This is the fifth in a nine-part series on the 2004-05 Horizon League men's basketball season. Each weekday leading up to the season opener on Nov. 16, www.horizonleague.org will profile a League men's basketball team, beginning with the team picked ninth in the preseason poll on Wednesday, Nov. 3, and ending with the preseason favorite on Tuesday, Nov. 16. The regular season will tip off on Nov. 16, when Wright State plays at Tulsa in the Preseason National Invitation Tournament. All stories are courtesy of their respective school's sports information office.
Young Bulldogs Look For Old Results
2004-05 Butler squad returns eight of last year's top ten scorers
Butler's bid for an eighth straight 20-win season and an eighth consecutive trip to post-season tournament play was stymied in 2003-04. The young and largely inexperienced Bulldogs were beset by a rash of injuries that stalled the team's progress until late in the season. The Bulldogs did win 12 of their final 17 games, and recorded their 11th consecutive winning season. But the team finished out of post-season action for the first time in nearly a decade, winding up with a 16-14 final ledger and a sixth place Horizon League standing.
Butler will continue to be a young squad in 2004-05, with just one senior on the roster. Head coach Todd Lickliter will need to replace the Bulldogs' top two scorers of a year ago - Duane Lightfoot (11.9 ppg) and Mike Monserez (11.7 ppg), but he can call on eight players who saw action in at least 20 games in 2003-04.
"Although we lost four seniors from last year's squad, I feel like we're ahead of where we were a year ago because of the number of returning guys who played significant minutes," said Lickliter, now in his fourth season. "I like the chemistry of this team and the commitment our players showed in the off-season. And we're fairly diverse skill-wise."
"Our collective experience is still young. Our four returning juniors have had a couple of years together now, but the other guys have had one season or less," added the Butler coach.
The Bulldogs do return some offense this season, with eight of last year's top ten scorers back. But Lickliter sees defense as a key to Butler's hopes in 2004-05.
"Championships are won at the defensive end," said Lickliter, whose squad ranked fourth in the Horizon League in scoring margin a year ago. "Every team has defensive potential. We have a sound system, but it takes commitment and a dedicated effort to succeed."
Leading Butler's returnees are juniors Avery Sheets and Bruce Horan. Sheets, a 6-0 point-guard, started 29 games and finished as Butler's third-leading scorer with an 11.0 average a year ago. He was second on the team in assists, and he topped the squad in steals. Sheets was Butler's leading scorer in the last 10 games of the season, and he earned a spot on the Horizon League All-tournament Team. Horan, a 6-3 backcourt player, led the Bulldogs and finished second in the Horizon League in three-point field goals. He was Butler's fourth-leading scorer with a 10.6 average, while starting 29 of 30 games.
Lickliter also can call on three players who shared Butler's starting center position a year ago. Gifted sophomore Jamie Smalligan ended the season in Butler's starting lineup, while playing in all 30 games. The 7-0 center showed a soft shooting touch with exceptional range. He finished fourth on the team in three-point field goals. Junior Jeff James began the season as Butler's starting center, before giving way to 6-7, 255-pound sophomore Brian Ligon. The 6-6 James played in 28 games, including 13 as a starter, while Ligon started eight games before being sidelined for the season with a knee injury. Ligon's off-season work was limited following his knee surgery.
Additional frontcourt help will come from a pair of talented sophomores, Nick Brooks and Brandon Crone. Brooks, a 6-5 forward, played in 29 games, including two as a starter, and finished as Butler's fifth-leading scorer. He turned in a couple of his best efforts in the league tournament, including a 21-point performance against Youngstown State. The 6-6 Crone, who missed eight early games following knee surgery, played in 21 games and provided the Bulldogs with a spark off the bench late in the season.
Also back are 6-0 James Parker, Butler's lone senior, and 6-8 junior Andy Grunst. Parker played in 20 games, while Grunst saw action in nine contests last season.
The returning players will be joined by five newcomers, who could have an immediate impact. The new faces include a pair of junior transfers, Brandon Polk and Julian Betko. Polk, a 6-6 forward, helped Redlands (Okla.) Community College to a runner-up finish at the National Junior College Athletic Association national tournament in 2004. He earned first team all-conference and all-district honors, and he was named to the NJCAA All-Tournament Team. Betko, a 6-5 perimeter player, transferred from Clemson at mid-season last year, and he'll be eligible after Butler's first semester. He played in all 28 Clemson games as a freshman in 2002-03 and demonstrated a long-range shooting ability.
Rounding out Butler's 2004-05 roster are true freshmen A. J. Graves and Gary Patterson and "redshirt" freshman Drew Streicher. Graves, a 6-1 guard, and Patterson, a 5-10 guard, were teammates on the Indiana All-Star Team last summer. The younger brother of former Butler players Matthew and Andrew Graves, A. J. was runner-up for "Mr. Basketball" honors in Indiana after averaging 23.4 points at White River Valley High School. Patterson averaged 22.3 points at Bishop Noll High School, and he was named the Gary Post-Tribune Player of the Year. Both players were first team all-state performers. Streicher, a 6-7 all-conference player from Washington, Ind., High School, earned a spot on Butler's roster as a walk-on in 2003-04. He impressed Butler's coaching staff with his work ethic and his understanding of Butler's system, and he'll become a full-scholarship player for the Bulldogs next season.
