Former Butler basketball player Chrishawn Hopkins has announced he plans to transfer to Wright State and will likely play for the school’s men’s basketball team.

Hopkins was dismissed from the Butler basketball team in early September following an undisclosed rule violation.

Hopkins has not officially signed as a player at Wright State. He said he plans to sign sometime in January.

He would be eligible to play one calendar year after signing and will have a year and a half of eligibility remaining.

Hopkins said he contacted Wright State about playing for the Raiders.

“When I first found out that I was getting dismissed from (Butler), I contacted (Wright State), and then a couple of schools contacted me,” Hopkins said.

Hopkins also made a formal visit to Lamar—whose team has a coach Hopkins previously played for—and was recruited by Illinois and Oregon as well.

“I had a great relationship with a couple of coaches down at Lamar, too, because they were a couple of my high school coaches,” Hopkins said.

Despite the relationship at Lamar, Hopkins chose Wright State because of connections he has there.

Raiders coach Billy Donlon is entering his third season at the position for Wright State. Hopkins said his relationship with Donlon had an impact on the decision to attend the school.

“I think it had a lot (of an effect)” Hopkins said. “(Donlon) recruited me out of high school, and I just had a great relationship with him. I always talked to him when we went to Wright State or when they came here and played at Butler.”

Additionally, Hopkins’ high school friend, Kenny Washington, attends Wright State and currently serves as the team’s student manager.

“(Kenny is) like my brother,” Hopkins said. “We’ve been friends for six years now, and we’re always talking no matter what. He’s my best friend.”

Hopkins said he knows another student from his high school who also goes to Wright State.

“I know a lot of people over there, and I have a cool relationship with everyone over there,” Hopkins said.

Donlon, Washington and Wright State administrators could not comment on the situation until Hopkins has officially signed a letter of intent.

Despite his dismissal, Hopkins said “words can’t explain” the time he had at Butler. Hopkins averaged 9.1 points per game last year, the third highest on the team.

“I had a great time at Butler while it lasted,” Hopkins said. “Meeting new people and just being around the student body of Butler is just amazing to me. I’m definitely going to miss it.”

The Butler men’s basketball team will be facing Atlantic 10 Conference competition for the first time this season without junior guard Chrishawn Hopkins.

Hopkins, who was dismissed from the team on Wednesday, Sept. 12, was expected to grow into more of a leadership role and be a force on the court for the Bulldogs this season.

With the loss of Hopkins, Butler loses a starter from last year’s squad.

The shooting guard played in all 37 contests last season, starting 24 of them. He averaged 9.1 points per game, good enough for third on the team.

The question now is: where does Butler go from here?

If this year’s team could afford to lose a player at any position, it would be in the backcourt. The 2012-13 version of the Bulldogs features plenty of backcourt depth. Stevens now will have an easier time giving players the minutes they need to improve.

Senior transfer Rotnei Clarke is already penciled in as the starter at point guard, replacing Ronald Nored. Hopkins probably would have started at the shooting guard position, but that spot is now vacant.

A platoon of players will step into that role for the team this season.

Sophomore guard Jackson Aldridge figures to play a more prominent role in the season. His playing time decreased down the stretch last season, but he should see some minutes early on.

Senior Chase Stigall and sophomores Elliott Kampen and Alex Barlow could also fight for time.

Stigall is a reliable defender and also is very familiar with Stevens’ offensive and defensive systems, having played in them for three years.

Kampen and Barlow, both walk-ons last season, saw important minutes down the stretch last year, leading me to believe that Stevens trusts them in important situations.

Butler’s three newcomers, Kellen Dunham, Devontae Morgan and Chris Harrison-Docks, all could see time at Hopkins’ position as well.

The 6’6” Dunham might see the most. While only a freshman, he proved himself a good shooter in his high school career.

Pair Dunham’s shooting skills with those of Clarke, and Butler could light up some Atlantic 10 scoreboards this season.

