Zak Keefer

zak.keefer@indystar.com

The spring and summer storyline for the Butler basketball team, as the revolving doors at Hinkle Fieldhouse continue to swing, might as well read like this: Addition by subtraction.

"It's a great day to be a Bulldog!" is coach Brandon Miller's customary Twitter response to news the Bulldog family has welcomed a new addition.

Indeed, it has been a great spring on the Butler recruiting front.

Beyond the renovations that currently have Hinkle Fieldhouse under the knife, Miller and his coaching staff has, piece by piece, retooled their roster heading into the program's second season in the Big East.

Five players have departed the program since the Bulldogs fell in their Big East Tournament opener to Seton Hall back in March, each off to a different school, a different team, a different opportunity. And since, five more have signed up: First it was Tyler Lewis, transferring from North Carolina State. Then Indiana transfer Austin Etherington. Then Lexington, Ky. high school senior Jackson Davis.

Then, in just the past week and a half, the first two pieces to Butler's 2015 puzzle: Cincinnati Moeller (a high school that's been very good to Butler in the past) big man Nate Fowler, and just this past weekend, Sean McDermott from nearby Pendleton Heights, a younger, rawer version of current Bulldog Kellen Dunham. (Perhaps it's no coincidence they hail from the same high school.)

Stack the players that left the program on one side, and the players coming in on another, and the results are plain as day: The Bulldogs got better.

Considering the noticeable deficiencies on a roster that wasn't deep enough for its debut season in the Big East – not to mention not big enough – Butler addressed its glaring weaknesses. The process is far from over, but if the Bulldogs were going to measure up in the Big East, they needed to start recruiting like a Big East team.

It's early, but if the past three months are an indication of what's to come, that's what they are doing.

Compare Butler's recent recruiting run – five players since April – with its two in-state neighbors. Indiana has welcomed two unranked and unheralded prospects, Jeremiah April and Tim Priller. Purdue was better, but not by much, welcoming in a pair of three-stars in P.J. Thompson and Ryan Cline.

With five players choosing to continue their careers elsewhere, Butler's roster required more maintenance. A look at what the Bulldogs have lost since last season and what they have gained:

Lost to graduation:

+ Khyle Marshall: 14.9 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 53% from the field.

More than any pertinent statistics, Marshall's leadership will be grossly missed by this year's Butler squad. For any shortcomings he brought to the court – no, it's not ideal having a 6-6 wing forward as your best interior post presence – Marshall was a senior. He played like it. He led like it. The Bulldogs could have used a few more Marshalls last season, especially amid a flood of close games they dropped to begin Big East play. The only thing the Bulldogs won't miss when it comes to Khyle Marshall was his free throw shooting.

+ Erik Fromm: 5.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 25% from 3-point range.

His statistics never wowed you, and his unreliable 3-point shooting hurt the Bulldogs at times. But say this much for Erik Fromm: He was as selfless as they come. He lost his starting spot to a freshman – Andrew Chrabascz –in late January and never batted an eye. "Whatever's best for the team," Fromm told Miller after he was told he'd be coming off the bench. It's hard to quantify that sort of team-first mentality, but ask any coach: You can't have too much of it.

Lost to transfer:

+ Elijah Brown (transferring to New Mexico)

+ Nolan Berry (undecided; hearing from St. Louis and Florida Gulf Coast)

+ Devontae Morgan (undecided; deciding between Siena and James Madison)

+ Rene Castro (transferring to Duquesne)

Of the five departures to the roster since the season ended (throw in walk-on Michael Volovic, who is headed to DII Florida Southern) the only one that really stings if you're a Bulldog fan is Brown, who was equally masterful and maddening during his freshman season. He put on display his brimming talent against some of the stiffest competition the Bulldogs faced all season: 15 points against No. 5 Oklahoma State in Orlando and 19 points against No. 11 Villanova on New Year's Eve. He was often a bolt of lightning off the bench, capable of dropping a flurry of baskets in quick succession to ignite a Butler offense that too offense stagnated.

