Get to know the name Luke Kennard.
A year ago at this time, in this very spot, I said get to know the name Grayson Allen. Last night we saw why I was right.
With the McDonald’s All-American game being in Chicago the past few years, every spring brings certain rites of passage that you can count on: watching the couple of local kids who will play in a different state and never really considered playing in Illinois, the next crop of Kentucky one-and-dones who will move on the NBA Draft lottery in another year, and of course, the best white kid in the place going to Duke.
This whole process is like “the fast and the furious” movies every year. The names and a few plot lines change, but it’s the same plot line every year.
A blue chip recruit, who’s Caucasian, is coming to Durham. BREAKING NEWS!
I know you’ve heard this story before. Duke Blue Devils fans (and enemies)
The next star Caucasian college basketball player at Duke, who will then automatically receive a lot of love from ESPN (Duke’s Sports Information Department, broadcast arm), and then subsequently receive a backlash, is Luke Kennard.
Grayson Allen felt it last night during the national title game. The CBS announcers were fawning over Allen all night, and then people started having fun at his expense.
For precedent see: Christian Laettner, JJ Redick, Jon Scheyer, Cherokee Parks, Jay Bilas, Chris Collins, all 43 of the Plumlee brothers, Danny Ferry, Kyle Singler, Steve Wojciechowski, Greg Paulus, and on and on and on.
Enjoy these Grayson Allen side-by-sides which made the social media rounds. Maybe next year at this time, it will be Luke Kennard in this spot.
The photo evidence! Grayson Allen & Ted Cruz! h/t @scATX RT @big_dicta: oh my god i can’t unsee it now pic.twitter.com/GEASsEADb4
— East Coast Bias (@ECoastBias) April 7, 2015
— Tim Baffoe (@TimBaffoe) April 7, 2015
uncanny pic.twitter.com/M2kZOOGMUh
— Michael Katz (@KatzM) April 7, 2015
Back to Luke Kennard, he’s a 6-5 guard from Franklin, Ohio. He’s like good at basketball and stuff. Or something.
So much so that you’ll grow to hate him soon enough. Probably.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports Digital. You can read Banks’ feature stories and op-eds in the Chicago Tribune RedEye newspaper and hear his regular guest spots on numerous sports talk radio stations all across the country.
Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)