However, Dunham will need to show he is a capable defender as well, something not easily learned in Stevens’ complex system.

The rest of the starting lineup seems fairly predictable.

Senior Andrew Smith will anchor the Bulldogs in the paint.

Junior Khyle Marshall will bring athleticism to court, something the team will be lacking with the loss of Hopkins, and sophomore Roosevelt Jones looks to build off a strong freshman season.

Jones has an interesting skill set. While not the best shooter, he proved last year that he has the strength and stamina to play in the paint, as well as the athleticism and ball-handling skills to run the offense from time to time.

Whichever direction Stevens and the team decide to go, replacing Hopkins will not be easy, especially when joining one of the best college basketball conferences in the country this season.

Some might think the team will play better without Hopkins. They may say that the junior never truly fit into the offensive system the team was trying to run.

But that ability to create shots for himself was what made him so valuable to the program.

Though there’s still a month until practice officially starts, the Butler basketball team is making headlines.

Junior guard Chrishawn Hopkins was dismissed from the Butler men’s basketball team, according to a statement released by the athletics department last Wednesday.

“I am sorry to have to announce that Chrishawn Hopkins has been dismissed from our team,” coach Brad Stevens said in the release. “We consider it a privilege to represent Butler University as a member of our team. With that privilege comes a requirement and responsibility to meet the standard of our team rules.

“Dismissal is the consequence of failure to do so.”

Stevens did not say which rule Hopkins violated.

Hopkins’ family also released a statement on Wednesday shortly after Stevens’ statement was released.

“It’s with extreme regret that we were informed today that Chrishawn was released from the Butler men’s basketball program,” the statement said. “His dismissal was due to a repeat violation of team rules and standards.”

The statement went on to thank the university for the opportunity Hopkins received at Butler, saying his mistakes “will not define who Chrishawn is as a person or a player.”

“On behalf of our family, we extend our deepest and sincerest apologies to everyone whom this impacts,” the statement said.

The Indianapolis Star has reported Hopkins has been suspended by the university and plans to transfer to another institution.

Hopkins did not return phone calls or emails from The Collegian.

Stevens was not available for comment to The Collegian.

Levester Johnson, vice president for student affairs, declined to comment on Hopkins’ status with the university.

Sophomore forward Roosevelt Jones said in a text message last Wednesday that the news was,“sad to hear.”

“He was like a brother to me and everybody else on the team,” Jones said. He will be greatly missed, but I know he will bounce back from this.”

On Sept. 14, Hopkins posted on Twitter, “Just hit me that I’m losing control over everything I love everything that makes my life complete all In a blink of an eye #gottagetitback.”

Current and former Butler players also took to Twitter last week to give their reactions to the news of Hopkins’ dismissal.

Former Butler player Garrett Butcher tweeted, “Very unfortunate news but mistakes don’t define a person. #unbelievable.”

Jones tweeted, “Is this real?”

Former Bulldog Ronald Nored tweeted, “Unbelievable.”

Hopkins averaged 9.1 points per game last season, starting 24 games for the Bulldogs.

Junior Chrishawn Hopkins has been dismissed from the Butler men’s basketball team, according to a press release from sports information director Jim McGrath.

The release was made public shortly after 5:45 Wednesday evening.

In the release, coach Brad Stevens said Hopkins was dismissed for “a violation of team rules.”

“I am sorry to have to announce that Chrishawn Hopkins has been dismissed from our team,” Stevens. “We consider it a privilege to represent Butler University as a member of our team. With that privilege, comes a requirement and responsibility to meet the standard of our team rules.”

Sophomore and former teammate Roosevelt Jones said the news was “sad to hear.”

“He was like a brother to me and everybody else on the team,” Jones said. “He will be greatly missed, but I know he will bounce back from this.”

The Collegian will report further information as it is released through www.thebutlercollegian.com and Twitter (@butlercollegian and @BUSportsWriters).

The Butler men’s basketball team opened the first round of the College Basketball Invitational with a 75-58 victory over Delaware on March 14.

