Tre Jones misses second game in a row for Duke
Though Duke played without point guard Tre Jones for a second consecutive game on Saturday, the No. 4 Blue Devils won and have hope he’ll be ready for ACC play.
Jones, a 6-2 sophomore, was not in uniform when Duke beat Brown 75-50 at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Jones suffered what the school says is a mild sprain to his left foot in practice earlier this month and missed Duke’s 86-57 win over Wofford on Dec. 19. Jones was not in uniform during the game but was on the bench wearing normal shoes, not using a protective boot and not using crutches.
The same was true on Saturday.
After the win over Wofford, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was confident Jones would be better after the holiday break and ready to return to action.
Though he participated in practice on Thursday after the team returned to campus following a holiday break, Jones didn’t feel 100 percent healthy on Friday so he was help out of Saturday’s game.
“We told him to not workout when he was home, so he wasn’t able to try the exercises,” Krzyzewski said. “The first afternoon when we were back, we had no contact, just a lot of shooting and running and he did everything. He felt pretty good after but still not completely sure.”
The Blue Devils return to ACC play on Tuesday night against Boston College at 6 p.m. at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Krzyzewski said Jones, who averages Jones 15.6 points and 7.1 assists per game. should be able to be a full participant in practice on Sunday as Duke begins preparation for that game.
“I think he needs another day or two,” Krzyzewski said. “I expect him to participate in practice with contact (on Sunday).”
This story was originally published December 28, 2019 at 9:13 AM.