Jordan Butler is transferring, according to multiple reports, first from PowerMizzou.com. Butler entering the transfer portal is the first of what you might consider a surprise. Butler joins Jesus Carralero, Curt Lewis and John Tonje in the portal from last season’s roster.
Losing players from a team and roster that led to an 8-24 record is nothing to shed a tear about, not when you can flip as many rosters as you can these days with the portal. But Butler was different in that he was part of Dennis Gates’ first full recruiting class and looked like he could be a building block on the roster as it evolved more into what Gates said he wanted it to be.
Butler averaged just 2.0 points and 1.9 rebounds in 11 minutes per game, his shooting never recovered, but his defense became more reliable as the season progressed. Additionally, as has been extensively documented here, continuity is a good indicator of success.
For his part, Butler seemed to take some time to think about what he wanted to do. There were still minutes on the line for next season in fifth-place Columbia, and Butler’s role as the season progressed this year grew. He’s started 13 of the last 14 games and has played double-digit minutes in all but two of those games.
Without Butler, there are only more questions at the fifth spot. The question that eluded Dennis Gates during his tenure at Mizzou. From Jamarion Sharpe to Kadin Shedrick, through the portal to now and the loss of Butler, there are more questions than answers. Newcomer Peyton Marshall looks like he’ll be ready to contribute early, but he’s still not someone you want to play more than 15-20 minutes per game. They can go small with Mark Mitchell, Aidan Shaw or Trent Pierce. But the reality is that it will take another addition via the transfer portal.
There are still a number of good options, but there aren’t many safe five triggers. Here is Matt Watkins’ list of potential targets on the RockM.plus forums. I might keep an eye on Kasean Pryor and Essam Mostafa for now. But other targets could emerge quickly.
In the meantime, good luck to Jordan Butler. I don’t know if Butler showed his pro-level potential in his first year, but the toolbox was worth working with. Hopefully he can unleash his potential at the next stop.
Jordan Butler is transferring, according to multiple reports, first from PowerMizzou.com. Butler entering the transfer portal is the first of what you might consider a surprise. Butler joins Jesus Carralero, Curt Lewis and John Tonje in the portal from last season’s roster.
Losing players from a team and roster that led to an 8-24 record is nothing to shed a tear about, not when you can flip as many rosters as you can these days with the portal. But Butler was different in that he was part of Dennis Gates’ first full recruiting class and looked like he could be a building block on the roster as it evolved more into what Gates said he wanted it to be.
Butler averaged just 2.0 points and 1.9 rebounds in 11 minutes per game, his shooting never recovered, but his defense became more reliable as the season progressed. Additionally, as has been extensively documented here, continuity is a good indicator of success.
For his part, Butler seemed to take some time to think about what he wanted to do. There were still minutes on the line for next season in fifth-place Columbia, and Butler’s role as the season progressed this year grew. He’s started 13 of the last 14 games and has played double-digit minutes in all but two of those games.
Without Butler, there are only more questions at the fifth spot. The question that eluded Dennis Gates during his tenure at Mizzou. From Jamarion Sharpe to Kadin Shedrick, through the portal to now and the loss of Butler, there are more questions than answers. Newcomer Peyton Marshall looks like he’ll be ready to contribute early, but he’s still not someone you want to play more than 15-20 minutes per game. They can go small with Mark Mitchell, Aidan Shaw or Trent Pierce. But the reality is that it will take another addition via the transfer portal.
There are still a number of good options, but there aren’t many safe five triggers. Here is Matt Watkins’ list of potential targets on the RockM.plus forums. I might keep an eye on Kasean Pryor and Essam Mostafa for now. But other targets could emerge quickly.
In the meantime, good luck to Jordan Butler. I don’t know if Butler showed his pro-level potential in his first year, but the toolbox was worth working with. Hopefully he can unleash his potential at the next stop.