Recruiting Report: Tre Jones (2018)
October 21st Update The last twelve months for sophomore point guard Tre Jones have been quite amazing. Let’s quickly review Tre started as Apple Valley point guard and led his team to a state title Watched his brother Tyus lead…
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Continue ReadingOctober 21st Update
The last twelve months for sophomore point guard Tre Jones have been quite amazing. Let’s quickly review
- Tre started as Apple Valley point guard and led his team to a state title
- Watched his brother Tyus lead Duke to a national title
- Jones led the Pulley 16U squad to several wins and a nice season
- He was offered by the hometown school, the University of Minnesota
- Watched his brother get drafted by the hometown Minnesota Timberwolves
- Started at PG for the 16U USA basketball team and led the team to several wins
- Was offered by Duke
When Jones was offered by Minnesota the camera crew showed up at Williams Arena during team camp and he did interviews. Months later Tre was offered by Duke and made headlines at the same play his brother did months before.
“I was really excited,” Tre said earlier this month about the Duke offer. “I did not expect it at all. They were in to watch open gym. I'm not able to talk to them in person because I'm so young, but I got the news that I was supposed to call them, so after I called and they told me the good news, it was surreal. I couldn't believe it.
“(Coach K) was just talking about how it was great to see me and finally got to see me and JR (Gary Trent Jr) play. And he said he loved my game and he'd just love to be able to coach me one day.
“They have a big tradition program and Coach K is obviously one of the best coaches, I feel, that's ever coached college basketball. It's just a great program, great coaching staff, and everything about Duke is great.”
Tyus was of course excited to see that his brother followed in his foot steps not only winning a state title but also getting a Duke offer.
“He was so proud of me and he knows that I've always wanted to pick up big offers like one of those, so after doing that, I mean, he's just so happy for me.”
Baylor also offered Tre and there is a connection there as well. Jared Nuness is a coach in their program and also a relative of the Jones family.
“It's like family over at Baylor. Since Tyus was recruited by them, I was able to be there with him and so I know the coaching staff really well. They have a beautiful campus.
“The coaching staff is amazing. I love them. I like the coaching staff a lot. They have a good program and I feel like they're getting a lot better. Just the way they play, I like it.”
Tre is also a fan of the hometown Gopher program.
“They’re recruiting me hard too. I love it there too. I mean, it's at home. It's only twenty, twenty-five minutes away. Amir (Coffey) just committed there. Their program is growing a bunch. It would be great to go home too.”
Tre recently started his sophomore year so there is a lot of time left for recruiting. For now, the focus is on a repeat of the state title they won last year as the Eagles bring back their entire starting line-up.
“The main goal is to get another state title,” Tre said. “That's all I'm looking forward to right now. There's going to be other goals that come along and will get, but the main goal is a state title.
“I plan on being a little more aggressive. That could be either scoring more or more assists or more steals or more rebounds. Anything that will help my team. Elevate the team intensity and some of the players that we lost last year that came in big for us off the bench, I just want to step up for those guys. “
June 2015
Friday afternoon Apple Valley sophomore-to-be Tre Jones was playing with his high school teammates at Gopher Team Camp. Less than 24 hours after celebrating his brother Tyus Jones being drafted, Tre received some special news of his own.
After watching Tre play twice on Friday, Minnesota Gopher Coach Richard Pitino extended Tre a scholarship offer giving the young Eagle not only a second offer (Texas Tech) but also giving the family another reason to celebrate.
“I’m very blessed for him to think of me like that as I’m just going to be a sophomore so for him to do that it’s just very cool to give me that opportunity,” Tre said.
“It means a lot because it’s the hometown team. Everybody thinks about staying home and playing for the hometown team. So this means a lot.”
Jones described what he likes about the Gopher program and why the way Coach Pitino leads his team fits Tre’s style of play.
“They pick up 94 feet and like to get after it on the defensive end. They like a high-tempo game. I take a lot of pride in being a defender. Ever since I was younger, I liked to be on the defensive end. I like trying to guard the best player on the other team.”
Of course Jones spent his Thursday night at the draft party of his brother, Tyus Jones who was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 24th pick and then traded to the local team, the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“It’s been surreal,” Tre said of his brother getting drafted. “Just thinking about him getting drafted before the draft came up, it was unbelievable. And then the day it came up everybody was really excited and ready for that night.
“That night was just crazy, his name getting called in the draft was amazing as was him getting traded to the Timberwolves.”
Jones spent his June starting next to high school teammate Gary Trent Jr. on the USA 16 and Under squad winning every game they played in Argentina. Despite being a year younger than a lot of his competitors, was the team’s lead guard every step of the way and at one point set a Team USA record for steals in a game with seven.
“It was one of the best basketball experiences I ever had,” Tre said. “To get twelve of the best in the country to play another twelve from another country, it was just an amazing experience representing our country.”
Tre is coming off a state championship with Apple Valley this March where he played numerous roles for his team while D1 offered Gary Trent Jr and Brock Bertram took care of the scoring. Jones averaged 8.2 points per game as a frosh shooting 55 percent from the floor, 78 percent from the foul line, and 36 percent at the arc.
Tre also gave his team 4.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and two steals each night.