ABU Lands a Top Scholar-Athlete in Ben Henderson

The Alderson Broaddus University men's basketball team was able to sign this summer one of the better scholar-athletes to come out of the state of North Carolina this past school year. Ben Henderson who played his high school basketball for Forestview High School in Gastonia, NC decided to further his academics and basketball career at Alderson Broaddus. Henderson finished his career averaging 10 points per game at Forestview. Battler Beat would project that he would play a wing position for ABU. But Ben brings a lot more to Alderson Broaddus than just basketball honors and academics. He brings a very impressive academic record to the campus on the hill. Ben accumulated a 3.7 grade point average during his time as a student-athlete. He topped that off by scoring an incredible 28 on the ACT and also a 1440 on the SAT.  Battler Beat will be interviewing Ben in the coming weeks. You can catch his senior year highlight video package below.

Ben Henderson Senior Year Highlight Video Package

Battlers Land Versatile Prospect from the West Coast

The Alderson Broaddus men's basketball team has landed a basketball player with an abundance of athletic ability and also the versatility to play several different positions on the hardwood. Patrick Kennedy comes to Alderson Broaddus University from Todd Beamer High School in Federal Way, Washington. The long 6'5" prospect shows an ability on film to play the wing or even slide over to a forward position. Kennedy brings depth to positions vacated by wing Thylas Perkins and forward Richard Lemon who are recent graduates. Both Lemon and Perkins were three-year starters for the Battlers, and both earned all-conference status.

Kennedy can produce by scoring the basketball. He has a smooth mid-range jumper, but he can also take the ball off the dribble and explode to the basket. But a lot of his accolades this past season were for his fierce and uncanny ability to rebound the basketball for Beamer High School. He put up several double-doubles this past season as a senior. For his efforts, Kennedy was named to the 1st team 4A SPSL team in the Seattle/Tacoma area. Patrick played his AAU ball for Team Brandon Roy.

Bill Elleby, who is a former California University basketball player and coach, runs 206HS/NWAC Scouting and had this to say about Kennedy: "Super Motor.....Loves Defense.....ENERGY!" Battler basketball fans can check out Kennedy's senior year highlight video in the link below. Battler Beat will be interviewing Kennedy in the coming weeks. Look for the story to appear soon.

Patrick Kennedy's Senior Year Highlight Video Package

New Battler Point Guard Gets High Marks from High School Coach

Battler Beat announced Bryce Butlers signing to play basketball for ABU back in June. Butler comes to Alderson Broaddus via Clark Montessori High School which is located outside of Cincinnati, OH. Butler put up impressive numbers during his senior season for the Cougars. The 6'1" guard averaged 23.3 points per game and distributed 3 assists per game. He led the Miami Valley Conference in scoring for the 2015-16 season. Butler was also the starting quarterback for the Cougars football team.

With the statistics and accolades put aside, the question remains can Bryce Butler take what he accomplished in high school and translate that to the Division 2 level. His basketball coach at Clark Montessori believes so. "There is no doubt in my mind that when it is all said and done that Bryce will have a very productive playing career at Alderson Broaddus!" stated Clark Montessori head boys basketball coach Darnell Parker. "Bryce wants to be the best, and he will work until he physically cannot work any longer. This is exactly the type of drive that you need out of point guards because they are an extension of the coaching staff on the floor. Bryce will challenge the level of play of his teammates and that in turn raises the level of play of the entire team."

Butler's recruiting video posted below shows a talented point guard in the half-court set as well as a shifty player in the open floor. He left Clark Montessori breaking an incredible 9 basketball records. One of those records includes being the school's all-time leading scorer. But many Battler fans know that in order to see the floor for Alderson Broaddus, Coach Greg Zimmerman demands that you be a quality defender first. Coach Parker doesn't see that being a problem for Butler: "Bryce will be a very reliable defender and will be a complete pest on defense."

