Tristan Hankins & Josiah Kirkwood
Butler men's basketball players Tristan Hankins and Josiah Kirkwood have been selected as the White Eagle Credit Union Athletes of the Week for the week of March 22nd through 28th, 2026.
Tristan Hankins (Men's Basketball)
Butler freshman guard Tristan Hankins, the 2025-26 KJCCC Player and Freshman of the Year, had a tremendous final two games of the season for the Grizzlies. In Butler's second round matchup vs No. 9 Snow in the NJCAA National Tournament, Hankins scored 21 points on 8-18 shooting, recorded 11 rebounds, five assists, four steals and one block in the 101-96 victory. With the win, the Grizzlies advanced to the quarterfinal round (elite eight) to face the No. 1 seed Howard Hawks. Hankins scored 27 points and recorded four rebounds, four assists, and two steals. The quartefinal round between No. 8 Butler and No. 1 Howard will be a game that will be remembered for years to come, as the Grizzlies fell to Howard 134-128 in double overtime in an all out battle.
Josiah Kirkwood (Men's Basketball)
The heart and soul of the 2025-26 Butler Grizzlies men's basketball team, Josiah Kirkwood, had the game of his life in his final time wearing the purple and gold against the No. 1 seed Howard Hawks. Kirkwood scored a career high 31 points on 9-17 shooting and was a perfect 10-10 from the charity stripe. Kirkwood nailed the game tying three at the buzzer to send the game to its first of two overtimes.
@ButlerGrizzlies men's basketball representing the KJCCC and NJCAA on Sportscenter last night as Josiah Kirkwood had the #7 play on the Top-10 Plays after sending yesterday's Grizzly game against Howard into overtime. #KJCCC https://t.co/JjfLpcMg0d
— KJCCC athletics (@KJCCCmedia) March 26, 2026
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