Grayson Allen announced on Tuesday that he would return to Duke for his senior season.Allen, who will be the ACC’s leading active scorer with 1,424 points, has averaged 13.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists in his Duke career. Allen played sparingly as a freshman, scoring just 4.4 points, although he led a Blue Devils comeback in the National Championship Game win over Wisconsin. As a sophomore, Allen led Duke in scoring with 21.6 ppg. His 17.2 ppg increase in scoring was the biggest improvement in ACC history. Allen was followed by controversy, however, after tripping a pair of opposing players during ACC games. This season, Allen’s scoring fell to 14.5 ppg as several other Blue Devils took on the scoring load, including Jayson Tatum and Luke Kennard, who both left for the NBA Draft earlier this offseason. Allen served a one-game suspension after again tripping an opponent, and he battled nagging injuries throughout the season. After being slotted as a late first-round draft pick last year, Allen had fallen out of a likely first-round slot, which helped spur his decision to return for his senior year.”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.”Allen’s return gives Duke’s roster at least one veteran scoring option. He was the third-leading scorer on the team this year. Guard Frank Jackson, who was the fourth-leading scorer as a freshman, is still deciding whether or not to explore the NBA Draft this year. Every other member of Duke’s top seven scorers is leaving, either as a graduate or early entry into the draft. Other than Allen and possibly Jackson, Duke has four other veteran scholarship players on the roster, none of whom scored a total of 40 points last year.
