David Woods

david.woods@indystar.com

UPDATE:

On Thursday, Butler men's basketball officially welcomed George Washington transfer Paul Jorgensen to the Bulldogs roster. Jorgensen will have to sit out the 2016-17 season, but will have two years of eligibility remaining.

“Paul is an important addition to our roster and will be a great fit for our locker room,” Chris Holtmann said in a news release. “We expect him to provide experience and toughness to what will be a very young backcourt. He is competitive, versatile and has played in a winning program.”

REPORTED EARLIER:

Paul Jorgensen is bringing his New York accent to Hinkle Fieldhouse but said he is leaving New York streetball behind.

The 6-2 point guard announced Wednesday he is transferring from George Washington to Butler. He visited Butler’s campus this week and chose the Bulldogs over Hofstra and Northeastern.

He must sit out next season and will have two years of eligibility, beginning in 2017-18.

The native of New City, N.Y., picked up nicknames like “The Prince Harry of Harlem” and “White Jesus” on New York City playgrounds. He averaged 17.8 points a game as a senior at Don Bosco Prep in Ramsey, N.J.

“I really don’t want to use those (nicknames) anymore, truthfully,” Jorgensen said in a phone interview. “Going forward, I want to be a great point guard, a college point guard, fundamentally sound and all that. But I had my fun.”

Jorgensen becomes the second player on the Butler roster to transfer from George Washington. The other is Kethan Savage, who sat out this past season and is projected to take over as a starting guard in 2016-17. Jorgensen called Savage “a great teammate” and looks forward to reuniting with him.

Jorgensen said leaving George Washington was a difficult decision but that he was looking for a change in offensive style and to “be around different people.” He was also influenced to be in the same city with his mother, Anne Jorgensen, a director of neonatal advanced practice at Riley Hospital for Children.

He said it was “definitely a factor” that the Bulldogs are in the Big East with regular trips to the East Coast, including the Big East tournament at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

“Growing up, Butler was the school that I always wanted and dreamed about playing there,” said Jorgensen, who was 13 when the Bulldogs went to their first Final Four in 2010.

He is young for his class and won’t turn 20 until July 21.

Jorgensen averaged 4.9 points and 2.1 assists for a 28-10 Colonials team that won the National Invitation Tournament. He had an 81-to-43 assist-to-turnover ratio and was third on the team in assists. His 15.7 minutes a game were the most by a non-starter, but that declined to 8.4 during five NIT games.

He had a larger role earlier, averaging 8.7 points over the first 12 games. Jorgensen scored 10 points in a Nov. 15 upset of Virginia and a career-high 16 in the Colonials’ next game (Nov. 19) against South Florida.

Jorgensen fits a Butler need for an experienced point guard in two years. The 2017-18 depth chart had included only two genuine backcourt players: incoming freshman Kamar Baldwin and committed recruit Cooper Neese, who is a high school junior.

The Bulldogs have been active in the transfer market. Another transfer, Memphis guard Avery Woodson, also committed to Butler. The Bulldogs have one more scholarship available but could apply that to the 2017 recruiting class.

Jorgensen will be the Bulldogs’ first player from New York state since Dean Edwards of Olean, N.Y., in 1991-92. Edwards transferred to Rider after one season.

Call IndyStar reporter David Woods at (317) 444-6195. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidWoods007.