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Butler coaching staff changes signal Brandon Miller’s return won’t be speedy

Villanova v Butler

Getty Images

Getty Images

On Tuesday, Butler announced changes to their men’s basketball staff.

Emerson Kampen, a former player for the Bulldogs, was promoted from graduate assistant to assistant coach, a position that was left vacant when Chris Holtmann was promoted to interim head coach. The program also announced that Brandon Crone had been hired as the director of basketball operations, a position that had been vacant since July. Like Kampen, Crone was a former player with the Bulldogs.

The reason these staff changes are noteworthy is that Butler head coach Brandon Miller announced earlier this month that he would be taking an indefinite leave of absence from the program, citing health concerns. Holtmann doesn’t know how long he’ll carry the interim tag, but these changes suggest that it could be an extended period of time. If Miller was expected to be returning to the staff prior to the season starting, would the Bulldogs be making these kinds of changes? Would they be filling vacant assistant coaching positions?

Butler, up to this point, has been mum on the timetable for a potential return to the bench for Miller. They’ve also been silent on what, specifically, is the cause of this leave of absence.

Anyway, here is a quote from Holtmann that was sent out in the release.

“We are excited about the increased role of Emerson and the addition of Brandon to our staff,” said Holtmann. “Emerson has been a part of some of the most accomplished teams in the history of our program and, while young, he has an impressive basketball IQ and terrific rapport with our players.”

“Brandon has a great appreciation and understanding of the Butler Way and as a player here, he was tough, competitive and driven, leading his team to the most wins in program history at the time. Brandon has great experience as both a professional player and as an assistant coach at the college level, and we’re pleased to welcome him back.”