were plenty of other games in which he was matched up with plenty of size and dominated.  He stated that while his knee is fine, he still has a ways to go conditioning-wise, but while he was on the floor he was very productive and I’m looking forward to seeing him go at 100%.

Riley Norris – 6’7 2014 Forward – Though my focus was on Chris Chiozza for Team Thad, Norris did stand out to me while watching Team Thad.  He had DEEP range and was hitting some big time shots towards the end of the Spiece – Team Thad contest.  That’s not all he does well though, he can also drive the lane and finish on the interior.  He doesn’t have great leaping ability or great lateral foot speed, so don’t expect many slam dunks when he drives, but against both Mac Irvin Fire and Spiece he didn’t have any problems finishing against their size, so he knows how to finish despite that.  I see him as another 3-4 tweener player in college and is definitely someone that can be used to exploit matchups on offense.  He handles the ball pretty well for his size, but I think if he improves his ball handling he can really be a great weapon.

Evan Boudreaux – 6’7 2015 Forward – While the game I watched of him he wasn’t hitting on his shots, you could really tell that his team relied heavily on him for production.  He had a really good face up game for someone playing up a year and physically I actually forgot for a moment that he’s only an incoming Junior this year.  He also had a variety of post moves, but the one concern I had watching him is how well he’d be able to finish against length and athleticism, and from what I saw that will be something he’ll need to improve on in order to really become a complete offensive player.  At this point, I see him as a face up 4 man, and he could definitely be someone that I could see as being one of the first guys to be offered, especially as his game will continue to grow.

Derrik Smits – 6’10 2015 Center – He wasn’t dominant in any of the games that I watched, but you can see that he has the potential to become a very good and skilled big man.  He has grown so much as a basketball player in the last year.  He was solid on the interior, but could use some more strength in order to finish a little better through contact.  His mid to long range shot wasn’t falling for him in the few games of his that I did watch, but it’s certainly something that I can see becoming a weapon for him in the future if it isn’t already.  At this point, I don’t feel certain as to how hard Butler will be going after Smits, but I’m sure much like Butlerhoops.com, the staff will be watching to see how he continues to develop over the next year or so.

K.J. Walton – 6’3 2015 Guard – As part of the media packets, we were given roster packets which included the player’s address and home phone numbers.  Not surprisingly, K.J.’s address was listed as “Free Throw Line”.  It wouldn’t surprise me one bit if he ended up shooting more free throws than any two players combined in the entire tournament.  He simply lives off of contact, and is very good at finishing through it.  He looks and plays a lot like Semaj Christon, so it’s not surprising that Xavier is after him the way that they are.  I would like to see more of his mid-range and outside game as the summer progresses, but for the most part, he really didn’t need to do much else besides driving to the bucket.  In their quarterfinal game against All-Ohio, he also came through in the clutch multiple times at the line and driving the lane, so he’s a guy that’s not afraid to have the ball in his hands when the game is on the line.

KJ Walton - 2015 SG
KJ Walton gets to the line.  Then he gets to the line.  Then he gets to the line again.  He had a little bit of “closer” in him in the morning game against All Ohio Red.  He scored multiple times in the final few minutes to send the game to overtime and then hit the winning basket in overtime.  Walton got an offer from Xavier last week and will no doubt pick up several more high major offers this summer.

Trevon Bluiett - 2014 SF
Bluiett started off the day matched up against 5 star Kevon Looney and had his best game of the weekend.  He again scored pretty much at will, tallying 19 points this time, but his biggest impact came on the defensive end.  Bluiett didn’t just contain Looney, he completely shut him down.  He also guarded Ohio State committ Jae’Sean Tate very well in the following game, but found himself in constant foul trouble and eventually fouled out on an away from the ball offensive foul.  I’ve never viewed Bluiett as a lock down defender, but that’s exactly what he was today.  He’s the complete package.

Trey Lyles - 2014 PF
It was more of the same from Lyles, who scored 24 in the first game and 21 in the second.  I talked briefly with Lyles after the game.  It’s still down to Butler, Louisville, Kentucky, Duke, UCLA, and Florida.  It’s unlikely that he will make another cut before making his decision, which is projected to come after his senior season.  I asked him what the reasoning would be if he chose Butler over the other 5 schools, and his answer was simple.  ”Coach Stevens.”

