How will Butler get Tyler Lewis engaged?

This past June, Tyler Lewis had his most impressive moment at historic Hinkle Fieldhouse. No, not leading the Bulldogs to victory, nor making a stellar pass to woo the Butler faithful. Instead, he proposed to his long time girlfriend at center court in a painfully cheesy, yet still awesome manner. Here’s the clip for all you romantics out there:

An engagement is great and all, but I'm sure many Butler fans were expecting much more from the point guard out of Statesville, North Carolina. After all, Lewis is the first McDonald’s All-American to ever play for the Bulldogs. His road to Butler has been anything but smooth, but he’s hoping his final season in Indianapolis will be the one where everything falls into place.

Coming out of Oak Hill, Tyler Lewis was one of the nation’s most sought after high school prospects. Leading his team to a national championship and an undefeated 44-0 season, it was tough to ignore the crafty but scrawny point guard. Although he sported a lack of athleticism, his ability to create off the dribble was remarkable. His tremendous passing and court vision didn't go unnoticed as he attracted the attention of numerous major programs. Lewis eventually went on to sign with NC State, however things became problematic rather quickly.

In the fall of 2012, NC State fired head coach Sidney Lowe, thus eliminating the connection that had led Lewis to join the program in the first place. Without his head coach, the 5’11 guard struggled to find his role for the Wolf Pack. After two disappointing seasons at NC State, Lewis transferred to Butler.

A new start was just what he needed, but Tyler Lewis seemed to still have difficulty finding his place last season for the Bulldogs. Starting just 16 games and dealing with a concussion late in the year, Lewis’ role seemed to reduce more and more as the season went on. However entering the 2016-17 campaign, he appears to be Butler’s sole option to start at point guard. With the departures of Kellen Dunham and Roosevelt Jones, head coach Chris Holtmann will look towards Lewis and forward Kelan Martin to step up and lead his team. The last time Tyler Lewis had a leading role, he dominated and didn’t allow his team to lose a single game. I’m not so sure that’ll be the outcome here, but maybe the increased pressure will help him get back to being the player that NC State (and now Butler) fans had initially hoped he would be.

Sure, his stats haven't been up to par with that of a McDonald’s All-American, but Lewis can make up for that this season in Indianapolis. Chris Holtmann and the Bulldogs desperately need Lewis to be a main contributor if they want to find a winning formula once again. Don’t look for Lewis to put up crazy scoring numbers, that’s not his game. But if he can successfully run Butler’s offense and act as the quarterback for their somewhat offensively-depleted lineup, Holtmann will be pleased.

Butler Bulldog fans should be praying that Tyler Lewis rediscovers the competitive edge that has seemed to slowly fade away from him over the last few seasons. Because if that cocky guard from Statesville, N.C. wakes up and returns to the court this winter, the rest of the Big East could be in a whole lot of trouble.

(See said competitive and cocky guard below)