Tre Isiah Jones was born January 8, 2000, in Apple Valley, Minnesota — four years after Tyus, into the same basketball family, the same single-mother household. Debbie Jones had won a North Dakota state championship as a point guard. Rob Jones played at Division III Wisconsin-Parkside. Older brother Jadee played at Furman. Uncle Al Nuness captained the Gophers in 1969. Debbie and Rob divorced when Tre was five. Debbie, a paralegal, raised the boys on her own.
In 2010, Uncle Al took both boys to the Final Four in Indianapolis. While visiting Durham, Al told Coach K to remember the name Tyus Jones. Then he mentioned Tre: ‘Tre Jones is a Duke fanatic.’ Al got Krzyzewski to sign memorabilia and gave ten-year-old Tre a Blue Devils watch from Jostens. Tre created a Duke shrine in his bedroom — posters, signed memorabilia, the watch. Years later, when Coach K visited the Jones home on a recruiting trip and saw Tre’s room, the decision was already made. ‘It was pretty obvious where Tre had his mind set. He always had an infatuation with Duke and Coach K.’
But Tre had to earn it on his own. In Apple Valley, Tyus was a legend — a day named after him, a parade through the streets. Every time Tre played: ‘How does your game compare to your brother’s?’ He answered by being different. Tyus was the scorer. Tre was the defender.
Varsity as an eighth-grader. Two state championships (2015, 2017). In the 2017 final: 24 pts/18 reb/5 ast. Senior: 23.5 PPG/10.4 RPG/7.5 APG. Two-time Gatorade POY. Minnesota Mr. Basketball. McDonald’s All-American. #1 PG in the 2018 class. USA Basketball U-16 gold (American record: 19 steals). The shrine told you where he was going.