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Surfsideron
12-29-2013, 08:24 PM
Attended the quarterfinal games last night and saw Duke signee Grayson Allen. Wow!

This kid has it all. He can jump out of the gym, handle, shoot, drive and plays great defense. But the thing that impressed me the most was his ability to hit the boards against guys much taller and come out the victor! Can't wait to see this kid next year. He will be a super star at Duke. He's very intelligent, also!

Also saw Luke Kennard, a highly sought recruit from Franklin in Ohio. He is ranked #12 on ESPN's list of 2014 recruits and is being wooed by everyone. The kid, a quarterback, was football player of the year in the state of Ohio as a sophomore, which is saying something in that Moellar High is a football factory in that state. Although he shoots left-handed in basketball, he apparently can throw a football 60 yards + with his right arm!

The kid had 45 points in his previous game but only managed 15 points on 3 of 11 shooting in a game against a very aggressive Bishop Loughlin school from the Bronx.

To be fair to Kennard, he has no one around him! His team is lacking in ball-handlers and they were pathetic in getting the ball down court. Kennard finally had to take over that chore and I think it wore on his shooting. Bishop doubled-teamed him ever single second, also.

Hard to gauge the kid from what I saw. Place some talent around him, he looks to be another Kyle Singler. I could take that!

Allen takes on the Bishop squad in the semi-final tomorrow night. It should be interesting.

Cameron
12-29-2013, 09:02 PM
Most accounts of Allen's game seem to indicate that he is more of an Olek Czyz-like prospect offensively, not in physical build or position (as Olek was five inches taller and a forward) but in that his most dominant trait appears to be scoring in transition on aerial assaults on the rim. At least that's what I've read. I've never seen Grayson play. Since the kid is a guard, I am interested to know what kind of perimeter shooter he is and the extent of his range. Were you able to decipher any of that during your visit to the tournament?

Nice recap, by the way. Thanks.

JNort
12-29-2013, 09:19 PM
Most accounts of Allen's game seem to indicate that he is more of an Olek Czyz-like prospect offensively, not in physical build or position (as Olek was five inches taller and a forward) but in that his most dominant trait appears to be scoring in transition on aerial assaults on the rim. At least that's what I've read. I've never seen Grayson play. Since the kid is a guard, I am interested to know what kind of perimeter shooter he is and the extent of his range. Were you able to decipher any of that during your visit to the tournament?

Nice recap, by the way. Thanks.

I thought he was suppose to be one of the premier shooters in county. Could be wrong but I thought that was his biggest asset.

Cameron
12-29-2013, 09:53 PM
I thought he was suppose to be one of the premier shooters in county. Could be wrong but I thought that was his biggest asset.

That very well could be. After seeing this thread my interest in Allen was rekindled, so I checked out his scout profile to brush up on his overall game as well as read a few other articles (admittedly, I didn't delve too deep and must not have when we signed the kid, either) and most of the content regarding Allen's shooting suggested he had a "workable" shot but didn't excel in that area. Maybe I read some older material.

I think, as it goes with most white guys who have major hops, that Allen's athletic abilities are simply talked about more since it's more of a unique skill set for somebody his size (read a 6-4 white kid). In that sense, perhaps his shooting stroke is overlooked. Not really sure, just a guess.

roywhite
12-29-2013, 09:55 PM
Most accounts of Allen's game seem to indicate that he is more of an Olek Czyz-like prospect offensively, not in physical build or position (as Olek was five inches taller and a forward) but in that his most dominant trait appears to be scoring in transition on aerial assaults on the rim. At least that's what I've read. I've never seen Grayson play. Since the kid is a guard, I am interested to know what kind of perimeter shooter he is and the extent of his range. Were you able to decipher any of that during your visit to the tournament?

Nice recap, by the way. Thanks.


I thought he was suppose to be one of the premier shooters in county. Could be wrong but I thought that was his biggest asset.

Not an expert, and haven't seen him in person, but have watched some highlights and followed his progress. He does have good shooting range, is 6-10 from 3-pt range in the first two games of the Beach Ball Tournament. He also likes to drive to the rim, where he can finish strong and draw fouls. He is 10-11 from the FT line in the two Beach Ball games. Not just a shooter, but a scorer, too.

