Just hours after undergoing knee surgery, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski received a “get well soon” gift that will help the Blue Devils in 2018.
Five-star point guard Tre Jones committed to Duke in a ceremony at a church Sunday night, with his older brother Tyus Jones, who helped lead the Blue Devils to the 2015 national championship, sitting by his side on stage.
"Tyus, always somebody I wanted to be like as long as I can remember," Tre Jones said during his announcement speech. "You paved the way for me."
The Brotherhood ⚪️ pic.twitter.com/9sVu1Egm7g
— Tre Jones (@trejones03) August 13, 2017
Jones chose Duke instead of UCLA and Minnesota and becomes the first member of Duke's 2018 recruiting class. The Apple Valley, Minn., native was high school teammates with Blue Devil freshman guard Gary Trent Jr. before Trent transferred to Prolific Prep for his senior year.
Jones is the No. 19 prospect in the 2018 ESPN 100 and has become one of the most coveted high school seniors in the nation due to his ability to control the offense with the ball in his hands. At 6-foot-4, the guard is one of the hardest covers in his class, as he uses his size and physicality to get to the basket and score.
Perhaps Jones’ best skill, however, is his passing ability. Jones used his high IQ to navigate the floor and make smart passes, boasting an assist rate better than 40 percent in the Nike EYBL this spring.
Krzyzewski's ability to get a commitment from Jones is another example of the prowess of Duke’s recruiting staff. The Blue Devils have finished in the top two in ESPN’s class rankings for each of the last four years and could be on their way to a fifth consecutive appearance after Jones' commitment.
Duke is also in the mix for five-star point guard Darius Garland, who could help Jones fill the void left by this year's top freshman point guard Trevon Duval's potential departure to the NBA after one season.
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Digital Strategy Director for Vol. 115, Michael was previously Sports Editor for Vol. 114 and Assistant Blue Zone Editor for Vol. 113. Michael is a senior majoring in Statistical Science and is interested in data analytics and using data to make insights.