Jefferson, Plumlee, Matt Jones named Duke basketball captains for 2015-16

Heading into the 2014-15 season, the Blue Devils did not have a returning captain on the roster and waited until Sept. 30 to announce Quinn Cook and Amile Jefferson as the team's leaders for the season.

Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski did not wait long to make his selections for the 2015-16 campaign, naming Jefferson, Marshall Plumlee and Matt Jones as his three captains for next year's team. The announcement came following the team's end-of-year banquet, held Thursday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

A rising senior, Jefferson returns for his second year as a team leader after posting 6.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest last season. The Philadelphia native made 26 starts, but saw his role reduced down the stretch of the ACC season and during the Blue Devils' run to the national championship. Jefferson rose to the occasion in the national championship game against Wisconsin, guarding AP Player of the Year Frank Kaminsky down the stretch while freshman center Jahlil Okafor sat on the bench with four fouls. Jefferson's defensive efforts kept Kaminsky off balance and were a crucial part of Duke's come-from-behind win that did not show up in the box score.

Jones enjoyed a breakout sophomore campaign during which he saw his minutes nearly triple and his scoring jump up to 6.0 points per game. After struggling mightily as a freshman from beyond the arc, the DeSoto, Texas, native knocked down 37.6 percent of his 3-point attempts in 2014-15. Jones' defensive tenacity has been a constant during his two years in Durham and he became a more consistent player for Krzyzewski this season, knocking down several timely triples in big games.

Plumlee will once again follow in his brothers' footsteps, joining Miles and Mason Plumlee as a Blue Devil captains in his final season in Durham. The 7-footer appeared in all 39 games and scored 2.2 points per contest to go with 2.4 rebounds. Plumlee also drilled his only 3-point attempt of the year, late in a blowout of Presbyterian in Duke's first game of the season.

Just as Cook and Jefferson were tasked with mentoring a highly-touted freshman class, the trio will mentor a large incoming group of Blue Devils in Chase Jeter, Derryck Thornton, Luke Kennard, Antonio Vrankovic and Justin Robinson.