KALAMAZOO, MI -- One day after learning one of his players was arrested in a homicide investigation, Western Michigan coach Steve Hawkins talked about the "devastating loss" to the university after his team defeated James Madison 74-67 on Saturday.

Redshirt freshman Joeviair Kennedy was named as a felony homicide suspect in a case opened by the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety after 20-year-old Western Michigan University student Jacob Ryan Jones was shot and killed Thursday, Dec. 8.

Police have not named a suspect publicly but Broncos athletic director Kathy Beauregard released a statement Friday indicating a student-athlete was identified as a person of interest in the case.

Kennedy was a standout two-sport athlete at Muskegon High School in basketball and football and was starting to play a larger role on the Broncos basketball team. His name has been removed from the online basketball roster on the Western Michigan website.

Western Michigan hosts James Madison men's basketball 13 Gallery: Western Michigan hosts James Madison men's basketball

"It's a devastating loss for our university," Hawkins said in his postgame press conference. "It's a devastating tragedy for everybody involved. Lives were changed forever. We're very, very respectful of that, and we're very shook by the whole thing."

The Broncos fought a tough game against the Dukes and trailed for 11 minutes before taking the lead for good at the 3-minute mark.

Western Michigan players were not made available for interviews, but Hawkins said time on the court was good for his team.

"In any adversity the basketball court for a competitor is therapeutic," Hawkins said. "It really wasn't that hard for those guys once we were on the court, they handled it very well."

Joeviair Kennedy in a 2015 MLive file photo

Kennedy (6-foot-4, 190 pounds) was averaging just over 7 minutes per game this season from his guard/forward position and made appearances in all eight games. He's since been suspended by the university.

Hawkins said he and his team would work to pick up the pieces and move forward.

"Now it's up to us to try and, as you always do, try to mentor young people," Hawkins said. "There's a lot of unknowns."