Jamie Kaiser Jr. will take the court this season for the first time since transferring from Maryland. Photo courtesy of Butler Athletics.

SAWYER GOLDWEIN | SPORTS EDITOR | sgoldwein@butler.edu 

Jamie Kaiser Jr. — a Maryland transfer and former top-75 recruit — was primed for a breakout season when he arrived at Butler. That expectation disintegrated, though, after the then-sophomore forward went down with a preseason injury, ending his 2024-25 campaign before it began.

Kaiser suffered an ankle impingement, partially caused by overtraining.

“There was an extra bone in the back of my heel,” Kaiser said. “I overused it, and then it snapped off. It was pretty painful, but once they took it out and I did my recovery, I was all good.”

Initially, he did not grasp the severity of the injury. Anti-inflammatories were the first course of action, but they proved ineffective. After some painkilling shots were determined to be needed too often to be viable, Kaiser had to take the surgical route.

Head coach Thad Matta felt that the Bulldogs were heavily affected by losing the talented three-and-D player.

“That was detrimental to us last year,” Matta said. “We were banking on him to play a huge role for us.”

It was a disappointing loss for the team, but even tougher on Kaiser. The injury was the first major one of his career, so being forced to sit on the bench and out of the action was a new, unwelcome experience. Still, Kaiser made the most of it.

“It was terrible,” Kaiser said. “But I had a great perspective. I knew that once I got back, I was going to have so much time to get better, and I was also going to be able to see the game from a different lens. I was able to watch practice every single day and study a lot more film. I think overall, it actually helped me.”

A positive attitude helped Kaiser, but a strong work ethic is what really made his recovery count, and his teammates took notice.

Sophomore guard Evan Haywood can personally attest to the redshirt sophomore’s daily grind.

“He’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever been around,” Haywood said. “He’s [in Hinkle] late at night, shooting 400 to 500 free throws. His recovery has been great.”

That hard work had to start slowly, as Kaiser was in a boot and mostly confined to his room for the first week. After that, the boot stayed on, accompanied by a knee scooter to help him get to classes. For the first couple of months post-surgery, rest and recovery was the recipe to healing, which was a tough ask for a Division I athlete.

“I’m a very energetic person, so sitting in one place for a long time just sucks,” Kaiser said. “I had to find things to keep my mind occupied besides homework and watching practice.”

However, once he was able to return to practice, Kaiser made his presence felt, bringing energy and effort to Hinkle Fieldhouse every day. He routinely leads the pack during end-of-practice sprints, finishing first numerous times.

Matta credits him with making a strong impact on the team without ever checking into a game.

“Last year, when he came back to practice and started to go live [in] late January, he made us better,” Matta said. “He came in, he competed, he went at [Jahmyl Telfort] every day, and that was big for us.”

Playing such an active role in practice proved to be a big help for Kaiser. As a transfer, he was still learning Butler’s system, figuring out his teammates and even continuing to adjust to college basketball, having played only one year. That extra time to observe allowed for increased understanding of the ebbs and flows of a season.

“Sitting out and watching and seeing the highs [and] lows, I think that’s helped him right now,” Matta said. “He’s shooting the ball at a great clip, he defends [and] he’s doing a great job of rebounding for us. And Jamie is a great kid. He wants to do well [individually], but he wants to win also.”

Now fully healthy, Kaiser has his sights set on being an impact player for the Dawgs this season. His desire to contribute is clear to those around him.

“I can tell that he’s hungry to make a statement for himself because he can be an all-conference player 1,000 percent,” Haywood said. “I believe in him and I think that he’s gonna help us win a lot of games.”

Kaiser’s breakout bid may have simply been delayed, not destroyed. Feeling good in mind and body, he is ready to put his stamp on the Dawgs upcoming season.

“I feel like I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in my life,” Kaiser said. “I’m a lot faster, a lot stronger and [more] athletic than I’ve ever been. I’m just excited to see what it looks like when I start playing.”

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