Two brothers, four years apart, one goal in mind: the NCAA national championship. One accomplished it in 2015. The other is currently on the road to the Final Four.
The last time Duke won the NCAA Tournament, it featured a stacked squad made up of soon-to-be NBA players in Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow, Grayson Allen, Quinn Cook and, of course, a freshman point guard by the name of Tyus Jones, who led his team to the championship game.
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In the 68-63 victory over Wisconsin in that year's final, Jones scored 23 points and earned the tournament’s most outstanding player award. Now, Tyus — in his fourth season with the Minnesota Timberwolves — finds himself on the outside looking in as he watches younger brother Tre Jones, also a freshman, attempt a similar feat with Duke.
"It's unbelievable. … (Tre's) living out his dream of being a point guard at Duke, living out my dream for him,” Tyus told Sporting News after Minnesota's game against the Hornets. He was dressed, head to toe, in Duke gear. “It just makes it that much more special that he's following in my footsteps and that we won the championship, obviously, and what we did there. I'm extremely excited for him."
The ultimate goal this season is to get to the Final Four in Minneapolis. Perhaps it's a little more meaningful for Tre than his other Duke teammates this season: The Final Four and championship games will be held at U.S. Bank Stadium, just 22 miles south of the Jones' hometown of Apple Valley, Minn.
Tre knows it won't be an easy task leading the Blue Devils to their sixth national championship. Lucky for him, he has Tyus to lean on for advice.
"We talk every day, honestly, and that's been our whole life," Tyus said. "I've gone through it, I'm able to try to help him get ahead of that curve, (and) know what to look for going into a run like this."
My boy! Keep hooping! @DukeMBB @Tre3Jones https://t.co/7SccxLOZlO
— Tyus Jones (@1Tyus) March 17, 2019
“It’s extremely cool being able to have that figure in my life to look up to," Tre said. "I was able to be here for all the games that he had in the tournament. Talking to him before the game, he told me to just keep playing my game. It’s no different. It’s not any different type of basketball game. It’s just a win-or-go-home scenario, so keep playing my game and everything will work out.”
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Tre may not be the leading scorer for Duke every night — not with Sporting News Player of the Year Zion Williamson on the roster — but he has been the backbone to the Blue Devils’ success this season, leading the team with 5.3 assists per game. He constantly finds ways to dish it out to his teammates and get them involved, especially Williamson.
The 6-2 playmaker's ability to create scoring opportunities isn't the only area in which he thrives. He averages two steals per game, second on the team behind Williamson, and the defensive pressure he provides has a way of frustrating opponents and getting them out of their game.
As No. 1 overall seed Duke heads into the Sweet 16, Tre remembers like it was yesterday when he watched Tyus play in these do-or-die games.
Now, the situations are reversed. Perhaps that experience — watching his older brother help win it all in 2015 — will help the latest Jones brother in his own bid for a title.
“The times definitely went by quick," Tre said, "but I’m just trying to enjoy every moment.”
Sporting News' Jordan Greer contributed to this report.