Butler locks down high scoring wing

The Butler Bulldogs have one of the top teams in the country returning, and on Monday they added another good piece to the puzzle. Explosive athlete Chrishawn Hopkins decided to stay home and play his college ball for Brad Stevens and the Bulldogs.

Hopkins is one of the better athletes in the state of Indiana, and Butler has always made it a priority to get kids in the state. Landing the 6-foot-1 Hopkins was definitely a coup for Butler.

"He was being actively recruited by 57 schools," said Hopkins legal guardian Vince Stennett. "He had 15 plus official offers, and after a long decision making process we felt the most comfortable with Butler and their staff."

Stennett continued, "July was a big month for him and us. He played over 30 games with Bloomington Blaze and Eric Gordon Elite. Butler was front and center at every game. Not only had they made the commitment over the phone, they also made a heightened commitment to him to watch him play which was important."

According to Stennett, Virginia, Miami-Ohio, Wright State, Southern Illinois, and Toledo were the finalists for Hopkins services.

What attracted Butler to Hopkins was two fold. One was his ability to score, and the other was his performance in the classroom.

"He blew up in summer ball," said Stennett. "He had 60 points plus twice this summer. He had 50 point games seven times this summer. There wasn't a game that he didn't score at least 30 points."

Stennett added, "He has an uncanny ability to score the ball. You see guys who can be good shooter and is someone who can get to the rack. He can shoot as deep as you want to shoot, and also has a 40 inch vertical. What we really dialed in on was his in-between game, and his short game. It has made him tremendously dangerous."

Also after starting out slowly in the classroom, Stennett says that Hopkins has been excellent the past few years. "He's worked twice as hard in classroom the past few years. Started off not doing as well, and moved out to Las Vegas and lived with father, but since then he has lived with me. After moving in with me, his GPA has risen to about a 3.3."

"He has done so tremendously well and replaced several classes that he did poorly in," said Stennett. "It puts him in a position where he can quality to play at Butler."

Hopkins is the second commitment for the Bulldogs in the 2010 class. He joins fellow Indiana product Erik Fromm as Bulldog pledges.