A comparison to a Duke player? Noting my disclaimers cited above, I'm thinking Marty Pocius.

Tommy from this board can probably give you a better scouting report.

Cameron
12-29-2013, 10:08 PM
Not an expert, and haven't seen him in person, but have watched some highlights and followed his progress. He does have good shooting range, is 6-10 from 3-pt range in the first two games of the Beach Ball Tournament. He also likes to drive to the rim, where he can finish strong and draw fouls. He is 10-11 from the FT line in the two Beach Ball games. Not just a shooter, but a scorer, too.

A comparison to a Duke player? Noting my disclaimers cited above, I'm thinking Marty Pocius.

Tommy from this board can probably give you a better scouting report.

When I said Olek above, Marty was the word I was looking for. From everything I've read, that sounds like a perfect comparison for Allen's athletic skill. If his jumping ability is anything like Marty's, then we're in for a treat. That dunk from near the free-throw line against State in the ACC Tournament is still one of my favorite ever. It was one of those classic from-out-of-nowhere jams that drops your jaw and searching for someone to high five.

Thanks for the info.

TruBlu
12-30-2013, 05:32 AM
Not an expert, and haven't seen him in person, but have watched some highlights and followed his progress. He does have good shooting range, is 6-10 from 3-pt range in the first two games of the Beach Ball Tournament. He also likes to drive to the rim, where he can finish strong and draw fouls. He is 10-11 from the FT line in the two Beach Ball games. Not just a shooter, but a scorer, too.

A comparison to a Duke player? Noting my disclaimers cited above, I'm thinking Marty Pocius.

Tommy from this board can probably give you a better scouting report.

But does he have Marty's calves?

MChambers
12-30-2013, 08:19 AM
But does he have Marty's calves?

Does Grayson foul?

lotusland
12-30-2013, 09:47 AM
The thing I noticed from his mix highlights us how often he pulls up for a mid range jumper. That is a great skill for a player who attacks the basket like Grayson likes to. With his size and athleticism he will be almost unguardable if he can hit jump shots consistently assuming his handle is decent. Of course the highlights never include the missed shots so that may not be reliable. Looks like he has skills as a passer too though. I'm looking forward to watching him develops at Duke.

Kdogg
12-30-2013, 11:28 AM
Won the dunk contest last night.

3766

mkirsh
12-30-2013, 12:17 PM
Won the dunk contest last night.

3766

Is he wearing a Jabari Parker/Kyrie Irving jersey in that pic?

Duke4life92
12-30-2013, 12:47 PM
Most accounts of Allen's game seem to indicate that he is more of an Olek Czyz-like prospect offensively, not in physical build or position (as Olek was five inches taller and a forward) but in that his most dominant trait appears to be scoring in transition on aerial assaults on the rim. At least that's what I've read. I've never seen Grayson play. Since the kid is a guard, I am interested to know what kind of perimeter shooter he is and the extent of his range. Were you able to decipher any of that during your visit to the tournament?

Nice recap, by the way. Thanks.
I have watched a few games of his and he seems to be really smooth out to nba range on his jumpshot and looks effortless and confident in his shot.Yes he pulled out the #1 jersey so maybe he's picked his number for next yr if jabari is gone.Kid will be a contributor in my opinion.I think he's a much more polished player than marty was.

Surfsideron
12-31-2013, 08:31 AM
Most accounts of Allen's game seem to indicate that he is more of an Olek Czyz-like prospect offensively, not in physical build or position (as Olek was five inches taller and a forward) but in that his most dominant trait appears to be scoring in transition on aerial assaults on the rim. At least that's what I've read. I've never seen Grayson play. Since the kid is a guard, I am interested to know what kind of perimeter shooter he is and the extent of his range. Were you able to decipher any of that during your visit to the tournament?

Nice recap, by the way. Thanks.

The kid has a very nice shooting touch and has great range. His handle is fantastic. In last night's semi-final against Bishop Loughlin out of Brooklyn, they put a man dead on his chest. The defender was yakking at him about how he was going to shut him down. Grayson didn't touch the ball for the first couple of minutes, but the first time he got the ball, he left his man for dead and weaved through traffic to throw down a jam. It brought the house down!

