Portal Season: Men's basketball

Junior guard Kolby King became the fifth Bulldog to enter the transfer portal. Photo by Andrew Buckley.

CALEB DENORME | MANAGING EDITOR | cdenorme@butler.edu

Although the men’s basketball season ended in the second round of the College Basketball Crown, the work continues for head coach Thad Matta and staff. Graduating forwards Jahmyl Telfort, Patrick McCaffery and Pierre Brooks, along with center Andre Screen leave significant gaps in Butler’s rotation. Along with the graduates, sophomore forward Augusto Cassia, sophomore center Boden Kapke, junior guard Kolby King, junior guard Landon Moore and first-year guard Ryder Cate have all entered the transfer portal.

The transfer portal opened on March 24 and will close on April 22. Eight of Butler’s 15 players on the roster last season were acquired via the transfer portal.

With all the departures, the Bulldogs landed some portal players to replace those on the move.

The first commitment of the portal season came from former Drexel senior guard Yame Butler. The 6-foot-5 graduate began his career at Fordham before spending three years at Drexel, averaging 13.6 points, 1.8 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game last season for the Dragons. Butler started 32 of the 33 possible games last year, had the third-highest minutes-per-game on the team and shot a blistering 48.6% from the field.

The second addition came from in-state. Former Purdue Fort Wayne junior guard Jalen Jackson committed to Butler after stints with the Mastodons and University of Illinois-Chicago. The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 19.2 points on his way to being named a first-team All-Horizon League selection last season. Jackson’s main game will be taking lots of shots and leading the scoring charge, something that will need to be replaced after the departure of Telfort and Brooks.

Butler’s third portal addition of the season was senior forward Michael Ajayi. The former Gonzaga forward spent time at Pierce College and Pepperdine before joining the Zags last season. In 2023-24 with Pepperdine, Ajayi led the West Coast Conference in scoring with an average of 17.1 points per game and earned First Team All-Conference honors. Last season with Gonzaga, Ajayi started 13 games averaging 6.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. Although his playing time was diminished at Gonzaga, Ajayi will likely be a routine starter for the Bulldogs come fall.

Sophomore center Drayton Jones committed to the Bulldogs on April 15, finally filling a major need for Butler. Up until Jones’ commitment, the Dawgs did not have a center on the roster after the graduation of Screen and transfer of Kapke and Cassia. The 6-foot-11 Houston native averaged 13 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game last season for South Carolina State. Jones now fills a glaring need for Butler and will likely slot into the starting lineup to protect and attack the rim.

Butler will also have a new crop of young Dawgs joining the ranks next season, with Azavier Robinson, Jack McCaffery, Jackson Keith and Efeosa Oliogu coming in as first-years. The Bulldogs have one open spot remaining after Jones’ arrival.