Getting to know an incoming transfer: Kethan Savage

The backcourt of the Butler Bulldogs took a huge hit this offseason. Both Roosevelt Jones and Kellen Dunham, two key guards for the Bulldogs, graduated and later departed the program. The big hit will be Jones, a 'point forward' who had exceptional handles, allowing him to play more than just one position for Butler. Tyler Lewis started last year at the point guard spot and he is expected to start again heading into his senior year.

Luckily for Butler, they secured a guard last year to play this following season.

Last April, the Bulldogs announced that they will be bringing transfer Kethan Savage from George Washington. Due to NCAA rules, Savage wasn't allowed to play this season but is eligible to play this upcoming season. With him expected to play more of the shooting guard and small forward position, look for Savage to play more like Jones did at Butler. He has the built similar to Butler's leading rebounder from the previous year.

Savage was previously at George Washington for three years, helping the Colonials make the NIT tournament. He piled up averages of 11.7 points and 4.8 rebounds last year for GWU, and the double-digit average from Savage is impressive considering that he came off the bench the last part of the season. He experienced sort of a down year last year with a lot of his stats like shooting percentage experiencing a drop.

At 6'3, Savage may be a little bit small for a combo guard/forward role but he makes up for the lack of size with his strength and quickness. Out of the two guards in Dunham and Jones that left Butler, Savage will play more like the latter. A small but very built forward who can control the ball coming up the court and can put it in the basket.

When Butler announced his transfer last year, this was an obvious move for the future. He is likely to play point guard for the Bulldogs but with Lewis likely to still be there, Savage might have to be comfortable playing in a backup role. With his lack of size, Butler probably won't be able to play him and Lewis alongside together. The defensive mismatch, especially with a team that has size at the guard spot, would be too great for Chris Holtmann to attempt.

But even with that, Savage would still be a good ball handler to bring off the bench. We have seen before that a player coming off the bench for Butler can make a huge impact, just ask Kelan Martin. Savage could be that guy.

Losing both Jones and Dunham is a huge blow to the Bulldogs offensively. But they knew this heading into last year and Butler did something about it. Securing Savage could be a good move for depth at the backup spot behind Lewis. He can be effective in that role. After he sat out a year to help him learn more about the Butler offense, let's see how good he can be.