The Bulldogs (21-14) received double-digit points from four players. Sophomore guard Chrishawn Hopkins led the way with 19 points and five rebounds.

Junior center Andrew Smith (17 points, seven rebounds), senior guard Ronald Nored (12 points) and junior guard Chase Stigall (10 points) also finished in double figures.

For the Blue Hens (18-14), freshman guard Jarvis Threatt scored 31 points and tallied four steals off the bench.

With the win, Butler advanced to the quarterfinal round of the 16-team tournament. The Bulldogs will face off against Penn Monday at 8 p.m.

For the first time in six years, the Butler men’s basketball team will not appear in the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship tournament.

Needing to win the Horizon League tournament for an automatic bid, the Bulldogs instead were knocked out by a 65-46 loss to Valparaiso in the semifinals Saturday night.

Photo by Chris Goff

The Bulldogs (20-14) will become just the fifth team since 1985 to miss the NCAA tournament after playing in the national championship game the previous year.

Coach Brad Stevens said Butler would accept a potential bid to the NIT or, more likely, the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament or the College Basketball Invitational.

“It’s still an honor,” Stevens said. “It’s not what you set out to do or strived to do, but we’re not an NCAA-tournament team. Our overall success this year is not worthy.”

Valparaiso junior forward Ryan Broekhoff helped deal a final blow to Butler’s résumé with 19 points and 16 rebounds before a near-capacity crowd in the top-seeded Crusaders’ home arena.

No. 5 seed Butler entered the game having won seven of its last eight. The Bulldogs lost for a third time this season to the Crusaders (22-10), who moved on to face Detroit for a bid to the NCAA tournament.

“Any team that’s the age we are is going to be inconsistent,” Stevens said. “We played like a green, young team [Saturday].”

Detroit defeated Valparaiso 70-50 last night in the conference championship game, which Butler won the past two seasons.

“It’ll be different,” senior guard Ronald Nored said. “Regardless of where we play, we’ll go out there and play as hard and as well as we can.”

Sophomore guard Chrishawn Hopkins kept the Bulldogs within striking distance until midway through the second half with 18 points. Sophomore forward Erik Fromm had 12 points and six rebounds.

No other Butler player had more than four points. The Bulldogs shot 33.3 percent from the field after starting the game 4 of 18.

Junior center Kevin Van Wijk and junior point guard Erik Buggs contributed 11 points apiece for the Crusaders, who shot 53.5 percent from the field.

Butler led 7-2 about three minutes into the game after Hopkins rattled home a jumper.

Valparaiso then went on a 17-1 run over the next 7:25 and never relinquished the lead.

Stevens dealt with a shortage of players he could rely on for offense.

Starters Nored, junior center Andrew Smith, sophomore forward Khyle Marshall and freshman forward Roosevelt Jones combined for eight points in 94 minutes of playing time.

“They really struggled,” Stevens said.  “I don’t know why.”

The Crusaders dominated the glass by a 39-22 margin, which helped them to a 31-24 lead at the end of the first half. In the opening 20 minutes, 11 of Valparaiso’s 14 field goals were either layups or tip-ins.

Broekhoff, the conference player of the year, wouldn’t allow Butler to come back.

“He was the best player on the floor by far,” Stevens said. “You’ve got to be incredibly tough to win in an environment like this. We were thoroughly outplayed.”

The Bulldogs fell behind by as many as 21 in a game that reminded some of their 71-59 loss in the regular season finale at the Athletics-Recreation Center.

“The two frontline guys [Van Wijk and Broekhoff] killed us again,” Stevens said. “We really struggled to score in and around the paint again. It’s a loud gym.”

The Crusaders remembered the result from Feb. 24 when they raced out to an 18-4 lead.

“We were quietly confident we could repeat what happened,” Broekhoff said.

Butler’s lopsided defeat came on the heels of its victory over Milwaukee the day before.

