Butler’s Rotnei Clarke to miss third straight game
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
Butler coach Brad Stevens ruled Rotnei Clarke out for Wednesday’s game at La Salle, but wouldn’t put a timetable on his recovery beyond that.
Clarke, the team’s leading scorer, sat out a victory over Richmond as well as Saturday’s upset of No. 8 Gonzaga after spraining his neck Jan. 12 at Dayton.
Stevens indicated that Clarke may be cleared to play in time for a Jan. 26 home game against Temple.
He is in the middle of a progression, Stevens said Monday, where we anticipate, should this continue the way that it’s gone thus far, that he would be available for Saturday’s game.
Stevens said Clarke will not resume contact drills until Thursday at the earliest. The sixth-year coach said Clarke must participate in normal practice conditions before returning to the lineup.
Stevens said he will play no role in deciding whether Clarke is ready.
His health is first and foremost, Stevens said. It’s completely and totally in the hands of our trainers and medical staff. I will defer to them on all of those decisions.
Butler trainer Ryan Galloy said last week that Clarke’s sprain is significant. Tests revealed no structural damage.
Clarke wore casual business attire and sat on the team’s bench during the 64-63 win over Gonzaga.
Butler moved up to ninth Monday in both the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll.
STONE-FACED: Fans noted the reaction – or lack thereof – from Stevens on Saturday even as pandemonium erupted around him following Roosevelt Jones’ game-winning jumper at the buzzer.
Stevens said there’s a reason for that.
My job is not to be the guy that jumps around, he said. My job is to be the guy that keeps this thing moving in the right direction. That’s what we are trying to do. It’s not about the shot. You don’t evaluate your team on whether that shot goes down or not. You evaluate your team on how well they played, how hard they played, how much they put in to get there. I’ll let everybody else react or overreact to winning or losing. We’ve got a ton of articles written about how great we are. We’re no better than if that shot would’ve missed. It has very little to do with that final shot.
JONES HONORED: Jones was named Atlantic 10 co-player of the week Monday, sharing the honor with Virginia Commonwealth’s Treveon Graham.
It marks the fourth time a Butler player has won the award this season, most in the conference.
Jones posted 10 points and 12 rebounds in Wednesday’s 62-47 victory over Richmond. He had 20 points, five rebounds and four assists Saturday, in addition to his last-second heroics. Jones shot 7-for-10 from the field, connecting mostly on floaters and short jumpers around the rim.
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