Rubin Jones had Dusty May pegged from the start.
“Early on, I knew that he was a real good coach, like they won first time we played them, I knew it was a different feel playing against him,” the graduate transfer guard said Tuesday on the Defend the Block Podcast. “I knew just because we (North Texas) were a defensive school, I know his sets are kind of different — I don’t even know if they had sets at the time, he’s just so confusing playing against him.”
Jones, a tireless competitor who logged over 29 minutes per game last season, still marvels at the intense physical demands of battling May’s relentless Florida Atlantic system. It was always a tall task and one that Jones received plenty of experience with.
The winningest player in Mean Green history, Jones’ time at North Texas represented one of the brightest spots in program history. Capturing the Conference USA tournament championship in 2021, as well as the program’s first-ever March Madness tournament win over Purdue that same year, Jones amassed 93 wins across four years in green.
Despite a healthy dose of winning, though, Jones admitted that May somehow always had their number—even from the very start.
“I remember the first time we played them vividly,” Jones said. “I remember running into a screen from Vlad and feeling my shoulder popping out of place, I remember just chasing people all around the court. It’s just a whole different feel against Coach May.”
Dusty May Promo!
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