EAST LANSING — A whistle blew the play dead, and Xavier Tillman came alive.
As the ball bounced out of bounds, the Michigan State basketball junior flailed his arm angrily and delivered a harsh tongue-lashing at Gabe Brown.
The reason? The 6-foot-7 Brown let his man, 6-foot David DeJulius, establish inside position for an offensive rebound before Tillman sent the Michigan player’s follow-up shot flying in frustration.
“He said, ‘You gotta grab that rebound. You gotta box him out,’” Brown said after practice Tuesday. “A little cuss words.”