Most Battler fans that follow the successful basketball program that Coach Zimmerman has built knows of his fiery competitiveness that he demands out of his players. Coach Darnell Parker feels that Bryce brings the same spark to Alderson Broaddus: "He brought a level of toughness and competitiveness to Clark that we needed. Bryce doesn't like to lose at anything! It could be sprints, lifts or a scrimmage, Bryce will do whatever it takes to win. And as a coach, those are the type of players that you can count when the game is on the line!"

ABU is searching for a new point guard to replace four-year starter Malcolm Tatum who achieved Division II All-American status. The Battlers have brought in several point guard prospects looking to fill the big shoes left by Tatum. So the question now will be can these prospects be the complete player that Malcolm Tatum was at that position. Tatum was more than just a scorer for ABU. He had multiple attributes and strengths that made him such a successful player. Coach Darnell Parker believes that Bryce Butler has what it takes: "Bryce obviously has a knack for putting the ball in the hole, but the reason he excelled was his willingness to let the game come to him. Bryce was the focal point of our opponent's defense in every game, so he had to be selective and patient. There were times when Bryce had to get his teammates involved, other times he had to force the action and sometimes he was just great at being a decoy. What gets overlooked with Bryce is that he is a very good passer. He puts the ball where it needs to be so that his teammates are in the best position to be successful."

The Battlers have had a strong run of point guards under Coach Zimmerman's tenure. The list is strong from the Rudy Wallaces, to the Derek Bells, to the Terrell Eargles all the way to Malcolm Tatum. All were excellent floor leaders. Coach Parker believes Butler has those same type of qualities needed: "His ability to take a group of players and get them pointed in the right direction toward a common goal is an exceptional trait he has! Bryce's leadership spans to the fact that he knows when to show emotion, and when it is appropriate to let the flow take its course. Bryce will never point the finger at his teammates and will take responsibility on himself when things aren't going the team's way."

Bryce Butler will be one of many Alderson Broaddus men's basketball players competing for the point guard position. Coach Parker added that Butler worked hard in the off-season to improve his upper body strength to get him better prepared for the play at the next level. He also added that Bryce spent a considerable time working on his three-point shot. As the season approaches, Battler fans can look forward to Butler's play on the floor.

Alderson Broaddus Men's Basketball Releases 2016-17 Schedule

The Alderson Broaddus men's basketball program has released the 2016-17 schedule on gobattlers.com. All games this upcoming season will be against NCAA Division II schools. You can access the men's basketball schedule by clicking on the following link:

2016-17 ABU Men's Basketball Schedule

The season will tip off for the Battlers on Friday, November 11 in Owensboro, KY as ABU will once again take part in the G-MAC/GLIAC crossover tournament. The Battlers will square off against Tiffin on Friday and return to the Owensboro Sportscenter the following afternoon to tangle with Wayne State. Alderson Broaddus took on the same two teams last season in the G-MAC/GLIAC crossover that was held in Detroit, MI.

The Battlers will open the 2016-17 home slate against the defending MEC tournament champion Concord Mountain Lions. That game is slated for Tuesday, November 15. Concord is coming off a successful season in which they finished the season with a 22-10 record and received their first NCAA men's basketball tournament bid in school's history. That same week will see the Battlers take the road to battle CIAA member Bowie State in Bowie, MD. That game is set for Saturday, November 19. Bowie State is coming off a 17-13 campaign that saw the Bulldogs face a grueling schedule.


Thanksgiving week will have the Battlers playing in one of the better holiday classics in D2
basketball. ABU will be traveling on the road on Friday, November 25 to take on the 2015 NCAA Men's Basketball National Runner-Up Indiana of Pennsylvania at IUP's arena. IUP went 21-8 last season. The following night in the IUP tournament will see ABU taking on former WVIAC member Pitt-Johnstown. The Mountain Lions are coming off a 18-11 campaign and return their leading scorer plus four of last season's top five scorer. Both of those opponents that weekend are members of the PSAC.

