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Duke Basketball: Tre Jones is officially returning for his sophomore season

By Kevin Connelly

COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA - MARCH 22: Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts to a basket against the North Dakota State Bison in the second half during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA - MARCH 22: Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils reacts to a basket against the North Dakota State Bison in the second half during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Colonial Life Arena on March 22, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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The Duke Basketball point guard, Tre Jones, is officially returning to Durham for his sophomore season.

It’s officially, official.

Tre Jones is will be returning to Duke for his sophomore season. The official Duke Men’s Basketball Twitter account verified the information that many fans assumed since Saturday night.

https://twitter.com/DukeMBB/status/1115366343887466496

Jones posted on Instagram on Saturday and Sunday night, hinting at a return to Durham.

On Saturday, Jones posted a photo of him at Countdown to Craziness with the caption “Year 2?”, while on Sunday, Jones posted a picture of his jersey in his locker during the NCAA Tournament.

The post on Sunday looked much more ominous than the Saturday post, but nonetheless, Jones will be wearing that No. 3 in blue and white next season.

In his freshman year, Jones averaged 9.4 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.9 steals per game, while shooting 41.4% from the field and 75.8% from the free throw line. However, the one aspect of Jones’ game that needs a lot of improvement is his 3-point shooting as he only made 26.2% of his shots this season.

In various mock drafts, Tre Jones peaked as a mid-first rounder, but many projections had him as a late first round pick.

Jones’ return to Duke also affects the Blue Devils in many ways.

Duke was the frontrunner for one of the coveted remaining uncommitted recruits, Matthew Hurt, who was looking for schools with ‘steady’ point guard play.

There are not many more ‘steady’ point guard in America than Tre Jones.

Hurt is set to announce his college decision on April 19.

Next. Tre Jones’ return likely reels in 2019 PF Matthew Hurt. dark

However, on the opposite side, Jones retuning to Duke might take the Blue Devils out of the R.J. Hampton sweepstakes, especially if he does decide to reclassify and become a freshman next season.

Hampton just narrowed his list of schools to four, Duke being one of them.

Related Story. R.J. Hampton still has eyes on Tre Jones’ decision. light

While Jones is the first of the Duke freshman to officially make a decision on what the future holds, it is very unlikely that Zion Williamson, R.J. Barrett, or Cam Reddish will be joining Jones in Durham next season as the three are all projected as Top-10 picks in June’s NBA Draft.

While getting Tre Jones back for the 2019-20 season isn’t a complete surprise, it is a much needed boost for next season’s Duke team in at a position that is vital for success in college basketball.

Jones will join a herald returning class of Vernon Carey Jr., Wendell Moore, Boogie Ellis, and possibly Hurt, along with the returnees of Marques Bolden, Javin DeLaurier, Jack White, Jordan Goldwire, Alex O’Connell, and Joey Baker.

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