Tre Jones: Duke Needs Hunger and Intensity Every Night
Duke has won seven straight since struggling earlier in the ACC season.
“I think just trying to get back to playing how we were playing before the two losses that we had picked up a few weeks ago,” Tre Joes said of the team’s focus in recent weeks. “We had lost the hunger a little bit, weren’t playing the same on defense, so [now we are] getting back to how we were playing on the defensive end, playing with that hunger, the same intensity every single night, coming out right away from the start and jumping on opponents. Definitely just coming out the gates with intensity, the energy, the enthusiasm, the talk,” he said. “Just trying it on all cylinders on the defensive end, knowing that has a huge role on how we play offense as well.”
The team tries to match that intensity during practice as well.
“For sure,” Jones said. “Coach has mentioned that as well. It seems like when we have our best practices, we come out and play our best basketball the next game. So I’m trying to bring it every single practice as well [and] match our intensity in practice as well as in the games.”
The key, as Coach K often says, is talking on the court.
“A lot is with our talking, communication for sure,” Jones said. “Trying to have that talk, not have it be quiet or lacking any energy. There’s not a lot of competition now in practice. We’re just trying to stay on the same page with the guys, whether we’re running through our offense or doing defensive drills or whatever it is.”
