Butler Men’s Basketball: 2021 Season Preview

After a trip to the Region VI Championship game and a runner-up finish in the KJCCC East, the Butler men's basketball team is coming off the best season since 2015 under new leadership from second year head coach Kyle Fisher. 

"Last season was great," said head coach Kyle Fisher. "We recorded 25 wins with a top-five strength of schedule and a Region VI Championship appearance. On top of that, we had 7 players move on to 4-year schools – five players Division I, one player Division II and one went NAIA."

 The Grizzlies ended the season on a last second basket in a gut wrenching 83-81 loss to Coffeyville in the

Region VI Championship game last March. They went 15-5 in KJCCC play and were finished runner-up in the Eastern division behind Cowley.

Although the Grizzlies had a great season, it will still be a challenge to carry that momentum into this year with just two returners from last year's roster and only one who saw significant minutes.

"We had a good year last year," said Fisher." However, that won't help us at all this season as we are starting fresh with an entirely new team. We will approach this season with the same mindset and attitude – that we expect to compete each and every night. Hopefully that will allow us to re-establish the culture and momentum from last season."

Shawn Hopkins is the lone returner who saw KJCCC action last year. Trenton Driskill returns but after a medical redshirt year where he only saw action in three non-conference games. 

Hopkins appeared in 22 games with 16 starts last season missing 11 of the first 13 games due to an injury. In his 22 games played, Hopkins averaged 22.2 minutes per game scoring 11 points per game and coming down with 5.5 rebounds per game. Hopkins really came on strong to end the season scoring in double digits the final four games of the year with a 20-point performance in the quarterfinal round of the Region VI Tournament. He back that up with a 19-point outing against Colby in the semi-finals helping the Grizzlies to a 98-97 win over the Trojans. 

"We have a great group of kids in the program," mentioned Fisher, "very high character student-athletes.  It is yet to be determined who will surface as a leader, but Shawn Hopkins is the lone returner with Jayhawk experience. We expect him to lead us in many ways – most importantly with his effort and everyday mindset that it takes to be successful."

With just two returners from last year's team, Fisher and staff had a make some big moves this offseason to fill the roster. Coach Fisher has high hopes for the incoming group of players and thinks they have a very balanced group, similar to the team from a year ago. 

"We have a very balanced group," added Fisher. "Similar to last year, we have several guys who have the ability to lead us statistically on any given night. Guard play in this league is extremely important and Keyon Thomas, Noah Thomasson and Treylon Payne have all adjusted well throughout practice and I look forward to watching them continue their growth into the spring. On the inside, freshman DJ Pruitt and transfers Shae Mitchell and DeLadris Green all had a really good fall off-season." 

With the preseason being almost three times longer than in normal years, Fisher and the staff decided to focus on two things: program foundation and player development.

"This year has been completely uncharted territory for all of us with setbacks and challenges," said Fisher. "So, we focused on just two things, establishing a foundation of winning and really spend time on the individual skill set of our players."

The challenges that the pandemic has exposed and the changes that everyone had to make made for a difficult fall semester for everyone.

"Luckily we have high character kids," commented Fisher. "They have handled and the adversity and challenges very well. Despite a long layoff before they arrived, they have worked hard to get back in shape. For the most part, we got better each week. It will take a lot of discipline and commitment to not go backwards over the 6-week holiday break, but I trust this group will handle what they need to in order to be prepared come late January."

An unexpected vacancy on the staff left coach Fisher looking for a new assistant in October. He hit a homerun with the hiring of Marques Townsend in November. Coach Townsend was most recently at Tarleton State University and has had a few other coaching stops along the way. Townsend is also the son of Kurtis Townsend, Kansas Jayhawks assistant coach since 2004. To view coach Townsend's full bio, click HERE. 

"I am incredibly fortunate to be working alongside Marques Townsend," said Fisher. "He has a great deal of experience at the highest level and has worked for some great head coaches in the past. The best part of adding him to the program, is that he is all about the players, he is in the business to help the players achieve their goals. His character, recruiting experience and knowledge of the game have already made a huge impact on the program. He will be one of the most respected assistant coaches in all of junior college basketball."  

Butler has been picked No. 3 in the KJCCC Eastern conference preseason poll, the same position they sat a season ago.

"I don't put much stock into preseason rankings; however, it is nice to be picked near the top because the Jayhawk conference is the best and most competitive league in the country with multiple teams in both divisions who are capable of winning a championship," said Fisher.

When Butler takes the floor on Thursday, January 21, 2021 against Sterling College JV, it will have been 324 days since the Grizzlies were last on the court in the Region VI Championship in Dodge City.

"Student athletes across the country, Butler, and this community have been through a great deal the past 10 months," said Fisher. "I am thrilled that they have a chance to put a jersey on and compete soon. The Jayhawk conference is the best two-year basketball in the country, it is stronger than ever. I'm excited to watch these guys compete and improve."

In his first year, coach Fisher re-established Butler as a championship program. They finished the season nationally ranked and had four wins against NJCAA top-twelve teams. He is happy with his first year but focused on the future. 

"The challenge now is to take the program to another level and keep improving without ever getting complacent. This conference can humble you in a hurry. Let's make sure that we are improving in all areas however we can. If we steadily improve, we can look at all opponents and expect to win, because we have put in the work."

When asked what a successful year looks like for the Butler Men's Basketball program coach Fisher commented- Butler has a proud tradition and we expect to compete for championships in this program.  This year is no different, although it will be filled with a very unique set of challenges and changes. A successful season will be to see our student athletes improve on and off floor to be more prepared for the unique challenges that life can bring. I want to see them in the best position to be successful, which includes competing for championships.