The Butler Bulldog basketball team can never have enough guards to cycle in and out of its lineup. Two incoming freshmen preferred walk-ons will occupy the two remaining spots on the 2013-14 men's basketball roster.
Carmel's Michael Volovic and New Castle's Steven Bennett are the newest proud members of the Butler basketball program and its storied history. Both are currently taking summer classes at Butler and practicing in preparation for the Bulldogs' exhibition trip and tour of Australia in August.
Michael Volovic comes highly recommended off of a stellar high school career at Carmel High School in Carmel, Indiana, a north side suburb of Indianapolis. He was a very key part in guiding Carmel to back-to-back Indiana Class 4A state championships in 2011-12 and 2012-13. The 5'9 guard scored 14.3 per game and knocked down an astounding 46.3% from three-point range as a senior. Volovic led the Greyhounds to a 25-2 record and a #1 ranking throughout most of his senior year. Carmel was 58-19 in Volovic's three-year varsity career, while he led the freshmen team to a 21-0 mark in 2009-10. Michael capped off his senior campaign by being named to the AP All-State squad and was picked to be a memer of the Indiana All-Star team.
Steven Bennett continues the New Castle High School pipeline with Butler Bulldog basketball. Bennett joins a great list of Trojan guards at Butler that extends back the last decade-plus. Chase Stigall (2009-13), Zach Hahn (2007-11), Bruce Horan (2002-06), Brandon Miller (2000-03) and Darnell Archey (1999-03) are the handful of long-range shooters from New Castle that Bennett follows in the footsteps of to continue the New Castle-Butler pipeline.
As a senior, Bennett improved his numbers to average 17.6 points and 4.6 assists per game, with nearly a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, while shooting 42% from 3-pt range. He's been quite the quality guard for the New Castle Trojans the past four seasons, helping guide them to a 60-26 record. Steven tore his ACL and patella tendon late in his junior season.
Volovic and Bennett have their work cut out for sure. With a backcourt of Alex Barlow at point guard and Kellen Dunham sliding into Rotnei Clarke's shooting guard starting role, playing time will be hard to come by, especially with these two being walk-ons. But, this only adds depth to the Butler Bulldog roster and adding these two Indiana products makes the bench even better.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Thomas Jackson elected to Butler Athletics Hall of Fame
Thomas Jackson had one of the best pairs of hands in Butler men's basketball history. Jackson is amongst five former Butler student-athletes to be elected to the Butler Athletics Hall of Fame.
Butler University started its athletics enshrinement in 1991 The 23rd Hall of Fame Class at Butler includes former Bulldog greats Steve Abbott (track and field, 1958-60), Bob Lambert (football, baseball, 1976-80), Amy (Pickett) Lamb (volleyball 1995-98), Jen Marlow (basketball, 1995-99) and Thomas Jackson (basketball, 1998-2002).
This 2013 class will be formally inducted at an afternoon ceremony on the Butler University campus on Saturday, Sept. 21 and will also be introduced at halftime of the Dartmouth vs. Butler football game later that night at the Butler Bowl.
The 5'9 Jackson used his quickness and great court awareness to surely etch his place at the top of two different statistical categories that he still holds to this day.
By the time Jackson graduated from Butler, he had become the all-time leader in both assists and steals. He had also achieved a great status of scoring over 1,000 career points and more than 500 assists, which hadn't been done previously and he's still the lone Bulldog to accomplish this feat.
Jackson, who wore the #5 with pride for four years, was named All-Horizon league 1st team twice, as well as landing himself on the All-Defensive team a pair of times. In the winter of 2001, he was named the MVP of the Hoosier Classic by tallying 14 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists to lead #23 Butler to a 66-64 victory over host Indiana. The Bulldog win snapped the Hoosiers' 39-game winning streak in the Hoosier Classic.
Thomas Jackson capped off his senior season at Butler in 2001-02 with being named the Co-award winner of Butler University's Most Outstanding Male Athlete.
Currently, the 33 year-old Jackson from East Lansing, Michigan is playing in Sweden for Uppsala Basket, where he averaged 12.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game, while knocking down 48% of his field goals during the 2012-13 season.
The Butler Bulldog men's basketball program couldn't be more proud of one of its more decorated alumni. Congratulations to Thomas Jackson on his enshrinement into the Butler Athletics Hall of Fame.
Butler University started its athletics enshrinement in 1991 The 23rd Hall of Fame Class at Butler includes former Bulldog greats Steve Abbott (track and field, 1958-60), Bob Lambert (football, baseball, 1976-80), Amy (Pickett) Lamb (volleyball 1995-98), Jen Marlow (basketball, 1995-99) and Thomas Jackson (basketball, 1998-2002).
This 2013 class will be formally inducted at an afternoon ceremony on the Butler University campus on Saturday, Sept. 21 and will also be introduced at halftime of the Dartmouth vs. Butler football game later that night at the Butler Bowl. The 5'9 Jackson used his quickness and great court awareness to surely etch his place at the top of two different statistical categories that he still holds to this day.
By the time Jackson graduated from Butler, he had become the all-time leader in both assists and steals. He had also achieved a great status of scoring over 1,000 career points and more than 500 assists, which hadn't been done previously and he's still the lone Bulldog to accomplish this feat.
Jackson, who wore the #5 with pride for four years, was named All-Horizon league 1st team twice, as well as landing himself on the All-Defensive team a pair of times. In the winter of 2001, he was named the MVP of the Hoosier Classic by tallying 14 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists to lead #23 Butler to a 66-64 victory over host Indiana. The Bulldog win snapped the Hoosiers' 39-game winning streak in the Hoosier Classic.
Thomas Jackson capped off his senior season at Butler in 2001-02 with being named the Co-award winner of Butler University's Most Outstanding Male Athlete.
Currently, the 33 year-old Jackson from East Lansing, Michigan is playing in Sweden for Uppsala Basket, where he averaged 12.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.4 steals per game, while knocking down 48% of his field goals during the 2012-13 season.
The Butler Bulldog men's basketball program couldn't be more proud of one of its more decorated alumni. Congratulations to Thomas Jackson on his enshrinement into the Butler Athletics Hall of Fame.
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