Grayson Allen tripped another player on Wednesday night, but will the Duke guard finally be suspended this time around?
There are times when athletes—both college and pro—get reputations that aren’t entirely deserved. Because of one incident, some sort of rap-sheet follows a player around. That’s always unfortunate when it happens. However, the notion that Duke Blue Devils guard Grayson Allen has a propensity for tripping opponents is becoming more and more deserved. After multiple instances from the 2015-16 season, Allen did it again on Wednesday night.
Late in the first half against the Elon Phoenix, Allen dropped down to defend on the baseline. In doing so, the junior guard got caught leaning on a spin move that would’ve allowed Elon guard Steven Santa Ana what was essentially a clear path to the rim. Only Allen didn’t allow that to happen.
As Duke’s star flew by the play, he then stuck out his right leg right into the thigh of Santa Ana, who was trying to make his drive to the rim. Subsequently, the Elon guard was sent to the ground and Allen was whistled for the foul.
Rightfully so, Allen was also assessed a technical foul for the trip. However, the question now is whether or not further action will be taken. More specifically, there’s a question of if Grayson Allen will be suspended or not.
Following the incident on Wednesday night, there were several respected pundits calling for just that, be it by Duke’s legendary head coach, Mike Krzyzewski, or by the ACC as a governing body. Those pundits included ESPN’s Seth Greenberg (a former ACC coach) and CBS/SI’s Seth Davis:
Accountability. Grayson Allen must be suspended. Coach K should do it prior to he league. Make a statement.
— Seth Greenberg (@SethOnHoops) December 22, 2016
My prediction is that Allen will be suspended by Duke for a game.
— Seth Davis (@SethDavisHoops) December 22, 2016
If this were the first time that something like this had occurred, a suspension would not be warranted in the slightest. However, Allen was a repeat offender of this exact thing already and this is a particularly egregious instance of it.
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Whether or not it happens, a suspension in this case is warranted. Allen does need to be taught a lesson and a message needs to be sent. If the NBA is going to address Draymond Green’s kicking, this is a similar thing happening in the NCAA—even more so when it appears the types of tripping are now escalating. We’ll see if action comes, but rest assured that it should.