Butler's Blue II passes away, leaves legacy

Blue II became one of the more iconic mascots in college basketball since his incision as the live version of the Butler Bulldogs' nickname. Blue II will now look on from above, as he passed away on August 31st of congestive heart failure.

He lived
a very fulfilled life as Butler University's athletics mascot fo
r his whole life, dating back to 2004 and ending with the final athletic events of the 2012-13 calendar. On May 20, 2013, Blue II officially retired from his active duties as mascot of the Butler Bulldogs, but gave the reigns to Blue III, who will be known as "Trip" on Friday, March 9 at the final regular season home game against Xavier.

Trip made appearances throughout the remainder of Butler's spring sports calendar.

Blue II became an instant celebrity when Butler's men's basketball team wore Cinderella's slippers to their fullest during their 2010 and 2011 NCAA Tournament runs all the way to the National Championship game each year.

Blue suffered from dilated cardiomyopathy, which affects both the right and left sides of the heart, which decided Blue II's ultimate fate on August 31.

Upon his retirement as Butler's live mascot, Blue II had the privilege of walking across the stage at the May 2013 Butler commencement ceremonies, putting his stamp of approval on the spring semester's Butler University graduates.

He was owned by Butler University's Director of Web Marketing, Michael Kaltenmark, who is a 2002 Butler grad.  

Butler releases 2013-14 schedule; face challenges in new Big East

Joining the Big East is going to be an amazing thing for Butler University as a whole, especially the things it will do for men's basketball now and in the coming years. Two years removed from playing in the Horizon League and now just months have passed since the Bulldogs' final play in their lone season in the Atlantic 10 conference, Butler has quite a challenge ahead in the 2013-14 men's basketball season under first-season head coach Brandon Miller.

Butler has two exhibition games on the slate for the pre-season. Nova Southeastern visits the Bulldogs on Tuesday, October 29 and DePauw will make the short drive from Greencastle, Indiana on Saturday, November 2.

The Bulldogs have a somewhat unique non-conference slate, as they'll start off the regular season hosting Lamar (Nov. 9), Princeton (Nov. 16) and Vanderbilt (Nov. 19). They'll cap off their first two weeks of the season with a Saturday afternoon affair in a trip just an hour north of Butler's Indianapolis campus at Ball State in Muncie, Indiana on November 23 at 2 p.m.

Thanksgiving weekend, Butler will participate in the eight-team 2013 Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Florida at Walt Disney World's Wide World of Sports Complex. The Bulldogs meet up with Washington State in their first game of the Old Spice Classic on Thursday, November 28. Their second round opponent will either be Purdue or Oklahoma State. Depending on how the matchups shape up, BU has a chance to play Memphis, Siena, LSU or St. Joseph's, all four of which are on the other half of the bracket.

Following the Thanksgiving break, home dates with North Dakota (Dec. 7) and Manchester (Dec. 9) help the Dawgs open the month of December. Saturday, December 14, Butler will play Purdue, in what could be their second meeting of the season, at Banker's Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The neutral site contest with the Purdue Boilermakers is set for a 6 p.m. tipoff as the second of two games in the Close the Gap: Crossroads Classic. Notre Dame and Indiana face off in the first game at 3:15 p.m. that day.

Just before the Bulldogs take time for Christmas break, they take a trip to Evansville to play the Purple Aces at 3:05 p.m. on Saturday, December 21. The New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) makes a trip from the Garden State to Hinkle Fieldhouse on Saturday, December 28 at 1 p.m.

Big East conference season starts out the way Butler hoped it would, with a long-time conference power in the Villanova Wildcats on New Years Eve at 7:30 p.m.

Hitting the road in the 10-team Big East might be the biggest challenge, other than replacing the play of injured forward Roosevelt Jones.