But Brown was consistent only in his inconsistency: He turnover-prone, a defensive liability and his shot-selection grew especially puzzling as the season wore on. But a 6-6 athletic combo guard oozing with potential, Brown's up-and-down rookie campaign left you with one, overarching impression: If he were able to put it all together, he could one day be an All-Big East player.

All he needed, it seemed, was time.

But Brown didn't want to wait. Eyeing two more seasons playing behind Kellen Dunham and Roosevelt Jones, he chose to transfer. Brown wavered on the decision for months. He liked Butler, liked his teammates, liked the coaching staff. At first, initially after the season, he'd made up his mind: He would stay. He'd even begun offseason workouts with the coaches.

A month later Brown informed Miller he'd changed his mind. It took just one visit on the campus of the University of New Mexico for Brown to decide Albuquerque would be his next stop.

As for Castro and Berry, neither ever offered consistent convincing they could one day be productive Big East players. Castro was supposed to be the floor leader of the future; that notion fizzled quickly, as he was suspended multiple times and never gelled with Butler's system. He lasted just 12 games in a Bulldog uniform before announcing he would transfer in the middle of February.

Berry, conversely, found his playing time scarce, and when he did play, it was readily apparent he had a long way to go when it came to producing in the Big East. If Berry had stayed at Butler, I wouldn't have been surprised if he lost some of his minutes this coming season to the likes of incoming freshmen Jackson Davis and Tyler Wideman.

On their way in:

No coach in the state of Indiana has enjoyed a better spring recruiting run than Butler's Brandon Miller. This much was certain, following the roster turnover Miller faced after his first season concluded: There was work to be done.

So he hit the recruiting trail, and two months later, the results look like this: The first high school All-American to commit to the Bulldogs in program history, the first-ever transfer from in-state rival Indiana, a significant last-minute recruiting win over an SEC school and, just in the past week, the first two pieces of the team's 2015 class.

One by one, Miller has augmented a roster that wasn't Big East-ready last season. The Bulldogs ran seven-deep; they needed eight or nine. Butler had only one go-to scorer, Kellen Dunham; they needed two or three. They lacked the size to battle down low with the likes of Villanova, Georgetown and Marquette; they needed to bulk up.

A look at the new additions:

+ North Carolina State point guard Tyler Lewis was the first to sign on, telling Miller in early April he wanted to finish his college career with the Bulldogs. A former high school All-American at acclaimed Oak Hill Academy, Lewis will sit out the 2014-15 season before having two years of eligibly remaining.

"He believes I can be the guy to run the team," Lewis said after committing.

This was a significant pick-up for Miller for a couple of reasons: Firstly, it filled the Point Guard of the Future role vacated by Castro's transfer. Even more, it certainly had to help in Miller's subsequent pitches to recruits: A pass-first point guard with two years of big-time college experience was already on board.

+ Three weeks later, Indiana transfer Austin Etherington visited the Butler campus and quickly made up his mind: He'd finish his college career 50 miles up SR-37. With it, Etherington became the first player ever to transfer from IU to Butler.

While not the prolific scorer he was in high school at nearby Hamilton Heights, Etherington, after graduating this past May, can play immediately and has two seasons left of eligibility. A talented shooter, Etherington can spell Kellen Dunham and still provide an offensive spark – something the Bulldogs sorely lacked at times last season. A long-range threat coming off the bench was something the Bulldogs were sorely lacking last season.

That, and most significantly when it comes to Etherington, he's a veteran who will be content with whatever role Miller gives him.

"I definitely had an idea that Butler was going to be a good fit for me, but once I got to the campus and sat down with the coaches, it was a no-brainer for me," Etherington said after committing.

"We are excited about the addition of Austin," Miller said. "He brings versatility, skill and great experience to our team, and he fits our program and university in every way."