Chris Chiozza - 2014 PG
Chiozza was injured today and missed most of the early morning game.  I never found out exactly what the issue was, but he appeared to be stretching out his hip on the sidelines.  He returned the next game though and was once again spectacular.  He scored 25 points to go with 8 assists and 6 steals.  He is the ultimate playmaker and has a combination of vision and passing that makes him look like he’s being controlled in a video game.  At times it appears as if he starts playing too fast and gets out of control, but he almost always seems to find a way to bail himself out by hitting tough shots or finding teammates to dish to at the last second.  That may get him in trouble at the next level, but for now it’s certainly working well for him.

Jalen Coleman – 2015 SG
Coleman was excellent today for Indiana Elite in winning the Run ‘N’ Slam championship.  He finished much better at the rim today and featured some point guard skills in creating for his teammates.   There is no questioning his athleticism and his jump shot is almost always solid.  This is the type of production that has earned him several Big 10 offers already.  I need to see this more consistently before I say he is the top player in the Indiana 2015 class the way many already have.  Coleman certainly has the potential to become a 5 star player.

Dakota Mathias – 2014 SG
Mathias is an outstanding shooter who knows how to get open to create looks.  He was being face guarded all game against Team Thad and still managed to break free and score 30 points.  He has a high basketball IQ, reads screens well, and has teammates that know how to get him the ball.  Mathias was being recruiting by Butler but committed to Purdue on Sunday.  He should do very well for them.

Other random observations:
- Jalen Brunson of Mac Irvin Fires looked very good all weekend.  He doesn’t have the flash at the point guard position that Chiozza does, but he still handles the position well.  His game is very balanced as he does a lot of things very well.  Brunson is rightfully rated as a 4 star in the 2015 class.

- Derrik Smits still needs some time to become a productive player, but he is starting to put the pieces together.  His jump shot is very good and extends out to the 3 point line, and he is starting to add some go to post moves in the paint.  He recently told the IndyStar that Butler and Indiana are recruiting him the hardest.

- Everett Duncan had a tremendous tournament for Indiana Elite 2015, mainly shooting the ball.  He scored 23 points in the championship game and 19 points in the quarterfinals.  I haven’t found a point total for the semifinal game against Spiece, but he was probably up around 15 points when I left with about 10 minutes left in the game.

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KJ Walton - 2015 SG
Walton was extremely effective in the game I saw today, although the highlight reel would turn out to be quite boring.  KJ got to the rim early and often and drew a slew of foul calls.  He finished 19-21 from the line in a win over The Family.  I don’t recall Walton even attempting many outside shots, probably because he had no reason to.  This was a pretty typical game for Walton where he was using his speed and strength to simply overpower the competition.

Trevon Bluiett - 2014 SF
I got to see a lot of Trevon Bluiett today, and the more I see him the more I love him.  He is ranked as a top 50 player, but I think he is still underrated.  He can simply do it all on offense.  Similar to Shelvin Mack, he doesn’t have great speed but uses his body extremely well to get to the rim.  He has an amazingly effective spin move that he uses often without getting out of control.  It doesn’t matter if he has a bigger defender on him or a quicker one, he has so many offensive moves in his arsenal that no one has been able to prevent him from getting the looks he wants.

While I certainly knew coming in Bluiett could score, I was most impressed with his passing today.  He displayed excellent vision and created all kinds of opportunities for his teammates.  I watched him a few times at Park Tudor and he was never as much of a distributor as he was today (of course he doesn’t hae 4 and 5 star players to distribute to at Park Tudor either).  I also got to see Bluiett in situations where he had to play intense man to man defense and was excited to see that he is quite capable of it.  At times he struggled to defend his man’s 2nd move after cutting off an initial drive, and he was late on rotations more times than I would have liked, but he showed that he is far from a liability on the defensive end.

Trey Lyles - 2014 PF
Lyles was absolutely dominant again today.  During the high school season I questioned his motor and aggressiveness a few times, but that player has been nowhere to be found this weekend.  He has been attacking with force in this tournament, playing above the rim on both sides of the court.  I’m now sold that he is a top 10 player in 2014 class.  No doubt there are going to be numerous highlight videos of Lyles popping up over the next week (we will have one here at some point), and I encourage you to check them out to see some of these plays for yourself.  If it wasn’t for his knee brace you would never guess he is just coming back from a knee injury.

