Butler snags fifth commitment for 2017 class in point guard Thompson

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In need of a point guard for next year, Butler went out and snagged one of the best available prospects in the 2017 class on Tuesday in the form of Aaron Thompson. A 6-foot-1 lead guard out of Paul VI High School (Virginia), Thompson brings a bevy of intangibles, defensive abilities and playmaking skills.

A one-time commit to Pittsburgh, Thompson backed off of his letter of intent last month. After taking hard looks at VCU, Ohio State and Dayton, the Team Takeover product made it official by committing to Butler. He took official visits to Butler and VCU last weekend.

Thompson gives Chris Holtmann’s program an immediate contributor at the lead guard spot, a role that Thompson was intrigued by. "I just felt like I could come in and could start or get good minutes from day one," he said. "I feel like I can come in and be a leader on a top-25 team and with their recruiting class coming in, there was a big gap at the point guard spot. I feel like I can fill that spot. I feel like we can be a really good team for years to come."

Having graduated Tyler Lewis, Kethan Savage and Avery Woodson in the backcourt, the necessity for adding someone to create for others and run things within the half-court setting was paramount. Now with Thompson in the mix, life will get a lot easier for budding start Kamar Baldwin when it comes to getting easier looks at the basket. "Me and Kamar (Baldwin) could really create some chaos on defense," he said. "Kamar is a good defender and a great scorer."

Thompson is Butler’s fifth commitment in the 2017 class, joining Christian David and Cooper Neese in the backcourt, to go along with Kyle Young and Jerald Butler. He tops off one of the best classes in school history.