The Battlers will return to Rex Pyles Arena on Thursday, December 1 to take on St. Augustine's which is a member of the CIAA. St. Augustine's was 11-16 last season and lost at home to the Battlers 61-47 in a game played in Raleigh, NC. ABU will remain at home the following week to take on long-standing rival Glenville State on Wednesday, December 7. The Battlers will take a break from games for final exams and return on Friday, December 16 when they travel to Shepherd University to take on the Shepherd University Rams. SU is coming off a 2015-16 campaign that saw them go 15-14.

Alderson Broaddus will close out 2016 with an exciting home contest. The Battlers will host Wheeling Jesuit University on Friday, December 30. The Cardinals were last season's NCAA D-II Atlantic Regional host school in the NCAA men's basketball tournament.  WJU is coming off a campaign that saw them finish with a 28-4 record and a #6 ranking in the final NABC poll. After this game, ABU opens up G-MAC play by hosting Malone University on January 3.

ABU also has home-and-home games with former WVIAC schools Salem International and Bluefield State. These games are slated for the months of January and February and help to fill in the gaps of the conference schedule. Both of those schools are NCAA D-II Independents and will serve as non-conference opponents. The Battlers will round out the upcoming season at home on Saturday, February 25 when ABU takes on local-rival Davis & Elkins. That game will represent senior day. Please check with Battler Beat as we will keep the site updated to any changes in the schedule. We will also keep the site updated for any exhibition games that the team will be involved with.

ABU Will Play MEC Champ Concord in Home Opener

The Alderson Broaddus University men's basketball team will open their home slate this upcoming season against the 2016 Mountain East Conference tournament champion Concord University. The game will take place on Tuesday, November 15 at 7 PM at Rex Pyles Arena. The Mountain Lions won this past season's Mountain East Conference tournament by defeating Notre Dame College in the championship game. CU advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time in school's history. Concord will be led by first-year head coach Todd May who took over the program for recently departed Kent McBride. The Mountain Lions will be led by senior guard Aaron Miller who was CU's second-leading scorer last season at 16 points per game.

ABU offers Class of 2017 prospect DeAundra Murphy

On Friday morning, it was confirmed that the Alderson Broaddus University men's basketball staff had put out an offer to DeAundra Murphy, a rising senior at Huntington St. Joseph's High School. Murphy is coming off a junior campaign that saw him average 14.5 points per game this past season in helping to lead St. Joe's to the 2016 WV Class A state title. For his efforts, DeAundra was named to the 2nd-team West Virginia Class A All-State basketball team. He was also named to the 2016 WV All-Tournament Team for his efforts at the state tournament in Charleston.

We have provided a profile and video from www.thehoopscolumn.com that profiled Murphy back in December. The link below provides you that information:

DeAundra Murphy's Analysis and Video

Battlers Land Big Man Simun Kovac

The Alderson Broaddus men's basketball team last night landed 6'7"/215 pound big man Simun Kovac. He played basketball this past season for Scotland Performance Institute located in Scotland, PA. Battler Beat has posted a video below from SPI that shows highlights of Kovac's game. The video shows a highly-skilled big man with good basketball instincts. He definitely can step out from beyond the arc and hit the three-point shot. He has a quick catch-and-release on his outside jumper for a player with his size. It is almost like that of a quality two-guard. He also shows a very aggressive player who has better agility than most eastern European players at this level. He has the ability to take the ball off the dribble and pull up for the mid-range jumper. He also bodies up when looking for the defensive rebound.

In late March, Kovac participated in the Hagerstown Roundball Classic day-long all-star event. Kovac played for the Piedmont All Star team that day as they took on the Maryland All Stars. Kovac finished the game with 14 points and 5 rebounds in 22 minutes of work. He shot five of seven from the floor and four of five from the charity stripe. We covered that event and came away impressed with his aggressiveness, agility and overall skill set for a young man with that size. The Alderson Broaddus coaching staff was represented at that event by assistant coach Duncan Williams. Scotland Performance Institute has several players that have already signed with Division I and Division II schools for basketball. Kovac practiced daily with those players which improved his game and will have him immediately ready for the next level of play.