Duke freshman sent Coach K a text message after he lost to a 14-seed a year ago promising 'this won't happen next year'
Jones led the team with 23 points on 7-13 shooting, including a huge three-pointer with four minutes left to put Duke up for good.
Jones' performance backed up a prophetic text message he sent Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski a year ago when the Blue Devils were knocked in the first round of the 2014 tournament.
According to the Duke Chronicle, Jones, then a senior in high school, texted Krzyzewski after Duke's loss to Mercer, telling him they would not get knocked out of the tournament early.
"I just told him 'This won't happen next year.' Coming in I just wanted to be his point guard, be someone who can help this team. Quinn was obviously going to be the leader of this team, being a senior, [but I wanted] just to take a different type of leadership role and contribute."
It appeared Jones' goal was at least making the Final Four.
On April 5, 2014, Jones tweeted:
Jones told the Chronicle, "I knew the Final Four would be here in Indianapolis, so that was just something that was a goal of mine and a dream of mine, something that myself and the team would be working hard to get to."
He also claims it was just a goal, not a prediction.
Jones, who along with Duke center Jahlil Okafor, decided when they were in high school that they would attend the same college, and went on the recruiting trip to Duke together.
He's a projected lottery pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, and many believe he will enter the draft this spring.