By Aman Patil ’17, Staff Writer

Three years ago, any true college basketball fan would have told you that Grayson Allen was the highly anticipated freshman point guard of Duke University. Allen was an All-American in high school and was the Blue Devil’s next phenom, recruited to make the team a National Title contender. Today, however, Allen is ubiquitously known as the most hated athlete in college basketball. This drastic change in perception hasn’t occurred due to Allen single-handedly demolishing teams or underperforming his hype but rather because of him intentionally tripping opposing players on the court.

This trend began during the 2015-16 season, in which Allen tripped an opponent on two separate occasions in a span of just four games. After the first two incidents, Allen received no punishment besides minor in-game fouls. However, after another incident this season on December 21st against Elon—his third infraction of the calendar year—Allen was suspended indefinitely from competing for the Blue Devils. In a statement released by Coach Mike Krzyewski the day after the incident, Coach K said that Allen’s actions

did not “meet the standards of Duke Basketball” and that his continued actions were “unacceptable” and “inexcusable.” It appeared as if the University and the team had stepped in to handle the situation. In the Blue Devils’ next game against Virginia Tech, Duke was absolutely routed, the final score being 89-75. Duke seemed lost and dazed without its leading scorer and “leader.” So, by their next game, Krzyewski and Duke decided that Allen had dutifully served his “indefinite” suspension and learned his lesson. Over the course of one game, Allen had apparently learned his lesson.  I never knew indefinite was synonymous for one.

Duke’s essentially immediate reinstatement of Allen is a perfect example of how NCAA sports has become solely centered on winning and instead of about instilling sportsmanship and helping nurture its athletes. College sports is supposed to be the molding ground for the professional athletes of the future. It is where athletes go to perfect their craft while also growing character on and off the field or court. It is where the foundations of professional success are created. These foundations are built on the promotion of good habits and qualities like sportsmanship, camaraderie, and humility by coaches and Universities as a whole. However, NCAA athletics has, on the other hand, turned into a profit venture for colleges. Winning is now of paramount importance due to the revenue and exposure colleges receive for National Championships and TV time. Due to this trend, the development of athletes on a character level has completely taken a backseat. Will Schwartz ’17 described the situation best in stating that now “winning comes first for all programs, even historic ones like Duke, and everything else is secondary and non-important.”

With this new trend in the NCAA, it’s absolutely vital to train and nurture our athletes at the high school level so that they don’t make the same mistakes Grayson Allen has made. What Allen has done obviously shows poor sportsmanship but at the same time isn’t uncommon. I’m positive that all athletes in some way or another have utilized some technique or ploy to gain an advantage over an opponent. It’s a natural part of learning to play the game. However, it is crucial for coaches to step in and guide their players towards fair play and conduct. If Coach K isn’t doing it, it’s time for NA’s coaches to continue and to emphasize sportsmanship and overall good conduct on the field of play.