MBB Lands Impact Guard
Scott Drew is on the hunt for guards to help propel the Baylor basketball program to greater heights. He found one in Darius Allen a 6-5 200 lb guard from Palm Beach State CC in Florida. As a freshman, Allen was a key contributor on a team that finished 25-6. Allen averaged 10 points and 5 rebounds in 12 minutes of action per game. He enters the 2017-18 season as a 2nd team pre-season All-American and is expected to be one of the best guards in the nation in the juco ranks.
His continued improvement over the spring and summer earned Allen scholarship offers from Iowa State, South Florida, Gonzaga, Ole Miss, West Virginia, Wichita State, Baylor and a host of mid majors. Allen took 3 official visits to Baylor, Wichita State and West Virginia. After the visits, he decided to call Baylor home saying that "based on the vibe and energy, it just felt right." He liked how the Baylor basketball coaches had fun with their players off the court but were all business during practices and workouts.
Allen brings big time athleticism and tenacity to Baylor. His coach Martin McCann at Palm Beach State CC described him as "an athletic freak who is the most athletic player in the juco ranks." Coach McCann said Allen boasts a vertical leap that is well above 40 inches, good strength and absurd hands (able to catch and go get balls than very few basketball players can). Allen put on a strong display against the best juco players in the country this summer at various juco showcases. He was named a top 20 player in one camp. In another, he scored 26 points and went 6-9 from 3 point range against top rated players.
Allen is excited about improving his game before coming to Waco. When I asked him about his strengths and weaknesses as a player, he only shared the areas that he thinks he needs to improve on which include ball-handling, efficiency and consistency. His coach was less reserved, calling him "a tireless worker who is a great catch and shoot guy; an outstanding defender and unstoppable in transition."
Allen has one year of eligibility at Palm Beach State and then will join the Baylor program in the summer of 2018. The roster should include senior guards Jake Lindsey, King McClure and Makai Mason (transfer from Yale) for the 2018-19 season. Junior Darius Allen and sophomore Tyson Jolly will round out the backcourt at this juncture. Sophomores Mark Vital, Tristan Clark and Mario Kegler will be forces in the frontcourt for Scott Drew's Bears. Highly rated freshman Matthew Mayer will also be in the mix. At the center position, the Bears will have juniors Leonard Allen and walk-on Freddie Gillespie. Walk-on Jonathan Davis will also be a senior. Scott Drew still has 3 scholarships to give for 2018 but could choose to keep one for opportunities that present themselves later. Expect Baylor to use the other two on a freshman guard and a big man.
You can follow Darius Allen at his twitter handle below.