Roosevelt Jones knew he had to say something. In the final timeout during Saturday’s 88-69 loss to Xavier, Jones spent more time talking to his teammates than coach did Chris Holtmann.
The senior encouraged his teammates and criticized them. With the Bulldogs 3 minutes from starting Big East play 0-2, Jones decided to give his teammates a speech on the bench and later in the visitors' locker room to prepare them for their next game, on the road Tuesday against DePaul (8 p.m., Fox Sports Midwest).
“I told them we can’t bring an effort like that or we’ll lose every game in the Big East,” Jones said.