Road trips to Xavier (Jan. 4), Creighton (Jan. 14), Providence (Jan. 21), Seton Hall (Jan. 29), Marquette (Feb. 4), Georgetown (Feb. 8), St. John's (Feb. 18), Villanova (Feb. 26) and DePaul (Mar. 6) will provide more than enough test for the 2013-14 version of Butler Bulldog basketball.

Along with the aforementioned home games with Lamar, Princeton, Vanderbilt, Manchester, North Dakota and NJIT, Butler also hosts a pretty hefty group of Big East foes. Villanova (Dec. 31) becomes the first to grace Hinkle Fieldhouse with its Big East tradition. DePaul (Jan. 9), Georgetown (Jan. 11), Marquette (Jan. 18), St. John's (Jan. 25), Creighton (Feb. 13), Providence (Feb. 23) and Seton Hall (Mar. 8) will all be making their first trips to Indianapolis as Big East opponents of  Butler.

As per usual tradition in college basketball, the Big East conference tournament will once again be held at the world's oldest basketball arena, Madison Square Garden, from March 12-15.

Xavier (Feb. 11) will make its second trip in as many years and fourth time playing Butler, as the two were also Atlantic 10 conference opponents in the 2012-13 season. Prior to last season, Butler and Xavier would play every other year on each school's home court.

Overall, Butler faces a very challenging schedule, but there have been many times in the past that the Bulldogs have overcome obstacles and beaten teams that the critics and so-called experts had not even given them a chance. Hinkle Fieldhouse will host a total of 17 games, including nine Big East tilts. Brandon Miller and his squad also will play 4 four neutral site games, three in Orlando, and the other against Purdue just miles away at Banker's Life Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis.

Nine road games in the league, plus trips to Ball State and Evansville will only make this particular Butler team that much better. As of today (Sept. 18), there are just 42 days until the Bulldogs welcome Nova Southeastern on October 29!

For anything and everything Butler basketball, come back to the Butler Bulldogs college basketball page at examiner.com!

Roosevelt Jones recovering well following off-season surgery

Butler junior small forward Roosevelt Jones unfortunately didn't have a choice in the matter, but will be missing the entire 2013-14 Butler Bulldog men's basketball season. His surgery took place on Thursday, August 22 in Indianapolis.

Jones incidentally fell on his left wrist during Butler's first exhibition contest in Australia against the Norths Bears in early August and was held out of the remaining three games in the Bulldogs' trip. Upon Butler's return to Indianapolis, Jones was examined further and doctors determined that surgery was in fact necessary.

The 6'4 junior is Butler's top returner statistically in points (10.1), rebounds (5.6) and assists (3.5). It will be quite a hit on both ends of the court for first-year head coach Brandon Miller, as he'll attempt to take off right where Brad Stevens left things when Stevens jaunted off to the NBA to coach the Boston Celtics.

Roosevelt started all 36 games for Butler in 2012-13 and 31 as a freshman during 2011-12. That streak will come to an end with Jones' absence from the BU lineup this winter.

Brandon Miller will look further down his roster to veteran guys like Khyle Marshall (6'6), Kameron Woods (6'9) and Erik Fromm (6'8), who are all projected starters now, to pick up Jones' on-court production. Also in the mix to help make up for Jones on the court will be freshmen Nolan Berry (6'10) and Andrew Chrabascz (6'7).

Butler forward Roosevelt Jones to miss season with injury

Butler's recent trip to Australia brought and many positives and also some negatives for the upcoming Bulldog season. Unfortunately, the biggest negative wasn't that Butler lost the final two of their four game exhibition tour by 39 and 24 points, respectively.

The biggest negative to come out of the Australian tour was a season-ending wrist injury in the first game to junior small forward Roosevelt Jones (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon).

Jones has torn ligaments in his left wrist and it has already been determined that he'll miss the entire 2013-14 season.

The Bulldogs will certainly miss his 10.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per contest, but as per usual, someone will be called upon off the Butler bench and will do whatever it takes to replace Jones' production.

Head coach Brandon Miller will definitely have some other tricks up his sleeve than he originally was prepared for with the absence of Jones in the starting lineup.