Chris Chiozza – 2014 PG
This was my first live look at Chiozza, and he didn’t disappoint.  He helped get Team Thad off to a fast start against Spiece by being a pest on the defensive end and creating fast break opportunities.  Chiozza is lightning quick and is a pure point guard who makes pinpoint passes to create opportunities for teammates.  He was frequently matched up against JaQuan Lyle and did an excellent job on defense despite the height differential.  Chiozza reportedly had a triple double in the game yesterday and had a game winning basket in another game on Saturday.

Evan Boudreaux - 2015 PF
Boudreaux was good again in their final game of the day, but NLP fell to Mac Irvin Fire.  Evan struggled this game with his back to the basket moves and didn’t finish well again at the rim, but his jumper was excellent.  He is a high level rebounder who is extremely physical when battling on the boards.  Boudreaux finished with 21 points but was ejected in the final minutes of a 1 point game after committing an unnecessary intentional foul.  Boudreaux appeared to make a textbook tackle from behind on another player after battling for an offensive rebound.  He clearly meant no ill intent as he tried to hold up halfway through, but the damage was already done, and NLP faded down the stretch without him.

Other random observations:
- Josh Cunningham had a monster game for Mac Irvin Fire, scoring 32 points on 13-13 shooting  from the field, including 4-4 from deep.  Butler has watched a few of Mac Irvin Fire’s games this spring, so I asked Cunningham if he had heard from the coaching staff.  He said he has not.
- Trevor Manuel for The Family was impressive today.  I don’t have any stats, but he probably had a 20/10 game against Spiece.  The athletic 6’8″ PF also picked up a handful of blocks as well.  I happened to be speaking with his dad during the game and asked if there was any interest in Butler.   He said Butler’s style of play fit well with Trevor’s game and, “Who wouldn’t be interested in Butler.”  He has not heard from the coaching staff at this time though.
- Sean McDermott  continued his blazing spring for Spiece 16U.  He is an outstanding 3 point shooter and can also do a little bit off the bounce as well.  He doesn’t really have the look of a high major player, but if if he continues to produce at this rate more interest is going to come.

I’ll be back in the gym once again tomorrow for the final day at Spiece.  Check back tomorrow night for more quick notes and then on throughout the week for some highlight videos.

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KJ Walton – 2015 SG
Walton had a slow first half, but he finished the game strong to end up with 15 points on the night.  He continues to display confidence in his outside shot this spring, knocking down a handful of 3 point jump shots again today.  KJ got into the lane well but struggled to finish at the rim.  It was another blowout for Spiece, thanks in large part to 7 3 pointers by Joey Morlan in the first half, so Walton really wasn’t on the attack a lot in this game.

Trevon Bluiett – 2014 SF
The entire Spiece team was simply dominant on day 1 and looked pretty much unbeatable.  Blueitt once again led the way with 20 points, doing most of his damage from behind the arc.  He was also active on the defensive end and picked up several blocks and a few steals.  Similar to Walton, Bluiett really wasn’t overly aggressive due to the massive lead Spiece had.  I will see Spiece again tomorrow in a highly anticipated matchup against Team Thad.

Trey Lyles – 2014 PF
Bluiett’s teammate was back in action today for the first time since suffering a knee injury in sectionals.  Lyles scored 13 points in a variety of ways, displaying both skill and power from the low block.  Butler is considered by most to be a long shot for the 5 star PF, but he would fit Butler’s style of play perfectly.  He has the size and ability down low to play as a typical PF, but he also has the ball handling and passing to step out and play like a SF as well.  I was happy to see Lyles much more aggressive on the defensive end compared to the last time I saw him.

Evan Boudreaux – 2015 PF
Of all the Butler targets I saw, Boudreaux had the best game of the night, scoring 24 points and pulling down a ton of rebounds as well.  He is highly skilled from both the high and low block and has several moves he can go to.  The only thing he didn’t do well today was finish well with power, missing a dunk and a few contested layups that I’m sure he would like back.  Still, Boudreaux is playing up a year and is doing more than just fitting in.  He is simply dominating this summer.  Both Iowa State and Iowa offered yesterday.

Justin Tillman – 2014 PF
Tillman was all over the place on defense today, blocking shots left and right.  I don’t have a block total, but  if you were counting on your fingers it would have taken more than one hand.  He also displayed his quick leaping ability with a nasty dunk over a weak side defender.  He had another nice face up move where he showed a soft touch on his jump shot, but otherwise Tillman struggled on the offensive end.  Some of that can be attributed to a tough matchup against Keita Bates-Diop for some of the game, but at times it looked simply ugly for Tillman.  He is an outstanding athlete with a great ceiling but still appears to need some polishing on the offensive end

I’ll be back in the gym at 8:00 am for more action on day 2.  I’ll be watching a few of the same players plus several additional Butler targets, so check back later for more reports.  I’ll also try and provide more updates on twitter throughout the day.  Follow me @Butlerway.

