Staff Reports

The latest addition to the Butler men’s basketball team is 6-foot-3 guard Jair Bolden, a graduate transfer from South Carolina who is expected to contribute to outside shooting prowess.

Bolden has one year of eligibility remaining and used the NCAA transfer portal to make a change to Butler. He averaged 8.5 points per game last season for the Gamecocks and shot 41.2% from 3-point territory.

He represents a veteran newcomer joining a five-member freshman recruiting class that comes highly touted to Indianapolis. They all join three returning Butler starters.

Bolden is originally from Brooklyn, New York, but played his high school ball in Pennsylvania. He also spent two seasons at George Washington before shifting to South Carolina.

South Carolina finished 18-13 in the shortened 2019-20 season. Butler was 22-9 when the NCAA halted play before the postseason tournament due to the coronavirus.

“Jair is an impressive young man who first and foremost fits The Butler Way,” Bulldogs coach LaVall Jordan said. “Jair is a proven shooter and scorer who has experience in big games.”