Forward Bryce Nze has transferred to Butler after playing his first two seasons at Milwaukee. Butler head coach LaVall Jordan, who coached Nze during his freshman campaign in 2016-17 at Milwaukee, made the announcement Thursday, May 31.

Nze (pronounced IN-zee) will sit out the 2018-19 season to fulfill NCAA transfer requirements before having two seasons of eligibility remaining, beginning in 2019-20.

"Bryce is a young man who is a great teammate. He had an immediate impact at Milwaukee. Bryce and I developed a strong relationship and he fits our culture here at Butler," said Jordan, who will enter his second season as the head coach at Butler. "Bryce's athleticism, competitiveness and tremendous work ethic will be a valuable addition. He will push our guys in practice every day this upcoming season as he continues to develop his skills and his body to reach his full potential in the BIG EAST."

Nze, a 6-7 forward from Hartland, Wis., highlighted his sophomore season by setting Milwaukee single-season records for rebounds (280), offensive rebounds (96), and rebounds per game (8.5). He averaged 10.3 points. Nze scored in double figures in 17 games, including a career-high 25 points against Green Bay, Feb. 2, 2018. His career-best 17 rebounds against IUPUI, Feb. 16, 2018, were one of his nine games pulling down 10 or more rebounds. He shot 58 percent from the field and led the team with 48 blocks.

As a freshman playing under Jordan, Nze nearly set the school record by shooting .662 percent (100-151) from the floor, the highest percentage ever for a UWM freshman. He averaged 6.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, leading the team in rebounding 17 times – more than any freshman in school history.

Nze arrived at Milwaukee from Arrowhead High School in Hartland, Wis. He missed his entire senior season with a foot injury but was an all-conference selection as both a sophomore and junior.

The Bulldogs recently earned their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. Butler is one of only eight programs nationally to win at least one NCAA Tournament game in each of the last four seasons. The Bulldogs concluded the 2017-18 season with a 21-14 record under first-year Butler coach LaVall Jordan. Butler returns a talented group, headlined by guard Kamar Baldwin and his 15.7 points per game average as a sophomore. Also returning are starters Sean McDermott and Aaron Thompson, along with rising seniors Nate Fowler and Paul Jorgensen.