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It didn’t take long for Payton Pritchard to experience success at the high school level.  The freshman point guard helped West Linn to a 23-6 record and an Oregon 6A State Championship in just his first year.  I was able to get in contact with the star freshman to talk with him about this past season.  ”I believe our team exceeded what others thought we could accomplish,” Pritchard stated about last season. “Going into the season many thought we were untested and young. I am proud and excited that we were able to prove those people wrong by winning the state 6A title.”

His 11 points per game were certainly very solid for a freshman, but his assist number is what really stands out.  Pritchard dished out an astonishing 9 assists per game in his opening season.  ”I believe my strength as a player is that I get all of my teammates involved in the game. I feel like I can control the game because I make good decisions and have worked very hard to have good ball control,” said Pritchard about his game.

Payton Pritchard first drew the interest of Butler two weekends ago while playing up a year with Team Fast in a New Jersey tournament.  He was then watched by both Butler and Gonzaga in Indianapolis at the Adidas Spring Classic last weekend.  His elite level passing and ball handling were on display all tournament long, quickly making him one of the favorites among those in attendance (his Butler sweatshirt he wore in turned a few heads as well).  He also showcased excellent 3 point shooting as well as a mid range game that makes him a complete point guard.

“What stands out the most about Butler is the coaching staff, their style of play, and the community feels like a family,” Pritchard replied when asked about Butler.  ”I have not been on any visits yet. I love basketball and the recruiting process is exciting. Its all new to me as it’s just starting.”  In addition to Butler and Gonzaga, Payton Pritchard has reportedly drawn interest from Indiana, Ohio State, Oregon, Oregon State, Portland, Portland State, Virginia and Notre Dame.

Pritchard currently stands at 6’0″ and weighs 170 lbs, but isn’t done growing, projecting to add another 2-4 inches over the next few years.  Terry Pritchard, Payton’s father, is 6’5″ and turned down multiple division 1 basketball offers to play tight end at Oklahoma where he won a national championship in 1985.  Payton is a 4 star point guard ranked #49th nationally in the 2016 class by Future150.com.

While Butler has yet to even secure a commitment from the 2014 class, and the first 2015 offers won’t go out for another 7 weeks, it’s not too early to take a look at what the 2016 class might bring. I recently caught up with Max Kurkowski, a 6’4″ freshman from Plainfield High School who has caught the attention of high major programs in the area. Last season he led Plainfield in scoring at 9.8 points per game. He was incredibly accurate from behind the 3-point arc, connecting on just shy of 45% of his attempts.

The season started slowly for Kurkowski as he adjusted to the high school level, scoring only 5 points in the first 3 games. Things began to pick up in December as he scored in double digits in 4 of the next 8 contests. Kurkowski then exploded from there, scoring double digits in the remaining 9 regular season games. He averaged 16.1 points per game over that span, including a school record 27 point outburst in a 2 point win over Northview.

There is no doubt that 3 point stroke has become a hallmark trait for Kurkowski. He shot 28-55 from deep during those final 9 regular season games, concluding with a 6-9 performance against Columbus East.  In addition to his outstanding shooting, he also labels his basketball IQ and passing as the biggest strengths in his game. He states his focus this summer will be to improve his strength, defense, and aggressiveness.

Kurkowski was first publicly connected with Butler when he visited Hinkle on Senior Night for a game against Xavier. “The visit to Butler was great. I really liked the atmosphere and tradition of the fieldhouse. The Dawg Pound was having a lot of fun that night! We were there for senior night and the school seemed to have a real family atmosphere with the team and the coaching staff.”  Max has also visited Indiana and Purdue and is receiving additional interest from Xavier and Dayton. He plans to attend Butler’s version of an elite camp later in June.

“I need to first focus on what the school offers academically, although I’m not sure yet what I want to study,” Kurkowski answered when asked what he looks for in a school. “After that, for basketball, I would say the relationships with the other players and the coaching staff is really important. You spend so much time in the gym with your team, you need to like and respect them personally and as a player.”

