Christian Laettner warns Grayson Allen to learn from his dirty plays
Duke sophomore Grayson Allen is still in his first season as a starting player, but he's already become the most hated player in the country. The latest in a long line of despised white Duke stars, Allen hasn't achieved the same level of villainy as J.J. Redick or Christian Laettner yet, but if he stays for four seasons in Durham there's a chance.
Both Redick and Laettner have come to Allen's defense, arguing that college basketball fans have been conditioned to hate Duke players. Laettner told USA TODAY Sports that when he saw Allen tripping a player, he hoped the incident wouldn't haunt Allen like Laettner's famous stomp in the 1992 regional final against Kentucky.
Allen deliberately tripped two players in the regular season but escaped any serious punishment, and appeared to trip a Yale player in Saturday's NCAA tournament game.
According to Laettner, who says he keeps in touch with Allen, young Duke players need to understand they may never shake the label of being a dirty player.
