Coach Mike Krzyzewski announced Wednesday that Duke guard Grayson Allen will be returning for his junior year. Allen seems to be excited about the move, and looks forward to playing with his team again, but just because he’s happy doesn’t mean the rest of the world is. His decision has brought on a wave of scrutiny, seeing that another season with Allen could mean another season involving his questionable on-court performance. Allen has been known to purposefully trip his opponents, behavior that has killed his potential of ever being deemed reputable again; he gained a lot of attention last year after tripping Florida State’s Xavier Ratham-Mayes with just three seconds left on the clock, and then tripping Louisville’s Raymond Spalding just three weeks later.
Despite the backlash, as well as a less-than-satisfying loss to Oregon in the Sweet Sixteen, Duke is already highly regarded heading into the 2016-17 season, with many attributing this to Allen’s return. A special feature in the Northeast Florida edition of In the Game Magazine in 2014, the former Providence standout ranked 34th in the nation in his high school years, a feat that surely got him to Duke, and made him a fan favorite at the time. He’s honed his skills and has become and even better player since. In all of his games as a Blue Devil Allen has averaged 13.1 points, 2.0 assists, and 2.8 rebounds, all while shooting 40.3 percent from outside the arc and 83.9 percent from the free throw line. He begins this upcoming season 68 points away from becoming the 65th 1,000-point scorer in program history.
Not only is Allen great on the court but he’s also just as great in the classroom. The psychology major has been honored as a Second-Team CoSIDA Academic All-American during the 2015-2016 campaign. He is the sixth student-athlete in Duke’s history to earn All-America honors and Academic All-America recognition in the same season. There’s no wonder Coach Krzyzewski is thrilled to have the player back on his team. Allen is focused both sports and academics which sparked his decision to stay with Duke. The player has always dreamed of graduating from the university and the prospect of playing professionally won’t stop him.
He returns this season with a group of high school stars including Jayson Tatum and Harry Giles—the two top recruits in the Class of 2016. This season will be interesting to watch with the return of Allen and the addition of these new all-star recruits, but two things are for sure: the competition really has something to worry about, and Duke obviously knows how to pick them.
In the Game / Web Content
Grayson Allen
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina
By Njeri Mathis
Photo courtesy of Rukkus.com
