INDIANAPOLIS – Head Coach Kurt Godlevske has a talented group of returners in the backcourt. Sydney Buck and Michelle Weaver will give the Bulldogs valuable experience while Sydney Shelton and Kristen Spolyar look to build off successful rookie seasons. This group also includes two newcomers in Whitney Jennings and Iman Lathan. Jennings transferred to Butler from Iowa and Lathan is a graduate transfer from Cal State Fullerton.
 
#11 Michelle Weaver
5-7 Junior
South Bend, Ind.
South Bend Saint Joseph
 
Michelle Weaver is a two-year starter at Butler that heads into her junior campaign with 376 points, 119 rebounds and 117 assists. She averaged 10.2 points a year ago playing primarily at the point guard position. Weaver exploded for a career-high 25 points at Seton Hall last year. She also added a career-high six steals in the contest. Weaver led Butler in steals last year and was second on the team in assists.
 
"I'm very excited to see what Michelle can do for us this year," Godlevske said. "She's in the best physical shape that I have ever seen her in so I think she will be able to log more minutes. She also worked on her outside game which should help us. Her overall ability to get into the paint and create is a huge strength for us."
 
#12 Sydney Buck
5-7 Senior
Fort Wayne, Ind.
Homestead
 
Sharpshooter Sydney Buck will look to put the finishing touches on a great career at Butler this season. The shooting guard ranks fifth all-time at Butler with 169 made 3-point field goals. She hit 63 3-pointers as a freshman and 64 as a sophomore, but missed some playing time as a junior with an injury which limited her to just 42 makes from behind the arc. Buck has 669 career points in a Bulldog uniform. She averaged 8.8 points per game in each of the last two seasons.
 
"Sydney has an understanding of what it takes to win at this level," Godlevske explained. "She is someone that our younger players can look up to and someone who opponents have to respect. You can't leave her alone on the perimeter, so that will help us space the floor this year."
 
#15 Whitney Jennings
5-5 Junior
Logansport, Ind.
Logansport
 
Whitney Jennings is eligible to play this season after sitting out last year due to the NCAA transfer rule. Jennings was named Indiana Miss Basketball after a brilliant high school career at Logansport and spent her first two collegiate seasons playing for the Iowa Hawkeyes. The combo guard started in 62 games at Iowa and averaged 9.6 points per game as a sophomore.
 
"Whitney may be the best all-around player that I have ever coached," Godlevske stated. "She sees the floor well, she is explosively quick with the basketball, she can create space, and she's a deadly shooter with range. She has a great feel for the game and is able to create both for herself and for her teammates. You will see her impact across the board with our team."
 
#22 Iman Lathan
5-9 Graduate
Temecula, Calif.
Perris
 
Iman Lathan is a graduate transfer from Cal State Fullerton. The combo guard averaged 15.3 points per game last year, the highest scoring average on the team. Lathan only started in 11 games a year ago, but she still averaged 28 minutes of playing time. She helped her team in multiple ways by averaging 6.3 rebounds per game and dishing out 55 assists. She also came up with 28 steals in her senior year at Cal State Fullerton.
 
"Iman's skill set and toughness really jumped out on film and we are very happy to have her here at Butler," Godlevske stated. "She can get to the basket in a variety of ways and she has a knack to finish around the rim in tough situations. Iman also has good floor vision. She is an unselfish player that is willing to make the extra pass."
 
#24 Kristen Spolyar
5-10 Sophomore
Lebanon, Ind.
Lebanon
 
Kristen Spolyar played in 16 games last year before suffering a season-ending knee injury. She averaged 12.8 points per game, shooting 36 percent from the field. Spolyar's best performance of the year came at Hinkle Fieldhouse when she posted a double-double that included a career-high 28 points to go along with 10 rebounds.
 
"We see Kristen as an X-factor," Godlevske said. "Once she gets back to playing how she was last year before the injury, it will give us another player that we can count on each game for points. Her rehab is going well, there have not been any setbacks so that's great news. The plan is to get her some minutes early and then build up as we go into the BIG EAST season."
 
#30 Sydney Shelton
5-9 Sophomore
Greenfield, Ind.
Mt. Vernon
 
Sydney Shelton was named to the BIG EAST All-Freshman team in 2016-17 after averaging 8.8 points per game. 49 of her 79 made field goals during her freshman season came from 3-point range. Shelton was recognized as the BIG EAST Freshman of the Week in February after scoring a career-high 23 points vs. DePaul. She knocked down six 3-point field goals that game to lead the Bulldogs in scoring.
 
"Sydney is an important piece to our team concept," Godlevske said. "She can get into gaps and create for her teammates, but we really love how she can get hot and score in bunches."