The Bulldogs led the whole game in a 71-49 rout of the Panthers (20-13) Friday night.

Marshall and Jones each scored 17 points, and Smith added eight.

Over the weekend, Nored became Butler’s all-time record-holder for assists in a single season, passing Mike Green with 180 thus far.

A Horizon League official said he expects Butler’s postseason status to be resolved by the evening of March 12 at the latest.

The Butler men’s basketball team started off the Horizon League tournament with a 70-52 victory over Wright State at Hinkle Fieldhouse Tuesday night.

It was a tale of two halves for the Bulldogs (19-13), who headed to the locker room with a one point lead.

“I thought in the first 10 minutes we were just timid,” coach Brad Stevens said. “That’s part of playing your first tournament game.”

Photo by Taylor Cox

Butler came out in the second half and went on a 13-0 run behind the play of sophomore forward Khyle Marshall.

Marshall scored all nine of his points in the second half, including six during the run.

Junior center Andrew Smith tallied a career-high 25 points and seven rebounds for the Bulldogs.

“Ever since the Valpo game, we’ve been focusing on people doing their jobs,” Smith said. “If we can do that, we’re a tough team to beat.”

Senior guard Ronald Nored recorded nine points on the night, along with three rebounds and six assists.

Nored is two assists shy of breaking Butler basketball’s all-time assist record, which is held by Mike Green.

Freshman forward Roosevelt Jones added 11 points, and sophomore guard Chrishawn Hopkins contributed 10.

The starters combined for 64 of the team’s 70 points.

For the Raiders (13-19), sophomore forward Cole Darling paced the offense with 12 points, while junior guard Julius Mays added 11.

From here, the Bulldogs will face the No. 4 seed, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, in the quarterfinals of the league tournament.

The contest will take place on Friday at 8:30 p.m. at Valparaiso’s Athletics-Recreation Center.

Because the Crusaders won the Horizon League regular season title, the remainder of the tournament’s games will take place in Valparaiso for as long as the Crusaders stay alive in the tournament

The winner of that game will face Valparaiso on Mar. 3 in a game that will be televised on ESPNU.

The Butler men’s basketball team knows it will be playing Wright State in the opening round of the Horizon League tournament on Tuesday.

The Bulldogs (17-13, 11-7) are likely aware that they will need to get off to a better start against the Raiders (13-18, 7-11) than they did against Valparaiso on Friday.

“I really didn’t mind our energy or effort,” coach Brad Stevens said after Butler’s 71-59 loss to the league-champion Crusaders. “We can’t give away plays if we want to continue playing.

“We know that moving forward, and I don’t think it’s a huge secret.”

The Bulldogs did not record a field goal against the Crusaders until just after the 11-minute mark in the first half.

The result was a 10-point deficit at halftime that Butler was never able to overcome.

Butler needed a victory against Valparaiso to secure the No. 2 seed and a bye through the first two rounds of the upcoming conference tournament.

Now, instead of getting that bye, the Bulldogs will be taking on the Raiders as the No. 5 seed.

“We can’t change the result of what happened in this game,” sophomore forward Khyle Marshall said. “We’re just going to come back and practice as hard as we can, get better and look forward to the tournament.”

While Stevens said he would be scoreboard watching after the loss to Valparaiso, he added that he would specifically be watching the games of Butler’s most likely opponents in the first round of the tournament.

The rest of the Horizon League made sure that Butler paid for its loss, as Cleveland State, Detroit and Wisconsin-Milwaukee all won their weekend contests and surpassed the Bulldogs in the standings.

Wright State, the No. 8 seed, received a date with Butler after all was said and done.

The Bulldogs were victorious in both of the two regular season games between the teams this season.

In the contest at Wright State on Jan. 6, Butler pulled out a 63-62 victory thanks to a late free throw by senior guard Ronald Nored.

Nored, Marshall and junior center Andrew Smith all scored double-digit points, with Smith’s 19 leading the way.

They were all outdone by Wright State junior guard Julius Mays, who posted 24 points.

