(Photo courtesy of The Butler Collegian and Donald Crocker)
Tyus Battle’s brother, Khalif, is leaving Butler after his freshman season. The New Jersey native only saw 11 minutes per game in the 24 he appeared in. Battle was not inserted into any of Butler’s final three games.
It couldn’t have been the start Battle was hoping for. He was a four-star recruit ranked 99th nationally by 24/7 Sports. That made Battle the highest-rated recruit to ever choose Butler from outside of Indiana.
Syracuse extended an offer to Khalif in July 2017.
“I didn’t want to go to Syracuse because I didn’t want to be Ty’s little brother,” Khalif told The Athletic after committing to Butler, “Here I get an opportunity to be Khalif Battle and be who I am as a basketball player and a person.”
We’ll have to see if the Orange take another shot at Battle. Gary Battle, Tyus and Khalif’s father, is very involved in both his sons’ careers. Gary was often at the Carrier Dome in a Syracuse baseball cap cheering on Tyus and even giving him instruction during shootarounds.
The familiarity and of SU and Jim Boeheim could work in favor of Syracuse, as could proximity to Metuchen, New Jersey. There is no shortage of scholarships available. Elijah Hughes announced his intention to enter the NBA Draft, while Howard Washington, Brycen Goodine and Jalen Carey are transferring.
