April 18, 2017
Courtesy: Duke Sports Information
DURHAM, N.C. – Grayson Allen will play his senior season at Duke University in 2017-18, he and head coach Mike Krzyzewski announced Tuesday.
Allen averaged 14.5 points and a team-high 3.5 assists in 34 games for Duke in 2016-17. He was named to the All-ACC Tournament second team after averaging 11.5 points and shooting 8-of-16 (.500) from outside the arc as the Blue Devils became the first team to win four games in as many days to capture the championship. He was 5-of-6 from deep as part of an 18-point, five-assist night in Duke’s semifinal win over No. 6 North Carolina.
The Jacksonville, Fla., native also earned his third consecutive All-ACC Academic Team honor in 2017, making him just the ninth Duke player to earn that award at least three times.
“The last few weeks have provided the opportunity for a lot of reflection and prayer,” Allen said. “I’m a firm believer that when something feels right, you go with it. The chance to play with next year’s team just felt right. I’m completely focused on helping Coach K and our staff lead this team to a special season. I love being a Duke student, and continuing to be part of the university culture is something I don’t take for granted.”
For his career, Allen owns averages of 13.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 105 games. He is a career .435 shooter from the floor and .386 from outside the arc, while his career .830 free throw percentage ranks seventh in program history (min. 200 FTM).
Allen will enter the 2017-18 season as the leading active scorer in the ACC with 1,424 total points, a figure that ranks 33rd on Duke’s career chart.
As a sophomore in 2016, Allen became just the sixth Duke player to garner All-America and Academic All-America honors in the same season. He was a finalist for numerous national awards after averaging 21.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest; he was also just the ninth player to lead the Blue Devils in both scoring and assists in the same season. Allen’s +17.2-point scoring increase from his freshman to sophomore years was the highest in ACC history.
Allen was a spark off the bench in the 2015 national title game, helping lead Duke to its fifth NCAA crown with 16 points and invaluable energy off the bench in the Blue Devils’ win over Wisconsin.
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