Men’s basketball open practice kicks off the 2024-25 season

Men’s basketball will tip off their regular season against Missouri State on Nov. 4. Photo by Darcy Leber.

SARAH HOHMAN | MANAGING EDITOR | shohman@butler.edu

CALEB DENORME | SPORTS EDITOR | cdenorme@butler.edu

Butler Athletics opened up the doors of Hinkle Fieldhouse for fans to attend the men’s basketball practice on Sept. 28. Spectators watched as the Dawgs went through a routine practice a month before the season began. Even Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark joined spectators Hinkle to watch as the Bulldogs took the floor.

The team recently announced their Big East schedule, opening up conference play against Marquette on Dec. 18.

Notably, some key players were missing on the court for the Dawgs’ Blue-on-White scrimmage. Sophomore forward Jaime Kaiser, a transfer from Maryland, did not dress, while junior guard Landon Moore, fifth-year center Andre Screen and sophomore forward/center Boden Kapke all warmed up but did not participate in the team scrimmage.

Senior Patrick McCaffery transferred to Butler from Iowa. Photo by Darcy Leber.

Head coach Thad Matta is not concerned about the length of time for these players’ injuries. Outside of the ailments, he sees an opportunity for younger players to get valuable practice time.

“Our biggest thing right now is we’ve got to get healthy,” Matta said. “We’ve got four guys out that are going to play big minutes for us, but it’s been great for some of the other guys to get a lot of reps in practice.”

The mixture of new faces and opportunities allowed certain players to practice in different positions.

With the loss of former guard DJ Davis to the transfer portal, Matta talked about who he can see stepping up into that shooting guard role.

“I think we’ve added size at that position which is definitely what we want on the defensive end,” Matta said. “Is Pierre [Brooks] a [shooting guard]? Is Jahmyl [Telfort] a [shooting guard]? Is Jamie [Kaiser] a [shooting guard]? I think just from the standpoint of our size, especially on the defensive end, it’s going to make [playing us] a lot harder [of an] experience.”

First-year Evan Haywood joins the Bulldogs after a stellar high school career at Brebeuf Jesuit. Photo by Darcy Leber.

In terms of experience, Butler will have a new starting backcourt after last year’s duo of Posh Alexander and Davis transferred to Dayton and Washington, respectively. The Bulldogs also lost Connor Turnbull and Artemios Gavalas to the portal, while Jalen Thomas and John Michael-Mulloy graduated. On the coaching side, the Dawgs’ former director of basketball operations Greg Oden stepped down last month.

With all the departures, Butler also brought in reinforcements. Transfers Kaiser, Patrick McCaffery and Kolby King seek to add a boost for the Dawgs, while first-year Evan Haywood will provide a much-needed reprieve off the bench. Connor McCaffery joined the coaching staff as well, teaming up with his brother Patrick for the 2024-25 season.

Matta stated he would miss having Oden around, but was excited about what Connor McCaffery brings to the bench.

“It’s good because [the other day] Connor [McCaffery] ripped Patrick [McCaffery]’s *ss in film,” Matta said. “[We] miss Greg [Oden] and obviously he wanted to go and do other things. Getting Connor [McCaffery] in I think … just from the standpoint [adds] just a young energy, a guy that is hungry to be a coach and teach. That’s what we want, and we’re excited about that.”

The Dawgs begin their season on Oct. 30 with an exhibition game against Illinois Wesleyan.