Coach Mike Krzyzewski said Thursday that Grayson Allen's behavior was unacceptable but that his future, if he wants to go pro, will depend on how Allen responds.
Allen has been suspended indefinitely after tripping an Elon player Wednesday night, the third such incident in the past year.
The junior guard was whistled for a technical foul for tripping Elon's Steven Santa Ana in the first half of Duke's 72-61 win over the Phoenix Wednesday night. Allen took a seat on the bench, slamming his hand down on the empty seat next to him. He covered his reddened face with a towel as Santa Ana knocked down three of four free throws.
Allen in February tripped two opponents.
"If we start counting up the mistakes of every player _ I'm not saying tripping is the right thing to do, whether a guy curses or shows a bad attitude _ we're going to find that a lot of players do something wrong," Krzyzewski told The News & Observer Thursday morning.
"He's in a position where what he does is magnified because of our program, and what he did is unacceptable. What does that do for his future? How he plays will determine what it does for his future. The fact that he did something he did last year that wasn't good, that's not good. When you get to the NBA, there's going to be a lot of different pressures, too, and things can go wrong. Hopefully we use it as an opportunity to show that he can improve (and) won't go back there."
Krzyzewski announced Allen's suspension in a statement earlier Thursday. The staff had reviewed Wednesday's incident in which Allen and Santa Ana got tangled up by the arms near the baseline. Allen stuck his right foot out, causing the Elon player to fall backward. The technical cost Duke, which was up by eight, three free throws; the Blue Devils wound up trailing by one at the break.
"As I stated last night, the incident was unacceptable and inexcusable," Krzyzewski said in the statement. "He took an important step last night by apologizing in person to Steven Santa Ana and Coach Matt Matheny. As a program, we needed to take further steps regarding his actions that do not meet the standards of Duke Basketball. To that end, we have determined that Grayson will be suspended from competition for an indefinite amount of time."
