Grayson Allen will be the only senior on next year's Blue Devil team, and head coach Mike Krzyzewski shed some light on his offseason as a team leader Tuesday.
In an interview with ESPN college basketball analyst Seth Greenberg, Krzyzewski revealed that Allen had a minor ankle procedure early in the offseason and also implied that Allen may have earned back a title he lost after tripping Elon's Steven Santa Ana last weekend.
"You put on him what you would put on a captain of your team, and that’s what he is," Krzyzewski said of how much he depends on Allen to mentor the younger players on the team.
The senior's captaincy was rescinded last December, and Krzyzewski still has not officially named captains for next year's team.
Krzyzewski also said Allen could not play for three months of the offseason due to ankle surgery. The 6-foot-5 guard sat out Duke's Feb. 25 loss to Miami due to a nagging ankle issue.
"He’s now fully recovered, so his athleticism is there," Krzyzewski said. "He’s happy, he’s in shape and he’s sharing that."
Although Krzyzewski has more time this summer without his former responsibilities as the head coach of USA Basketball's senior team, he still needs to rely on leaders like Allen because of NCAA rules that restrict access to players in the offseason.
The Blue Devil head coach called for reform in the interview with Greenberg.
"We can work with our guys two hours a week. It’s utterly ridiculous, really," Krzyzewski said. "We should be able to get to know our guys, especially in a summer school where they have a lot of time. It’s a shortcoming. It’s a big shortcoming in our sport right now, and the process to correct it is so slow and archaic."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.