Why Grayson Allen Can Go From Tantrums And Tripping To Winning A National Championship.

We’ve seen it all with Grayson Allen. The trippings, tantrums, and more. But with one more season to go, can he bring a title back to Duke?

Coming into his freshman year, Grayson Allen looked like a classic Duke player. A consensus top 40 recruit, led his high school team to multiple state title appearances, and has the ability to score in bunches. Allen was widely overlooked in his freshman year as Duke brought in one of the strongest recruiting classes ever. Players such as Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones, and Justise Winslow made Allen seem like an afterthought. He was nothing special during the regular season, as he only averaged 9 minutes per game and 4 points per game. The Blue Devils entered March Madness as a 1 seed and won games comfortably to coast into the title game. They get to the national championship against a Wisconsin team led by future first round picks, Sam Dekker and Frank Kaminsky.

With 12:11 left in the national championship game and Duke down 9 points, Grayson’s rise to Duke stardom had just begun. He went on to score 8 consecutive points and helped bring a title back to Duke. As I watched Allen put on that performance I could only think of all the past Duke villains such as Christian Laettner and JJ Redick. I had a feeling about Allen as the next infamous Duke villain, and it came to be when he entered his sophomore campaign…

Krzyzewski and company put together yet another impressive recruiting class, ranking second nationally. He brought in four 5 stars, most notably Brandon Ingram (two of the 5 stars eventually transferred from the program). Ingram and Allen became the teams most valuable offensive assets. But, as most freshman do, it takes them some time to adjust to the speed of college basketball.

This was Grayson’s chance to be THE guy for this Duke team. As Ingram’s maturation continued, Allen embraced the role as the primary scorer. As if putting the team on his back in the national championship a year ago wasn’t enough, Allen did something that would solidify him as the next Duke villain. Duke was down to Virginia 61–62 with six seconds left. Allen seemed to have been dead in his tracks with three seconds remaining in the game. He was at the 3 point line and had almost no chance of a high quality shot. He miraculously throws up a floater in the lane, and banks it in to win the game at the buzzer. But in Duke villain fashion, something had to happen…

The most notable Duke villains all had their great moments:

• JJ Redick scoring 26 points at Maryland as the student section chants “fuck you JJ!”
• Christian Laettner hits “the shot” against Kentucky to send Duke to the Final 4 in 1992, they would go on to eventually win the national championship.

After the Virginia game the media really started to pay attention to Allen. Now, one of the most crucial moments of Allen’s career had happened. During a game against 13th ranked Louisville, Grayson Allen tripped Ray Spalding after he fell to the floor trying to finish. Then only weeks later, Allen once again tripped Florida State’s Xavier Rathan-Mayes.

This trip really made no sense whatsoever, it was just a dumb play. The trip came with only 5 seconds left as Duke was already leading by 15 points. This trip caught the attention of not only basketball fans, but national media. Allen was put in that spotlight and he seemed to deal with it pretty well, as he went on to finish the year very successful. He was named as a second-team All American, consensus first-team all ACC, and a finalist for the John R. Wooden Award. By years end, Allen had found himself in the spotlight becoming one of the most polarizing figures in college basketball.

Going into the 2016–2017 season, Grayson Allen was possibly the most talented returning player to a team. He was the front runner for the Wooden Award after averaging 21.6 ppg a year ago, and he had the opportunity to give Mike Krzyzewski and the Duke Blue Devils their sixth national championship.

The season was anything but that for Allen. Luke Kennard surprisingly became the main scorer, while Jayson Tatum scored some timely buckets for the Blue Devils. Only a few weeks into the season he became the third option for the team.

Allen’s confidence was shattered as he couldn’t get a rhythm offensively, he also couldn’t get out of the media spotlight. On December 22, Duke was playing Elon when Allen blatantly tripped Steven Santa Ana. Seconds after he was handed the technical foul he lost his temper. Once, a high energy superstar with a grittiness that every basketball fan can appreciate, became so frustrated that assistant coach Jon Scheyer had to hold him down on the bench. Everything that happened to him in the season had gotten to him, and he lost his cool. The actions were unacceptable and immature, but could he use the low point of his college career to propel this years team to a championship?

After making the decision to return for his final year at Duke, he will be the lone senior on a very young roster. He’s been through everything a player can come in contact with in college. From playing limited minutes on a national championship team in his freshman year, to becoming a superstar in his sophomore year, and suddenly getting all the media attention as his production dips during his junior campaign.

The freshman Trevon Duval comes to Durham as a true point guard, one thing that Duke hasn’t had since Tyus Jones in 2014–2015. This will allow Allen to be himself as a guard that attacks the basket and won’t be forced to be the passer. Gary Trent and Wendell Carter Jr will round out one of the most talented rosters in college basketball.

In conclusion, Grayson Allen will have one last chance to leave a good mark on one of the premier programs in all of college sports. I expect this Duke team to go as far as Allen can lead them. If he can take the leadership role in stride, expect the Blue Devils to make a big push come March.