Highlights from summer 'Devils Life' columns by Grayson Allen, Chase Jeter and Amile Jefferson

Three current Duke men's basketball players—Grayson Allen, Chase Jeter and Amile Jefferson—have written first-person columns this offseason for the team's "Devils Life" website. Freshman Jayson Tatum, assistant coach Nate James and former players Seth Curry and Gerald Henderson have also published columns on the site. 

Here are some highlights from the columns by Allen, Jeter and Jefferson, which can be viewed in their entirety here.

Allen, who has taken 4.5 classes during Duke's two summer sessions, on returning to school for his junior season and getting close to finishing his degree in three years:

I have a personal goal in mind. The goal is to use this summer and the upcoming school year to get as close as possible to graduating from Duke University. I’ve been working on this plan with Kenny King, our academic advisor, since the end of my freshman year.

At the end of next spring, I plan to have completed approximately 90 percent of the requirements for my degree and walk at graduation. My goal has always been to graduate from Duke University.

In order to stay on pace with my plan, these next two semesters are going to be maxed out from a class perspective. I'll have to take five classes each semester.

I promised my family I’d get my degree from Duke University. I know they’re proud of the work I’ve put in to get to this point, but I can’t wait to see the pride on their faces when I make good on that promise and walk across the stage as a Duke graduate.

Jeter, who recently stood out at Adidas Nations, on his work during both summer sessions to improve after a disappointing freshman year:

The first year of college basketball is a significant adjustment for big guys. There’s just another level of strength you have to have to compete at this level. The speed of the game really increases. You also go from being the best player on the court in high school to a level where everyone is at an elite caliber.

The easy way out for a guy in that situation is to just pack up his bags and get out. That’s not who I am. Duke is where I want to be.

There were times last year when I didn't feel great. The feeling of not succeeding at the level I expect from myself is not one I want to feel again. By being here this summer and working out every day, putting in extra work, getting stronger, I feel like I'm setting myself up for not just a successful season, but also a successful career. 

Jefferson on grappling with his season-ending foot injury last season and what he needs to do as a captain this season:

I had big plans for my senior year. Hang banners, cut nets, average a double-double, lead our team. My plans didn't include stepping out of bed and calling [trainer] Jose [Fonseca]. My plans didn’t include watching the season unfold in street clothes. I was knocked back. I lost my spirit. I had two fractures that only time could heal. I didn’t have the time.

I learned a great deal as an observer of the game. I saw it from our coaches’ point of view…. The game slowed down for me. I started to see things differently. I saw where I could be on the court. I gained a better sense for defensive positioning.

I want to instill in our younger guys what the Mason Plumlees and Ryan Kellys did for me. We are all in. The tough things we do in the offseason will help us be worthy of winning in March. The respect we have for our opportunity will take us far. It has to be every day.

When you get to February and March, I’ve found that there are always three to five teams truly deserving of winning the whole thing. The team that rises to the top and gets that extra push is the team that built a stronger bond starting in July and August. The team that wins is the team that would feel the most pain by losing. I think that’s how we got it done in 2015.