+ Miller's biggest recruiting win this spring came a week later, when Lexington, Ky. senior Jackson Davispicked the Bulldogs over Alabama and Rice. Not only does Davis add more punch to a 2014 recruiting class that already includes Kelan Martin and Tyler Wideman, he boasts one of the most coveted traits the Bulldog coaches were chasing during the spring recruiting period: Size.

At 6-foot-8 and 220 pounds, Davis will pair with Wideman and Andrew Chrabascz to form the Bulldogs' frontcourt of the future. He's also skilled, coming off a senior season in which he averaged 24.6 points, 13.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game.

+ Additionally, Miller added the first two pieces of his 2015 recruiting class in the last week. First, Cincinnati Moeller big man Nate Fowler (who comes in a t 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds with shoes on) gave the Butler coach a verbal commitment. Pendleton Heights senior-to-be Sean McDermott made it two in five days with his own pledge last Friday.

Even with two scholarships still available for the coming season – the Bulldogs may choose not to fill them – Butler is well-positioned to surprise in a Big East that will take a step back from last season. Creighton's offense will miss all-world Doug McDermott. Xavier will be without its top two scorers from last season, Semaj Christon and Justin Martin. St. John's lost Jakarr Sampson to the NBA Draft.

Thus, the door is open.

The only question: Have the Bulldogs found the right pieces to make a jump?

Here's a look at what I expect the Bulldogs' rotation to look like next season:

Guard

Starter: Alex Barlow, Senior, 6.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.0 apg, 32.9 mpg

Back-up: Jackson Aldridge, Senior, 1.6 ppg, 0.5 rpg, 7.5 mpg

Tyler Lewis, Junior, 4.4 ppg, 1.3 rpg, 19.9 mpg (Will sit out 2014-15 season after transferring from NC State)

Guard

Starter: Kellen Dunham, Junior, 16.3 ppg; 4.0 rpg; 36.1 mpg. 2nd-team All-Big East.

Back-up: Austin Etherington, Junior, 2.0 ppg, 1.6 rpg last season at IU.

Forward

Starter: Roosevelt Jones, Junior, 10.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 30.8 mpg (2012-13 statistics)

Back-up: Kelan Martin, Freshman, 22.8 ppg last season at Louisville Ballard H.S.

Forward

Starter: Kameron Woods, Senior, 7.5 ppg, 9.0 rpg (led Big East), 33.4 mpg

Back-up: Jackson Davis, Freshman, 24.6 ppg, 13.8 rpg, 2.3 bpg at Lafayette H.S.

Forward

Starter: Andrew Chrabascz, Sophomore, 6.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 19.1 mpg

Back-up: Tyler Wideman, Freshman, 15.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg last season at Lake Central H.S.

Call Star reporter Zak Keefer at (317) 444-6134 and follow him on Twitter: @zkeefer.





In other news...

Hinkle seats for sale

Butler, in accordance with the People for Urban Progress (PUP) will be selling several hundred seats that were recently removed from Hinkle Fieldhouse as part of the ongoing renovations.

The seats will cost $100 each.

The sale for season-ticket holders is from 1-5 p.m. on Friday, June 6, at the CUE Farm on Butler's campus, located next to the intramural fields west of 52nd street and Boulevard Place. Seats will be sold to the general public on Saturday.

Speaking of the renovation, I have to thank graduate assistant Emerson Kampen for the tour of Hinkle Fieldhouse Tuesday afternoon.

Here's a photographic update on how the facility looks mid-makeover:

Andrew Smith update

Samantha Smith, wife of former Butler player Andrew Smith, offers another heartfelt blog post on her husband's ongoing battle with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. The couple recently spent four weeks straight in the hospital.

Brandon Miller basketball camp

Registration remains open for the Brandon Miller Basketball Camps, which kick off next week. Due to the ongoing renovations at Hinkle Fieldhouse, the camps will be held at Best Choice Fieldhouse in Fishers.

Call Star reporter Zak Keefer at (317) 444-6134 and follow him on Twitter: @zkeefer.