Duke All-American junior guard Grayson Allen was indefinitely suspended from the Duke basketball team on Thursday morning, just a little over 12 hours removed from his third intentional trip of an opposing player in the last 10 months.
The latest recipient of an Allen kick to the shin was Elon’s Steven Santa Ana, who fell to the floor after Allen tripped him on a baseline drive with four minutes to go in the first half on Wednesday evening. Allen was assessed a technical foul on the play, and the ACC released a statement after the game, saying that they would review the play to see if any additional punishment outside of the technical foul was warranted.
ACC officials can breathe a bit easier on Thursday morning, as they will not have to step in on yet another incident by Allen, at least for now. After playing both sides of the fence regarding Allen in the press conference following Duke’s 72-61 victory, leaving little clarity on if punishment would even be handed down by the program on their junior guard, Coach K leveled Allen with the indefinite suspension on Thursday morning.
Best guess here, and all speculation on my part, is that Allen will be in line to miss the next few games. Duke completed a 12-1 non-conference slate with their win on Wednesday night, with their next game coming on December 31st in Cassell Coliseum against the 10-1 Virginia Tech Hokies to open ACC play. After what could be a hard-fought Virginia Tech game, the Blue Devils play at home against Georgia Tech and Boston College, which are winnable games with or without Allen.
In my estimation, a January 10th return on the road against Florida State is a likely landing spot for an Allen return, in order for him to get his feet back under him for a road game with Louisville on January 14th.
Ultimately though, it will be up to Coach K and Grayson Allen himself on how lengthy this suspension will be. Allen has taken accountability for his actions in the past, but actions speak louder than words, and he will need to break himself of this tripping habit of opponents, even when frustration hits a high within the heat of the game. Perhaps an extended time off for Allen will change his mindset and help him realize that his actions on the floor have been unacceptable. Only time will tell what the implications and the fallout of this punishment will be, but stay with InsideTheACC for the latest on this story.
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