The kid is much better than Marty, as some have compared him, believe me. This kid is going to be the darling of Cameron. He is so cool under pressure it is not to be believed!
By the way, he wears #1. That picture of his dunk wearing #1 was no gimmick.

His team crushed Bishop last night and for the first time in the tournament, his coach took him out of the game with about 4 minutes remaining. When he came out, almost the entire convention center got up and left. They were there to see him and he did not disappoint. This kid is a show and very much appreciated by the fans.

Oh, and he is a top-notch defender. His coach had him guarding the best and biggest player on the other team each time I saw him. He has great instincts. Very unselfish, too.
Just a great player. I mean ...GREAT! Coach K is getting a gift with this kid!

By the way, he won the dunking contest by jumping over 4 6-footers! The place went nuts!

CameronBlue
12-31-2013, 09:08 AM
But does he have Marty's calves?

I dunno but we don't take too kindly to cattle rustlin roun these parts.

slower
12-31-2013, 10:13 AM
If his jumper is for real and he becomes a starter (at some point), Grayson looks to be the next greatly-hated Duke player (in the mold of Laettner/Paulus/Redick). He checks all the qualifying boxes. Can't wait to have him around for a few years.

JMarley50
12-31-2013, 10:23 AM
I attended the game last night as well. I came away fairly impressed overall. As Surfsideron mentioned he had someone pretty much glued to his chest the entire night. I felt like Grayson could have done a little better job of moving without the ball to get open, but at the same time his defender never really left to help, so it kind of gave his team an advantage for him to linger around out on the wing. I felt like he could have scored at will, but he didn't, he chose his battles wisely, didn't force anything and kept his teammates involved. He scored 22 without hardly breaking a sweat. He played a solid defensive game as well. He did a good job on help D, and had a few impressive blocks while coming from the help side.

In my opinion he's going to be a good one and I would put him above Marty overall. His shooting is definitely not a weakness, and he is able to get it off quickly. In comparison to other players I'm saying he's a little bit G and a little bit J.J. He's not as good of a shooter as J.J. and not quite as athletic as G, but he has a nice blend of both of their skills. Its hard to say if he'll be an immediate contributor next year, it could go either way.

JMarley50
12-31-2013, 10:28 AM
If his jumper is for real and he becomes a starter (at some point), Grayson looks to be the next greatly-hated Duke player (in the mold of Laettner/Paulus/Redick). He checks all the qualifying boxes. Can't wait to have him around for a few years.

I was thinking the same thing, and actually made a post about it on Facebook yesterday. He has that confidence and swagger that they love to hate. He said it was always his dream to play at Duke, so I'm sure he's well aware of the hate too. It will be fun to watch him embrace it. Everytime his defender started jawing at him last night, he just let his game do the talking and made him look stupid. It's going to be another fun season next year!

Bob Green
12-31-2013, 12:48 PM
The kid is much better than Marty, as some have compared him, believe me.



I believe a lot of folks under appreciate just how good Marty Pocius was on offense. So I have to ask: can Grayson Allen play defense? It's important.

BD80
12-31-2013, 12:52 PM
... I have to ask: can Grayson Allen play defense? It's important.

More important than jumping over 4 guys standing in a line?

Certainly not more important than performing well in summer pick-up games!

Surfsideron
01-01-2014, 05:44 PM
I believe a lot of folks under appreciate just how good Marty Pocius was on offense. So I have to ask: can Grayson Allen play defense? It's important.

Yes, from what I saw, he is a very good defender. Really plays his man and the ball very well. Has great anticipation. Made some nice steals and blocks throughout the tournament.

By the way, in the championship game, which his school won by 22, after being down by 4 at the half, he scored 26 points, had 9 rebounds, 4 assists and a steal. He shot 9-14 with three 3-pointers. He was named the tournament MVP.

Oh, and here is something I forgot to mention in a previous post: Roy Williams came to Myrtle Beach to see the Kennard kid on Saturday but the kid didn't play! Seems he hurt himself in the previous game.

Wojo was there on Friday night to scout Kennard. That's the night his team got blown up by the team from Brooklyn. Kennard had a bad game, 3-14 from the field 9-10 from the line. But like I said previously, he has no one around him. I was told by the team's ambassadors that he has a 4.0 GPA, and earlier in the day was taking pictures wearing a ....DUKE HAT!!!