Grayson Allen is accepting his fate and wearing it on his sleeve. Or head, actually.
The Duke guard, who has played with a target on his back since his opponents realized his tripping knew no bounds, transferred the target to his head over the weekend, when he was spotted wearing a hat that had “Don’t Trip” Sharpied on the side. Allen apparently wore the customized cap to a Duke party.
It’s a rare bit of self-awareness for one of the most disliked players in college basketball, who’s become better known for his serial tripping than his All-American play.
Allen started his descent into cheap-shot infamy two seasons ago, when he was caught flailing his leg at two separate opponents, Louisville’s Ray Spalding and Florida State’s Xavier Rathan-Mayes, two weeks apart. The Blue Devil returned this season without having learned his lesson, tripping, elbowing and stomping on players, long after you thought he couldn’t possibly add another victim to his list.
Allen faced punishment for the first time in December after picking up a technical foul for tripping Elon’s Steven Santa Ana. Though what was issued as an indefinite suspension turned into a one-game ban after coach Mike Krzyzewski abruptly reinstated him for Duke’s win over Georgia Tech in January.
Let’s hope the advice on Allen’s hat finds its way into his brain.