Holtmann Strikes Again: Butler Lands Two 4-Star Recruits

Chris Holtmann is only six months into his official tenure as the head coach of the Butler Bulldogs and has already struck pay dirt on the recruiting trail. In the past three weeks Holtmann received commitments from two 4-star recruits, Joey Brunk and Howard Washington Jr.

Holtmann replaced former coach Brandon Miller in October and within days of taking over the program he already made his mark on the program. By season’s end it was a foregone conclusion that he had locked down the head coaching job.

Together, Holtmann and the Bulldogs far exceeded the preseason expectations in what many analysts projected to be down year for Butler. Athlon Sports projected Butler to finish 7th in the Big East and projected they would fall short of the NCAA Tournament:

"7. ButlerPostseason projection: NITRoosevelt Jones’ return from injury will be the biggest key. He and Kellen Dunham will form a terrific – and productive – perimeter tandem."

Mar 3, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Butler Bulldogs head coach Chris Holtmann reacts in the second half of their game at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kryger-USA TODAY Sports

Conversely, Holtmann led the Bulldogs to a 23-11 record, a 6 seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament. Butler beat Texas in the second round before their postseason ended in a heart breaking overtime loss to 3rd seed Notre Dame. Holtmann’s performance earned a contract extension in May which keeps him coaching in legendary Hinkle Fieldhouse through the 2020-21 season.

Butler is known for their gritty style of basketball comprised of overlooked recruits that possess a team-first mentality. Some former players have developed into NBA level talent (see: Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack), but outside of their fan base, a majority of the nation likely cannot even name a single player on the roster. Somehow those same folks will find themselves rooting for those nameless Heroes of Hinkle when they are cast in the leading role of Cinderella during March Madness.

Holtmann has kept the momentum going this offseason and raised the bar even higher for the upcoming seasons with his current rercruiting success. When it comes to the recruiting pool, Butler sometimes causes a ripple. This year, Holtmann is making huge waves by landing two 4-star recruit commitments for 2016.

Joey Brunk, a 6-10 230 lbs. center from Southport High School (IN) – ranked 63rd in the ESPN Top 100 rankings – committed to Butler on June 14th.

Sixteen days later Holtmann landed his second 4-star commitment of the recruiting season. Canadian born Howard Washington Jr., a 6-3 175 lbs. point guard from Montverde Academy (FL) by way of Buffalo, New York. Washington chose the Butler Bulldogs over Boston College, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Memphis.

Butler Basketball is not known for its high profile recruiting. 2016 is a different story as the addition of Brunk and Washington has Butler ranked 9th in the 2016 Recruiting Team Rankings via 247Sports. Should Holtmann’s success continue at this rate it won’t be long before he and his players are household names well before March Madness begins.

https://twitter.com/JoeyBrunk/status/615971167439077376