With 6'8 senior Erik Fromm (Bloomington, IN/South), 6'6 senior Khyle Marshal (Davie, FL/Flanagan) and 6'9 junior Kameron Woods (Louisville, KY/Eastern) penciled in as the starting frontcourt for the Bulldogs, we should be seeing more youth come up off the bench, adding just that much more depth for the 2013-14 version of Butler Bulldog basketball.

Two freshman will be where Miller turns to rotate into the lineup to give the three aforementioned forwards. Nolan Berry (St. Louis/De Smet) stands at 6'10 and Andrew Chrabascz helps beef up the Bulldog frontcourt at 6'7.

Time will tell what kind of scheme Brandon Miller and his coaching staff will come up with to replace the offensive leadership and defensive prowess of Jones.

Bulldogs fall to Cairns Taipans in Australian trip finale

For the second game in a row on their four-game Australia trip, Butler found itself in a hole that they couldn’t dig themselves out of. The Cairns Taipans took advantage of their lull by the Bulldogs and ran away with a 97-73 win in the Sunday exhibition contest with Butler.

Cairns was up 14-12 early and closed out the first period with a 14-6 run to push the lead to 28-18 after the first 10 minutes.

The Bulldogs took the second quarter 22-20, but were still down by a 48-40 count at halftime.

Butler's offense fell flat in the third frame, as they were dominated 25-12 and Cairns distanced themselves from the Bulldogs for a 73-52 deficit.

Cairns Taipans held Butler in-check for the final quarter, outscoring the Bulldogs 24-21 to win going away by a final margin of 24 points, 97-73.

Once again, Butler's leading scorer was sophomore Kellen Dunham (Pendleton, IN/Pendleton Heights) tying with a game-high 16, just as he did on Saturday versus the Australian National team. Seniors Erik Fromm (Bloomington, IN/South) and Khyle Marshall (Davie, FL/Flanagan) continued their steady contributions in starting roles, both putting up 13 points. Freshman Andrew Chrabascz (Portsmouth, RI/Cushing Academy) found himself in the frontcourt rotation against Cairns Taipans. The 6'7, 205 pound frosh chipped in eight points, while Kameron Woods (Louisville, KY/Eastern) grabbed seven boards for the second consective game, while also scoring four.

Alex Loughton tied Dunham with a game-high 16 points to lead the Taipans. They were also able to get Cameron Tragardh (15), Clint Steindl (13) and Mitch Young (11) into double-figures. 

It was a tough two games in a 24-hour span. Losing 96-57 to the Australian National Team on Saturday, Butler turned around on Sunday and matched up with Cairns Taipans of the National Basketball League of Australia. On one hand, playing against international professional players will only help the Butler Bulldogs as they enter their first season as a member of the Big East conference. On the other hand,

Head coach Brandon Miller, along with his staff and players will spend a couple more days sight-seeing and will head home on Wednesday, August 14th to Indianapolis.

Australian Boomers blow out Butler

It may be exhibition basketball, but the Butler Bulldogs had no intention of losing at all on this Australian trip. The Australian Boomers, who are the Australian National Team, took advantage of its own good shooting and downed Butler in Canberra, 96-57.

The Boomers were in complete control from the opening tip. Jumping out to a 23-9 advantage, they extended the lead to 33-11. Butler made their best push to close out the first half, going on a 21-14 run to somewhat narrow the gap to 47-32 at halftime.

The Australian Boomers continued their dominance throughout the second half by outscoring Butler 49-25 on the way to a 39-point drubbing of the Bulldogs.

There are reasons that the Australian Boomers are in fact the national basketball team of Australia. They compete heavily in FIBA and World Championships year after year, as well as being right up there in contention for Olympic medals every four years.

