SteemSports Presenter:
SteemSports Editor:
The College Basketball season kicks off in just a few weeks. The usual teams are at the top of the preseason lists like Arizona, Michigan State, Kansas and Kentucky. And the Duke Blue Devils are right there too, largely due to the return of Senior Guard, and most hated man in college basketball, Grayson Allen.
Before we look at Allen’s well deserved hatred, let's first look back at the All-time most hated Duke player, Christian Laettner. He was and is officially the most hated college basketball player EVER. He has ranked a top this list since his playing days way back in the early 90’s. Laettner was the pretty boy with model looks and NBA talent when he played at Duke. He took the Blue Devils to 4 straight Final 4’s and 2 National Championships all the while being hated by every basketball fan outside of Durham, North Carolina. Laettner wasn't just good, but great. And he is considered the best college basketball player of alltime. Fans loved to yell and boo every time he touched the ball or shot a free throw. But it only fueled Laettners fire.
Christian Laettner created a nationwide anti Duke atmosphere that still exists today. The players change, but the hatred remains. NBA veteran J.J. Reddick was a recipient of the hatred when he was draining 3’s for the Blue Devils. Chris Collins, current Northwestern coach was hated. Greg Paulus was hated. Current L.A. Clipper, Austin Rivers was hated too.
But now Christian Laettner's legacy is getting a run for his money, as far as hate goes. Senior Guard Grayson Allen is by far the most hated college basketball player since Laettner. This year, the boos and the yelling will be at an all time high whenever he takes the court.
Allen’s career had a relatively quiet start. He averaged 4.4 points per game and didn't get much playing time. But he did get a opportunity in the Championship Game and took advantage of it by scoring 16 points and helping Duke to cut down the nets. He showed a good stroke from outside and an ability to jump and get to the rim but would have to wait until his sophomore season to get consistent run time. It was then when his career began to blossom.
His sophomore season was fantastic, statistically that is. He moved into the starting lineup and quickly became one of the most exciting players in the country. Allen could shoot deep 3’s and dunk with the best of them. Not bad for another annoying white guy on Duke. But his antics on February 8th is where it all began to unravel. Allen tripped Louisville player Raymond Spalding. He looked like a fool and every Duke hater immediately jumped on this. Then just a few weeks later, Allen tripped a Florida State player just as the game was ending. It was an easy win and the move seemed to serve no purpose other than to be a jerk. Allen was officially HATED. The ACC disciplined him for tripping 2 players in the same month.
Allen flirted with entering the NBA draft after his sophomore season but decided to come back for one more year. This will be a decision that he may regret for the rest of his life as things took a turn for the worse his next year.
Although Allen told his coaches, teammates and media in preseason interviews that he wanted to put all of that behind him, it surely didn't last long. In an easy non conference game on December 21st, he did it again. Allen tripped an Elon Phoenix player and received a technical. Finally, Coach K reacted by suspending Allen indefinitely. He was also stripped of being a Captain and was being publicly shamed. Allen returned from his suspension on January 4th but the damage was done. His stats were way down and every time he entered an opposing gym, the hecklers would line up.
So what is the senior season going to look like for Grayson Allen? 2 years ago he would have been a sure fire lottery pick. But now? Who knows. The physical talent has always been there, but it's what's between the ears that have NBA scouts nervous. Allen has one last shot to right his wrongs, in the eyes of the NBA scouts that is. As far as being the most hated player in the country? That is already solidified.
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