After an up-and-down year 1 in TBT, All Good Dawgs look to go deep in Indianapolis.
Making their debut last year, the first game went as good as you can hope for All Good Dawgs, winning by 23 points. The second game was far from that, losing by 15 to end their tournament. This year, they’re back and ready to learn from their mistakes and make a deep run. They return several of their top guys from last year and are hoping they can replicate the Brad Stevens years in this tournament.
Roster:
- Andre Screen (Butler)
- Avery Woodson (Butler)
- Bo Hodges (ETSU & Butler)
- Jalen Thomas (Butler)
- James Justice Jr. (Martin Methodist, UT Southern Firehawks)
- Kamar Baldwin (Butler)
- Martyce Kimbrough (University of Findlay)
- Sean McDermott (Butler)
- Shelvin Mack (Butler)
- Ty Groce (Butler)
- Tyler Wideman (Butler)
Coaching Staff:
- Shelvin Mack (GM)
Region: Butler
All-time Record: 1-1
First Matchup: vs. Shield 219 (July 19 at 2 p.m. EST)
Team MVP: Sean McDermott
McDermott was far and away the best player for All Good Dawgs last year, averaging 25 PPG in their two games they played. That is the highest PPG of any player in last year’s tournament who played multiple games.
He hit eight threes in the two games, and his jumper is so hard to stop. As we saw, he can score so effortlessly, and opposing teams really have no answer for it. It’s up to his teammates to support him, but we know what we’re going to get from him. He doesn’t need to average 25 PPG, but the more the better if they want to have more success than what we saw last year.
Make-or-break Player: Kamar Baldwin
All Good Dawgs add the two-time All Big East and the program’s fourth all-time leading scorer to the team, hoping he can take this team to the next level. He certainly can, with this three-level scoring ability and his knack for getting to the line at a high rate. The Shelvin Mack-Bo Hodges duo was good last year, but Baldwin takes them to the next level. He and McDermott can be a one-two punch and carry this team to a few wins in this tournament.
Baldwin hasn’t been able to replicate his college success since graduating, so there’s always that hesitation. Plus, he hasn’t played in TBT, and with Butler having a plethora of great guards, early struggles could lead to limited minutes. Knowing Baldwin, he’ll fit in right away with his fellow Bulldogs and give them that next-level player they needed last year.
Team Outlook
All Good Dawgs start off TBT play against Shield 219, a Valpo alumni squad. Expect plenty of people in attendance for the two Indiana-based alumni programs. Expect an even bigger crowd in round 2, where they could potentially play Assembly Ball, the Indiana alumni team. They could also potentially face Carmen’s Crew in the final, the defending champions of this tournament. They have a difficult road ahead of them, but they have built the roster to compete and win.
All Good Dawgs played a very small lineup last year, and may do so again. However, they added Andre Screen to the roster, who is listed at 7’1. Screen could be a good relief defensively and allow them to have a bit of a size advantage on the court, something they lacked last year. It’s been a rough decade for Butler basketball fans, but hopefully All Good Dawgs can turn that around and give fans a taste of success.