I also caught up with Plainfield first year head coach Andy Weaver. To no surprise, the first thing he mentioned about Max was his superb shooting skills. He also spoke highly of his knowledge of the game and excellent work ethic. He even went on to compare him to Butler freshman standout Kellen Dunham. Coach Weaver has Kurkowski working on his lateral quickness and aggressiveness attacking the rim to help him evolve into much more than just a knock down shooter.

Coach Weaver also said that Kurkowski isn’t done growing. Currently standing at 6’4″, Max is expected to add another several inches and may end up standing as tall as 6’7″. He is currently thin, weighing only 160 lbs, but that is to be expected for a freshman. Becoming stronger is one of his goals for the summer, and he still has plenty of time to add muscle to his frame before reaching the college level.

Max Kurkowski is currently playing summer basketball up a year at the 16U level.  ”I hope that by playing up a year with the Eric Gordon Central Stars, I can take my game to the next level,” Kurkowski states.  ”My coaches and teammates are very talented and I plan on learning from them.”  A lot can change before he is ready to enroll at university somewhere, but he appears to be on the right track to becoming a high major athlete.  ButlerHoops.com will follow him as his career progresses, so be sure to check back often for updates.

Joe Henrickson of the Chicago Sun Times reported Butler’s offer to Tyler Ulis earlier today. The 5’9″ point guard from Marion Catholic High School in Illinois has been very impressive through 2 sessions of the highly competitive Nike EYBL circuit. Ulis was 5th in both assists and steals coming into the weekend and put up even better numbers in session 2. His most impressive offensive game was a 25 point, 10 assist performance in a loss to Indy Spiece. Through 9 games he is now averaging 13.3 points, 5.7 assists, and 2.6 steals per game to help Meanstreets to a 7-2 record.

Ulis averaged 22 points, 4.8 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.8 steals per game as a junior for Marian Catholic High School. He also lists offers from Colorado State, DePaul, Florida State, Iowa, Northwestern, Oregon St, Purdue, USC, and Vanderbilt. Tyler Ulis grades out as a 4 star on ESPN and is ranked 69th in the country by Rivals.

Justin Coleman is the other point guard to list an offer from Butler. According to Jerry Meyer of 247sports.com, Butler is currently the school pursuing Coleman the hardest, who has additional offers from Florida, Florida State, Alabama, Auburn, Arkansas, and Tennessee. Coleman is also participating in the Nike circuit for the Georgia Stars alongside Devin Mitchell, another Butler target. Through 2 sessions he is averaging 9.8 points and 4.4 assists per game.

Coleman played last season as a junior at Wenonah High School in Alabama. The 5’10″ star averaged 20.3 points, 7.7 assists, 4.0 rebounds, and 4.2 steals per game to lead his team to a 34-2 record. He shot an impressive 42% from distance and 86% from the charity stripe on the season. Coleman had one particular monster game worth mentioning, where he dropped 56 points on 15-28 shooting from the field and 22-23 from the free throw line. He is ranked in the top 100 by Rivals and Future150 and is a 3 star on both Scout and ESPN.

Butler currently projects to have 3 scholarship openings for the class of 2014. The addition of these 3 point guards make 8 reported offers now in the class, although Butler appears to have moved on from Jordan Barnett and Reid Travis and is considered a long shot to land 5 star Trey Lyles. Trevon Bluiett appears to be the primary target on the wing and Shane Hall is the other power forward to receive an offer. Be sure to check back often for updates as the summer progresses.

While it will likely take a group effort to replace Smith’s production, one likely candidate to earn more minutes is junior to be Kameron Woods.  The 6’9″ sophomore averaged 4.5 points and 4.9 rebounds in 17 minutes per game in 2012-2013.  Woods is best known for his tremendous defense and using his 7’3″ wingspan to grab rebounds and block shots.  He led Butler in defensive rating (93.2) and block percentage (4.2%) and was an impressive 29th in the nation in defensive rebounding percentage (24.7%).

In addition to the defense, his offensive game began to expand in March.  The mid range shot started to become a consistent weapon, and his aggressiveness seemed to pick up.  In the first 29 games of the season Woods averaged 3.6 points per game; however, in the final 7 games, he more than doubled his average, up to 8.3 points per game on 46% shooting.  Woods broke out to score 17 points at UMass and then scored 15 more a few nights later against Xavier.

