Butler (4-11) takes on fellow 6th region opponent Western (5-5) in a 1st round game in the LIT which begins Monday. Butler has lost 4 straight, but the final two have come against the Top ranked teams in the 6th region in Doss & PRP. Those losses were not close games, but this game should be much closer. Who wins?

I'll take Suda E Butler

Butler lost their best player, and I bel 2 other contributors for the year. I'll say Western.

I agree with Northstar, the loss of William Johnson is to much to over come for the Bears. Western in a close one.

Butler lost their best player, and I bel 2 other contributors for the year. I'll say Western.

 

Not sure if it was as big an impact as it appears on paper. They were 2-5 with him and have been 2-6 without. A win over Bullitt East with him, and a win over KCD without. I suspect short term they may lose more games without him this season. However, I would suggest the staff looked at it as it being a move made with long term benefits.

I will take Western... Why is Johnson done for the year with Butler?

Not sure if it was as big an impact as it appears on paper. They were 2-5 with him and have been 2-6 without. A win over Bullitt East with him, and a win over KCD without. I suspect short term they may lose more games without him this season. However, I would suggest the staff looked at it as it being a move made with long term benefits.

 

 

Is KCD a good win? Really?

Is KCD a good win? Really?

 

They (KCD) are much better than they usually are. Three really good players including Anthony Mathis who is one of the Top 2017 guards in the state, Malik McCray, and another player in Ferguson. They lost to Eastern by 5, DeSales by 3, and were within 3 points of Ballard with a minute to go while eventually losing by 10. They could be a threat to win the All "A" Classic in Frankfort. So yes, I would consider that a good win, but maybe not as good a win over Bullitt East obviously.

I will take Western... Why is Johnson done for the year with Butler?

 

Not sure whose decision, but he and the coaching staff have parted ways is what I heard.

I agree with Northstar, the loss of William Johnson is to much to over come for the Bears. Western in a close one.

 

 

If big boy was there....would consider butler a lock.....I'll still take them without him, though.

I'll take Western. I heard they kicked off like 6 varsity players, and are basically playing with a JV team. I don't know what happened, but it had to be something for the coach to basically gut his varsity squad.

I'll take Western. I heard they kicked off like 6 varsity players, and are basically playing with a JV team. I don't know what happened, but it had to be something for the coach to basically gut his varsity squad.

 

Who kicked off like 6 varsity players? I assume Butler since you picked Western to win. I know Butler has had issues with kids relating to new coach, as they battled all of last year with the issue (Bell & Johnson).

I heard about this last week, but here's an excerpt from article in Courier-Journal Saturday talking about the Butler vs. PRP game Friday.

 

Senior guard Drue Wardrip came off the bench to score a game-high 18 points for Butler (4-11), which not only lost five of seven games over the holiday break but also six players, coach Rick Gibson said.

 

PRP, the two-time reigning Sixth Region champs, jumped out to a 12-2 lead as all five starters hit at least one basket. Meanwhile the Bears, who started a freshman, two sophomores, one junior and a senior, missed five of their first six shots and also had seven turnovers in the first quarter.

 

“That’s been our Achilles’ heel here lately,” Gibson said. “The last five or six games we’ve dug ourselves a hole and couldn’t get out of it.

 

“That’s what I was worried about, our young kids getting that wide-eyed look, and we saw it quite a bit.”

I heard about this last week, but here's an excerpt from article in Courier-Journal Saturday talking about the Butler vs. PRP game Friday.

 

Senior guard Drue Wardrip came off the bench to score a game-high 18 points for Butler (4-11), which not only lost five of seven games over the holiday break but also six players, coach Rick Gibson said.

 

PRP, the two-time reigning Sixth Region champs, jumped out to a 12-2 lead as all five starters hit at least one basket. Meanwhile the Bears, who started a freshman, two sophomores, one junior and a senior, missed five of their first six shots and also had seven turnovers in the first quarter.

 

“That’s been our Achilles’ heel here lately,” Gibson said. “The last five or six games we’ve dug ourselves a hole and couldn’t get out of it.

 

“That’s what I was worried about, our young kids getting that wide-eyed look, and we saw it quite a bit.”

 

My guess is the reporter made it sound as if the loss of players happened over the holiday break and it may have. But I think the coach was stating they have lost a total of 6 players they expected to have playing this year, but not specifically all at the same time during break. I do know they lost William Johnson at the holiday break. I also know they loss the Bell kid over the summer to Boyle County. They loss a kid named Eddie Murphy who went somewhere out in the state as well I believe. There is another guard who would have been playing who is now with Seneca or someone inside Jefferson County because I have seen him and somebody said he was formerly at Butler last season.

 

So that is 4 solid players who left (3 before the season began). If it indeed was 6 different players during holiday break then that makes a total of 9 leaving the program. I would guess somebody is beginning to ask questions about what is going on. This staff for the most part is holdover from the previous staff so it is not like a whole new regime has came in and needed to clean house. Just think it is counting the 3 from before the season when they say 6 in the paper. That would mean 3 since the season had began joined the 3 from before.

Maybe Butler has discipline and expectations that these kids couldn't live up to. Cant say on here what happened but it wasn't a good thing. I applaud the coaching staff for not sacrificing discipline wins for wins.