Butler’s Jones Out for Season

Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

This has been a tough off-season for the Butler Bulldogs. Moving to the Big East, going from being a powerhouse to having to truly compete with other teams was their first real challenge of the summer. In June, their head coach, Brad Stevens, unexpectedly left them to go fill the empty position for the Boston Celtics. With Brandon Miller stepping in to take Stevens’ place, the Bulldogs’ trip to Australia would be their first chance for the coach to settle in to his new job.

Things don’t always go as planned though and in this case, it didn’t at all. As per ESPN, forward Roosevelt Jones, a junior with extreme versatility, injured himself in one of the exhibition games and will undergo surgery. The injury was to his left wrist, a torn ligament, which will take him for the entire season.

Expected to play a big role on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball for Butler, this deals a major blow to the roster. Last season, Jones averaged 10.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. He does a little bit of everything and really handles the role of a point forward extremely well. Losing him limits a lot of lineup possibilities for coach Miller, who faces the pressure of replacing a campus legend.

"“First and foremost, our thoughts are with Roosevelt,” Miller said. “He has worked very hard to position himself to have a terrific junior year. Having said that, Roosevelt is a tough-minded, determined young man, and I am confident he will return from this adversity an even better player and person. Despite not playing, Roosevelt will continue to have an impact in leading this team as we move forward.”"