Sixth man Cone will aim to bring instant offense against Duke
Studying Virginia Tech’s personnel before No. 19 Duke’s trip tonight to Blacksburg, it’s become abundantly clear to Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski that the Hokies’ more-than-capable offensive production isn’t the responsibility of any single scoring threat.
Well, except maybe one 5-foot10 sophomore — and he likely won’t even start.
“There’s not one guy you have to stop,” said Krzyzewski, whose team won its last game in Cassell Coliseum — 77-63 in December 2019 — but has lost at Virginia Tech in three of the last four meetings. “Although when (Jalen) Cone
comes in the game, you better try to limit him. He’s been fantastic for them.”
Score quick and score often. That’s Cone’s life as No. 20 Tech’s sixth man, and it’s not changing.
“I haven’t talked to him about it,” Tech coach Mike Young said regarding Cone’s role. “I love the punch he gives us off the bench. No, I have no intention anytime soon (of starting him). I consider him a starter, but to see that little rat come flying onto the floor, run him off several screens there when he first comes into the game, he offers a lot, needless to say.”
Duke (5-2, 3-0 ACC), which is led by forward Matthew Hurt’s 19.6 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, and Tech (9-2, 3-1) are the two most offensively efficient teams in the ACC (Duke is 14th-most efficient in the nation and Tech is 27th), according to statistician Ken Pomeroy. Cone’s quick release, which has helped him average 12.9 points per game (second on the team), is a big reason for the Hokies’ productivity.
Shooting 39.7% from 3-point range (27 of 68) in 19.6 minutes per game, Cone has established himself as the ACC’s most dangerous backcourt scoring weapon off the bench.
No other non-starting guard in the conference is averaging more points per game than Cone, who has come off the bench in all eight games he’s played this season. He’s averaged 17.8 points per contest in his last five games, including 18 Sunday night in Tech’s 77-63 win against Notre Dame and a careerhigh 23 last Wednesday in a 73-71 loss at Louisville.
“I know I can go from 0 to 100 and then stop on a dime and make shots, and I think that really helped,” Cone said of his scoring at Louisville, where he made 6 of 12 shots from 3-point range. “When guys are chasing me and running full-speed, I’m stopping full-speed going 100 miles per hour, and being able to make tough shots.”
He’s one of only four primarily non-starters in the league to average scoring in double figures. Each of the other three players (Virginia guard Trey Murphy, North Carolina State forward DJ Funderburk and Clemson guard Nick Honor) average 23.9 or more minutes per game.
Only Funderburk, who has started twice in his six games played, is averaging more points per game (13) in a mostly reserve role than Cone.
Notre Dame coach Mike Brey compared Cone to former Seattle Supersonics guard Fred Brown, a prolific perimeter shooter who started just four of the 963 games he played for Seattle. Brown made an NBA-best 44.3% of his 3-pointers in the 1978-79 season, the first season the league added the 3-point shots.
Cone has a firm grasp on what it takes to have to fill it up as a backup.
“Playing my game and having that confidence from Coach Young to give me the green light to play and be who I am,” Cone said Sunday about what has helped him click offensively. “I think that confidence from him and my teammates allows me to come in every night to play the game I want to.”