Mention the name, “Grayson Allen,” and you’ll get a reaction. Duke haters mutter in disgust. Duke lovers see him as ‘Golden Boy.’
Grayson Allen burst on the scene as a freshman. It was an unlikely coming out party, too.
Despite being a Top 30 high school recruit–and after racking up thousands of views on YouTube for his dunking skills–Allen played a minimal role during the regular season of his freshman year. Allen came off the bench in every game, averaging just 4.4 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 0.4 assists per contests.
With a roster that included NBA prospects Jahlil Okafor, Quinn Cook, Justise Winslow, and Tyus Jones, analysts evaluated Allen as Duke’s eighth best player.
Then IT happened.
Allen came off the bench in the 2015 NCAA Championship game. His Blue Devils were down nine points to Wisconsin. Allen caught fire–scoring 16 points–and played a crucial role in Duke’s comeback. Allen was now a household name.
Duke fans couldn’t wait to see what was in store during Allen’s sophomore year. They weren’t disappointed either. Allen became a go-to scorer with companions Brandon Ingram and Luke Kennard. He averaged nearly 22 points a game. But a script was written along the way: Allen became the new Christian Laettner.
Courtesy: Phillip Pennington – WordPress.com
Remember, Laettner? He’s the Duke player who hit “The Shot” — a jumper against UK with 2.3 seconds left in OT that sent the Blue Devils to the 1992 Final Four.
But fans didn’t hate Laettner just for making that shot. They also hated him for stomping on Aminu Timberlake’s chest during that game (see photo at left).
Fans STILL love to hate Laettner even after all these years. Rob Lowe, executive producer of ESPN’s 30 for 30, “I Hate Christian Laettner,”’ thinks the hate relates largely to “Christian being a massively talented pretty boy who takes no sh*t from anyone.”
What fans didn’t know back then is that Laettner would be just the first in a long line of Duke “Pretty boys”–aka “Villains of the college basketball world.” There was JJ Reddick and Steve Wojciechowski and, now, there’s Grayson Allen.
Courtesy: ABC11 Raleigh-Durham
But of all of them Allen comes the closest to being a Laettner clone. Why? As a sophomore, Allen tripped Louisville’s Ray Spalding and Florida State’s Xavier Rathan-Mayes in the span of five games. FIVE GAMES! Then, during his junior year, Allen tripped Elon’s Steven Santa Ana … and received a one-game suspension. After that, Allen’s average fell to 14.5 points a game and his NBA stock took a dive.
Back for his senior year, Allen has been resurgent, even though he’s taking a backseat to Marvin Bagley III, a player who’s likely to be a 2018 NBA Lottery pick.
Coach K has asked Allen to take on a leadership role and he has risen to the occasion. Duke is back where it always seems to be–a high seed in the Big Dance. This year, Duke is the #2 in the Midwest bracket. Don’t be surprised if a ‘matured’ Grayson Allen leads Duke deep into the tournament.
Grayson Allen’s career has been an odyssey, an up-and-down affair, full of controversy. But let’s face it: Allen is the glue that holds together a squad that Duke fans cheer and America loves to hate.
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Watch Duke open the NCAA tournament today against Iona, 2:45p, CBS, Duke -19.5
NCAA Tournament: Iona says it won’t be intimidated by Duke, Grayson Allen