Photo by zjbphotography

The development of a reliable offensive game for Woods, as well as adding muscle to his slender 200 pound frame, will go a long way to helping Butler compete in the Big East and get back to the NCAA tournament next season.  Because of the importance of this off-season, Woods got the attention of many Butler fans earlier this month when he tweeted, “One workout with Coach Miller down and I already know this summer is gonna be like no other.”

I was able to get in touch with Woods to find out why this summer is going to be tougher and what plans he has moving forward in the Big East.  ”It’s not necessarily that his workouts are super tough, which they are, but more about the things he has me working on,” Woods replied.  ”I’ve been working on a lot of ball handling, shooting, post moves, and it’s really exciting.  I’ve always been a player who didn’t want to have a weakness, and with the work that I will put in with him I will take steps toward lessening my perceived weaknesses.  This will be a special summer.”

“I’m very excited about the move to the Big East for better competition, and as a student athlete that’s all you can ask for,” Woods continued.  ”My offseason work won’t change at all. I already planned on putting in a lot of work and gaining as much weight and strength as possible, so I don’t think much has changed in my mindset at all.”  Woods also explained what a typical workout schedule consisted of.  ”A regular week consists of 4 workouts in the weight room and then 3 basketball workouts with the coaches. They could be in a group or one on one depending on schedules, and then of course whatever time you put in on your own.”

Kameron Woods reiterated multiple times about how excited he is to get to work and expand all aspects of his game in preparation for whatever role he finds himself in next year.  Butler fans should be just as eager to see the results.  With a 7’3″ wingspan that allows him to defend the post and dominate the glass to go along with the potential addition of improved shooting and ball handling out on the perimeter, Woods could be one of the most versatile players in the Big East next year.  He should be a key component for a Butler team looking to once again make a splash in a new league.

KJ Walton - 6’3″ SG – Brownsburg – 2015
KJ Walton was hands down the best player I saw today.  He finished up pool play by scoring 27 points in a route over Kings Court, and then once again was a thorn in the side of Eric Gordon, scoring an efficient 20 points in an opening round win.  KJ was 5-9 from the floor (1-2 3pt) and 9-10 from the line and also contributed 7 rebounds in that final game of the day.  He is an exceptional 1-on-1 player with an explosive first step to go along with a much improved jump shot.  To take his game to an elite level, Walton needs to work on his vision and passing while attacking the rim.  He had only 27 assists in 19 games last season for Brownsburg.

Michael Benkert – 6’3″ SG – Center Grove – 2015
Benkert was one of my top performers from Indy Ball last weekend, but the results were a little different this weekend.  Perimeter shots were just not going down at all today.  I’m still in love with his overall style and the way he plays the game, which didn’t change at all even though he wasn’t hitting shots.  He makes others around him better even when he isn’t scoring, but EG10 definitely needed more from him as their tournament ended against Spiece for the second straight week.  During the high school season he shot 49% from the floor including 37% from distance, and he certainly lit it up last weekend, so I’m willing to give him a pass for 1 poor shooting day.  He will need to improve his shooting consistency moving forward though if Butler is to get heavily involved.

Kyle Guy – 6’2″ SG – Lawrence Central – 2016
This was my first look at Kyle Guy, and unfortunately it came against a team with only 4 available players. He certainly looked legit though.  He is a long guard who shot the ball well but really played more like a point guard than he did a shooting guard today.  I think his body will force him into an off guard position, but he can certainly be a secondary play maker.  His vision and passing are exceptional and he showcased them with numerous no look passes in transition.  Guy is playing up 2 years in the 17U divsion, and averaged 19 points per game in 5 games at Indy Ball last weekend.  He took an unofficial visit to Butler in February and has also visited Indiana and Purdue.

Darreon Reddick – 6’3″ PG – Belleville East – 2014
Reddick is a strong combo guard who does a great job of managing the Southwest Illinois Jets offense that also features Peyton Allen and CJ Rivers.  He didn’t get off to great start in the game I saw, but eventually found his stroke and finished with 14 points for the game.  He plays with control, does a whole lot of things well, and doesn’t really have any glaring weaknesses in his game.  Unfortunately he also doesn’t have anything he is exceptional at that would stand out at the high major level.  This summer is going to be huge for him as he straddles that mid major-high major border.

I likely won’t be back for Sunday’s games, but continue to check the message boards for updates on these players and other Butler targets as they participate in tournaments across the nation.

Jared Grubbs is the founder of ButlerHoops.com. He can be contacted at 812-592-1912 or by using the “Contact Us” link at the top of the page.