INDIANAPOLIS -- Helping lift Butler to two road victories, freshman forward Roosevelt Jones (O’Fallon, Ill./O’Fallon) has been named the Horizon League Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, for the week of Feb. 6-12. The honor is the first of Jones’ career and makes him the first Horizon League freshman to collect the accolade this season.
Jones controlled the paint as Butler (15-12, 9-6 Horizon) went 2-0 on its road swing through northeastern Ohio. The freshman averaged 14.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, shooting 10-for-19 from the field.
In Thursday’s 68-59 win at Youngstown State, Jones finished a rebound shy of his third career double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. With the Penguins within four points midway through the second half, Jones’ offensive board and putback extended the lead back to six, helping the Bulldogs pull away down the stretch.
The freshman continued his strong play on Saturday, scoring a career-high 17 points as Butler collected a 52-49 victory over Cleveland State. 11 of those points came in the first half as the Bulldogs assumed a 28-18 lead at the half. Jones’ final point came at the free throw line, where he was 7-for-10, tying the game at 47 and helping blunt the Vikings’ momentum.
An All-Newcomer Team candidate, Jones has picked up his play in the League, averaging 9.1 ppg and 6.5 rpg through 15 conference games. Jones’ 6.5 rpg rank eighth in conference play, while his 2.3 offensive boards per contest are fifth.
Presently part of a three-way tie for third in the Horizon League, Butler will host Loyola (6-18, 1-13 Horizon) on Tuesday, Feb. 14, in its lone conference game of the week. The Horizon League Network will have live coverage of the game, beginning at 7 p.m. ET. The contest will also be carried on ESPN3. The Bulldogs will step out of Horizon League play on Saturday, taking part in the Sears BracketBusters by hosting Indiana State on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 2 p.m. ET. HLN will carry the contest.
Top Performers for the Week:
-- Anton Grady, Cleveland State (Fr., F) - Grady carried Cleveland State in Saturday’s loss to Butler with a dominant 18-point, 13-rebound effort. On Thursday, the freshman set a new career best with five blocks in the Vikings’ setback to Valparaiso.
-- Ray McCallum, Detroit (So., G) - Helping Detroit to two comeback victories, McCallum averaged 16.5 ppg, including 18 in Friday’s 59-58 win over Milwaukee in which the Titans erased a 10-point deficit in the final three minutes. On Sunday, McCallum recording 15 points, supplementing the effort with six assists as Detroit won, 77-74, over Green Bay.
-- Alec Brown, Green Bay (So., C) - Leading Green Bay to its first road win of the season, 53-48, at Wright State, Brown tallied his sixth double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 boards. The sophomore broke his own single-season blocks record on the weekend and now has 72 on the year.
-- Jordan Hicks, Loyola (Sr., G/F) - The senior led Loyola to its first conference win of season, coming at the expense of city rival UIC, 78-69. Hicks scored 15 points in the win, grabbing eight rebounds.
-- Gary Talton, UIC (Jr., G) - Talton tallied his 11th double digit scoring output during Horizon League play, pouring in a game-high 18 points on a career-best seven field goals at Loyola last Saturday. He also dished out four assists in 32 minutes of action.
-- Richie Edwards, Valparaiso (Jr., F) - Edwards averaged 19.5 ppg last week, helping Valparaiso take over first place in the Horizon League. The junior had a career-high 20 points in Thursday’s 59-41 win at Cleveland State and followed up the effort with a team-high 19 on Saturday.
-- Reggie Arceneaux, Wright State (Fr., G) - The freshman helped Wright State snap a three-game skid with 14 points in Sunday’s 70-46 win over Milwaukee. On Friday, Arceneaux recorded a team-high 12 points.
-- Kendrick Perry, Youngstown State (So., G) - Perry continued his scoring binge as Youngstown State went 1-1, recording 23 points against both Butler and Valparaiso. Over his last five games, Perry is averaging 24.6 ppg.
Men’s Basketball Players of the Week:
November 14: D’Aundray Brown, Cleveland State
November 21: Kevin Van Wijk, Valparaiso
November 28: James Haarsma, Milwaukee
December 5: DuShawn Brooks, Youngstown State
December 12: Trey Harmon, Cleveland State
December 19: Andrew Smith, Butler
December 26: Brennan Cougill, Green Bay
Julius Mays, Wright State
January 2: Damian Eargle, Youngstown State
January 9: Julius Mays, Wright State
Ashen Ward, Youngstown State
January 16: Kevin Van Wijk, Valparaiso
January 23: Blake Allen, Youngstown State
January 30: Ray McCallum, Detroit
February 6: Kendrick Perry, Youngstown State
February 13: Roosevelt Jones, Butler
Tags: Butler - Men's Basketball