The second game between the teams took place on Feb. 2 and saw a 64-53 Butler win.

Sophomore guard Chrishawn Hopkins led the Bulldogs with 13 points, while Wright State junior forward Armond Battle recorded 18.

Mays has provided the Raiders with much of their offensive firepower this season.

For a team that averages the second fewest points in the league, Mays is the only player averaging more than 10 points per game. He also leads the team in free throw shooting and is second in 3-point shooting.

While Butler will have to focus on containing Mays, the Bulldogs will also need to work on their offensive output. The 59 points against Valparaiso was the team’s lowest total in a loss since a 53-42 defeat at Wisconsin-Milwaukee on Jan. 26.

The team is “not dwelling” on its showing at Valparaiso, though, and is “ready for the tournament,” Marshall said.

Butler will not have the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the tournament for the first time since the 2005-06 season, meaning the Bulldogs will have to win four games in eight days in order to capture the title.

This is not something Butler is unfamiliar with, though.

“It’s hard to get to the Final Four, too,” Stevens said.

Butler senior forward Garrett Butcher made two free throws with 3:35 remaining in last night’s game against Illinois-Chicago.

On the Bulldogs’ next possession Butcher made a long jump shot.

On the ensuing Flames’ possession, senior guard Ronald Nored stole the ball and went the length of the floor for a score.

Coach Brad Stevens then called a timeout to remove the pair.

That was the way Butler’s two graduating players ended their regular-season home careers.

Tuesday’s game was Senior Night, and the two lone athletic seniors left their mark by helping the Bulldogs (18-12, 11-6) beat the Flames (8-19, 3-13) 69-44.

Butler could return home in the Horizon League tournament in a few different scenarios or through the National Invitational Tournament.

Nored came close to his first-ever double-double, scoring 12 points, dishing out eight assists and capturing seven rebounds.

Butcher recorded four points and two steals in his time on the court.

Though it was a night for  celebrating the seniors, freshman forward Roosevelt Jones led the way for the Bulldogs with his second consecutive double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.

“[Jones’] toughness allows you to win at home and on the road,” Stevens said.

Two other Bulldogs also posted double figures in points.

Junior center Andrew Smith and sophomore guard Chrishawn Hopkins scored 10 apiece.

Sophomore forward Khyle Marshall provided nine of the Bulldogs’ 20 bench points.

The Flames were led by junior guard Gary Talton and senior center Darrin Williams, who scored 13 and 11 points, respectively.

When Nored and Butcher left the game with 2:39 to go, Hinkle Fieldhouse erupted and an emotional ceremony shortly followed the game.

Photo by Taylor Cox

Stevens thanked the crowd for their support all season and for future support, because “we’re not done yet.”

Each senior also spoke briefly.

“We couldn’t have a better coaching staff,” Butcher said.

“There’s nothing better than Butler,” Nored said in front of his mother, grandmother and high school basketball coach from Alabama.

In a post-game press conference, Butcher described the night as bittersweet.

“It is a special moment I’ll hold in my heart,” Butcher said.

Butler’s victory coupled with Cleveland State’s loss to Green Bay allowed the Bulldogs to gain sole possession of second place in the Horizon League.

In order to secure the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament, the Bulldogs will need to win Friday night against the tournament’s No. 1 seed, Valparaiso and hope for another Cleveland State loss.

On Saturday afternoon, the Bulldogs won a non-conference game against Indiana State as part of BracketBuster Saturday.

In front of a sellout crowd at Hinkle, Butler routed their in-state foe 75-54, showing a glimpse of their late-season heroics from the past two seasons.

Smith led the Bulldogs in scoring with 12 points while collecting five rebounds.

Jones, Hopkins and sophomore forward Erik Fromm each scored 11 points in the contest. Jones also had 12 rebounds, recording his third career double-double.

The Bulldogs got 25 points off the bench, with Khyle Marshall chipping in 10 as one of five  players in double figures.

