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Tyus Jones Chooses To Take His Talent To Duke

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) – Another of Minnesota's star basketball recruits announced Friday that he'll be leaving the state.

Apple Valley High School's Tyus Jones, the most coveted point guard in the country, said in a press conference that he'll be attending Duke University in North Carolina.

Jones said the process of choosing a school was "extremely stressful." He had been in talks with the University of Minnesota and other schools for years now. In the end, he said made his choice based on what was best for him and his family.

"We sat back, and weighed out all the options and chose what we felt was the best fit for myself," he said.

With tears in his eyes, Jones thanked the school and its coaches for being his "backbone," supporting him as he grew as a player and helping him with the constant travel that went with it.

As for Duke, and its renowned head coach Michael Krzyzewski, the 17-year-old said his style of play will fit in immediately with that of the Blue Devils.

Duke also signed Friday another high school basketball phenom from the Midwest: Chicago's Jahlil Okafor.

"We felt that Duke was the right fit for ourselves and we would be able to succeed there," Jones said of the two of them.

Jones is the second top Minnesota recruit to announce a college choice out of state.

Last week, DeLaSalle's Reid Travis announced he had chosen to attend Stanford University in California.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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