

First, he knocked down a 3-point shot, then scrambled for a loose ball, which led to a driving layup and subsequent three-point play. Grayson has the ability with his athleticism to make things happen." "What you saw night was the way he always played for us. "His nature has always been to attack like that," Martin said. Jimmy Martin, Allen's coach at Providence, warned everyone during the NCAA tournament to be prepared for the breakout moment he had against Wisconsin. "What I see more than anything is it shows Grayson has the potential to be a special player." You got to earn everything at Duke because there's so many good players. "He was in a position where if he performed well, Coach K would stick with him. "He's getting a lot of attention and he should," said Duke hoops legend Christian Laettner, a Ponte Vedra Beach resident who attended the Final Four. It was designed to elevate his team in big moments, whether it was winning a state title at Providence in 2013 or rescuing Duke from a nine-point deficit with 13 minutes remaining in college basketball's biggest spectacle. Truthfully, this is exactly why Allen, a 6-foot-4 freshman guard with a 37½-inch vertical jump, has consistently shot hundreds of extra jump shots after practice all these years. Tom Brady's Super Bowl wing man acknowledging him on social media is a pretty good indication that Allen's life won't be quite the same from this point forward. New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman was one of Allen's admirers, tweeting during the game: "I like that Allen kid, plays tough." One clever tweet said they were looking forward to an ESPN "30 for 30" special in 2040, titled, "I Hate Grayson Allen." Many lauded his competitive fire, while the Duke detractors and humorists used memes to show his resemblance to Texas senator Ted Cruz, to animated children's character "Doug," to King Joffrey from "Game of Thrones" - having some fun with the emergence of the cherub-faced Allen. It erupted after Allen came off the bench when he boldly led Duke's comeback from a nine-point deficit, with freshman teammates Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow sitting because of foul trouble.

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"Now he has to handle all that comes with it."Īllen is getting the full star treatment on social media. "Grayson wanted to achieve a certain level in basketball now he's heading toward that," said Grayson's father, William, upon returning home Tuesday from the Final Four in Indianapolis. SLIDESHOW: Focusing on Grayson Allen during the NCAA Final Four College Basketball Tournament Championship The offensive flurry ignited the Blue Devils to rally for a 68-63 victory over Wisconsin, propelling coach Mike Krzyzewski to his fifth NCAA title and transforming Allen into a national celebrity.

That's how long it took for the former Providence School star to score all eight Duke points midway through the second half, to go from afterthought to hero. He's now guaranteed an exalted place in Duke hoops lore, as well as annoying the program's haters.Ī light went on in the NCAA championship game, and just like that, Allen generated instant fame in a span of 1 minute, 10 seconds. Whatever anonymity Grayson Allen had before Monday night, it evaporated with a jaw-dropping scoring outburst on college basketball's biggest stage.
