Just a few days before Butler is set to start its first season under new head coach Brandon Miller, the Bulldogs lost one of their veterans.
Junior forward Andrew Smeathers is leaving the program, the school announced on Monday.
“We appreciate everything Andrew has done for the Butler Basketball program over the past two-plus years,” Miller said in a statement. “We wish him all of the best as he moves forward.”
Smeathers, a 6-foot-6 Indiana native, plans to seek a medical redshirt year before transferring to another school. He totaled eight points in Butler’s two exhibition games last week, after scoring 63 points and grabbing 20 rebounds in his two years with the Bulldogs.
“In the end, it came down to a basketball decision,” Smeathers said. “I’ve got two years of basketball left and I want to see the court as much as possible. As a basketball player, that’s what you want to do."
Smeathers had off-season hip surgery after his freshman season.
Butler opens its season on Saturday against Lamar.