Current San Antonio Spurs guard Patty Mills, along with Joe Ingles, led the Boomers with a game-high 17 points each. Luke Nevill added 14 and former Valparaiso player Ryan Broekhoff chipped in 12. Shooting 53% overall and 42% from beyond-the-arc, the Australian Boomers seemed to have no trouble in holding Butler in-check for 40 minutes.

Kellen Dunham was the leading scorer for the Bulldogs with a team-high 16 points, while Erik Fromm, Nolan Berry and Khyle Marshall each pitched in seven point apiece. Kameron Woods was able to grab seven rebounds.

Butler makes its fourth and final stop on their trip in Cairns to take to the hardwood with the Cairns Taipans on Sunday, August 11.

Butler rallies to defeat Sydney Kings

Butler
knew this exhibition trip to Australia wouldn't be an easy one, which is a big reason why they decided to take such an adventure. The Bulldogs improved to 2-0 in Australia and escaped with an 82-76 victory in comeback fashion, thanks to solid play from the starters and a few nice surprises off the bench.

Down 19-16 after the first period and 43-37 at half, head coach Brandon Miller made some adjustments and his Bulldogs outscored the Sydney Kings 45-33 in the final two quarters.
The Sydney Kings may have gotten three players to score 18-plus points, but it was Butler's consistent scoring from its starters and a few key members off the bench that fueled the second half takeover.

James Harvey of the Sydney Kings led all with a game-high 20 points, while Brad Hill had 19 and Tom Garlepp added 18 points, four boards and three blocks. Jarred Weeks (8) and Ben Allen (6) accounted for the rest of SK's points.

The Kings kept themselves afloat mainly by knocking down 28 of their 36 free throw attempts (78%). A dismal 4-of-17 from the three-point line (24%) played a big part in their second half collapse.

Butler had a pretty balanced scoring attack, mainly from 4/5 of its starting five. Erik Fromm produced another great game with a team-high 18 points on 6-for-14 shooting. Khyle Marshall put together a smooth display with 14 points and 7 rebounds, while nailing six of his eight attempts from the floor. Kameron Woods had a double-double, scoring 11 points and bringing down 15 rebounds to go along with three assists and a pair of blocks. Kellen Dunham didn't shoot well at all, but still was able to get himself into double-digit scoring with 10 points. Dunham surely has the green light to shoot at-will, but was 5-for-22 overall and a disappointing 0-of-11 from three-point range.

Even with the game being close throughout, Miller hesitated none is utilizing every bit of his bench. The Bulldogs were able to get 29 points off the bench, almost duplicating their bench play (31 points) in Tuesday's win over Norths Bears.

The coming home party for Jackson Aldridge got even better in Butler's second game of the tour. He scored 11 points in just 17 minutes of action off the bench.

Devontae Morgan pitched in with seven points, four rebounds and three steals. Freshman Elijah Brown (Los Angeles, CA/Mater Dei), son of Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown, had six points on a couple field goals. Andrew Smeathers (3) and Andrew Chrabascz (2) rounded out Butler's scoring. Rene Castro, Michael Volovic, Elliot Kampen, Nolan Berry and Steven Bennett all played, but did not score.

One thing that wasn't addressed following Tuesday's win over Norths Bears was the injury to junior Roosevelt Jones. He left their trip-opening win with an injury to his left wrist and was forced to sit out. Jones' status is uncertain for the remaining two games of the Australian tour.

Next on the exhibition slate for Butler is the Australian National Team called the Canberra Boomers. This is where things could get interesting on the trip. The Boomers have four players that could pose quite a test for the Bulldogs. One good thing is that they're pretty familiar with former Saint Louis forward Cody Ellis, as they faced him three different times in Atlantic 10 play this past season. Recent St. Mary's grad Matthew Dellavedova is also on the Canberra roster. They also have a little NBA flavor with a couple San Antonio Spurs in Patrick "Patty" Mills (Indigenous Australia/St. Mary's) and Aron Baynes (Gisborne, New Zealand/Washington State).

Butler and Canberra will take to the court in Canberra against the Australian National Team on Saturday, August 10.