Butler shot 8-for-20 from behind the 3-point line. All nine of junior guard Chase Stigall’s points came from beyond the arc.

Sophomore forward R.J. Mahurin led the Sycamores (16-12) with a career-high 22 points, going 4-for-6 from the 3-point line.

The Bulldogs will hit the road to take on Valparaiso in the regular-season finale at 7 p.m. Friday.

The Butler men’s basketball team pushed its winning streak to three games last night by defeating Loyola of Chicago 63-57.

The victory moved the Bulldogs (16-12, 10-6) past Detroit and into third place in the Horizon League.

Four Butler players finished in double-digits. Sophomore guard Chrishawn Hopkins led the way with 13 points and six
rebounds.

Loyola junior forward Ben Averkamp led all scorers with 23 points and six rebounds for the Ramblers (6-19, 1-14).

The Bulldogs started strong, shooting 58 percent from the field on their way to a 13-point lead— the largest of the game— with 2:27 left in the opening half.

Butler went cold from that point on, allowing the Ramblers to come back and tie the game at 44 with 7:52 to play.

“I thought [Loyola’s] 6-0 run at the end of the [first] half really hurt us,” coach Brad Stevens said. “Then I thought we were too passive the first 10 minutes of the second half.

“I think your aggression leads to better offensive play, and I didn’t think we were the more aggressive team at that moment.”

Foul shots made by junior center Andrew Smith and Hopkins gave Butler a 47-44 advantage.

Sophomore forward Khyle Marshall, who scored 12 points, added two key baskets that brought the momentum back to the Bulldogs, who held on to the lead for the remainder of the game.

“[Marshall] makes [passing to him] easy just because he’s ridiculously athletic,” senior guard Ronald Nored said. “So if you just throw it anywhere close to the rim, he’s probably going to dunk it.

“He also does a good job of finding spots where he can be open.”

Nored finished the contest with nine assists—a game-high.

Aside from Averkamp, the Ramblers struggled to score.

Loyola’s other four starters tallied 24 points combined and the team shot 22.2 percent from beyond the arc.

The Bulldogs also shot nearly 10 percent better from the field than the Ramblers.

“I told our guys in the locker room that it’s hard to win a basketball game,” Stevens said, “and you always need to remember that, understand that and come into the game thinking that.”

Prior to taking on Loyola, Butler closed its two-game Ohio road trip with a key victory over then-Horizon League leading Cleveland State.

Freshman forward Roosevelt Jones’ career high 17 points led the way in the Bulldogs’ 52-49 victory over the Vikings (20-6, 10-4).

Cleveland State freshman forward Anton Grady led the Vikings with 18 points and 13 rebounds on his way to a double-double, but it was not enough to overcome stifling defense by the Bulldogs (15-12, 9-6).

Butler held a 28-18 lead at halftime, in large part to Cleveland State’s 24.1 percent shooting from the field.

The Vikings’ three-point shooting kept them in it, as the team shot 5-for-10 from beyond the arc in the second half after not making a single three-point field goal in the first half.

The Vikings tied the game at 34 with 12:55 remaining. The teams then exchanged the lead six times before the end of the contest.

With the game tied at 49 and with 1:39 remaining in the game, Hopkins hit a jump shot that would give Butler the lead for good.

Marshall returned for the Bulldogs after a two-game absence due to concussion-like symptoms. He scored 12 points and added eight rebounds off the bench.

On Thursday night, Butler defeated Youngstown State 68-59 to start its road trip on the right foot.

Hopkins led the Bulldogs with 19 points, scoring 13 in the second half to help suppress a comeback by the Penguins (14-11, 9-6).

Butler led by as many as 14 points early in the second half, only to have Youngstown State cut the lead to four points with about 12 minutes remaining in the game.

Freshman guard Jackson Aldridge tied his career high of 15 points while going 3-for-5 from beyond the arc for the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs will continue their schedule at home on Saturday against Indiana State at 2 p.m.