Georgetown Recruiting, Matt Whitfield, Rutgers Recruiting, Seton Hall Recruiting, St. John's Recruiting

CLASS OF 2011 INTRO: JORDAN ALLEN

Long Island forward starring at Bay Shore HS and seeing Big East schools interested

by Matt Whitfield

Jordan Allen is one of Long Island’s fastest rising sophomores, as well as one of the top players in his class nationwide. Allen plays for Bay Shore High School, one of Long Island’s top rated teams, where he has been coached by Ken Parham. Recently NBE caught up with the extremely athletic Allen at the Playaz Spring Fling and discussed his future at Bay Shore as well as his college prospects, as many major Division 1-A college programs are looking hard at him early.

According to Allen, Arkansas, Kentucky, St. John’s, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech have already offered scholarships while programs such as Georgetown, Florida State, Miami, Maryland, Rutgers and Seton Hall have also have taken a in his game and are showing interest in recruiting him.

Allen, a 6-foot-5 sophomore man-child, that still has two years in high school, which can be time well spent developing his game and bringing a championship back to Bay Shore as they didn’t exactly end their season they way they planned this year.

Allen and his Bay Shore teammates had high hopes coming into this season, but their hopes and goals were dashed as they were upset by Longwood High School, of Long Island, in the Suffolk County AA semifinals.

“I think we could have played a little bit more together,” said Allen. “We hope to get back next season, get back in the gym start working so we can go further than we did.”

Allen himself hopes to be a more of a physical force on the court next winter. In addition to playing AAU basketball with the top rated Playaz organization, Allen plans to start hitting the weights. Already looking like a physical specimen compared to other sophomores on the court, Allen is looking to play stronger as well.

“I’ll probably bulk up a little bit, probably get a little more cut,” Allen stated to NBE about his summer plans.

Being just a sophomore, the recruiting process has plenty of time to play itself out. However, Allen stated to NBE that he, “hope[s] to take a couple unofficials,” from the list of schools mentioned and that, “there’s no school that’s looking at me that I don’t like.”

The sophomore is also beginning to formulate factors in his future decision that will help him make his college decision. A school with good academics, a winning program and a good tradition will be important. As will the level of facilities available to the basketball program and players.

“Wherever helps me be the best, and helps me grow as a player I’ll go there,” Allen noted saying he really has not formulated any sort of favorites at this point.

Allen showed in the Playaz Spring Fling (Phase I) that he is a very impressive prospect, one of the better in the NYC/NJ area in the class of 2011, but he knows he has work ahead of him to stay at or near the top. He plans to refine his game in all areas and become a versatile threat that college coaches crave in a player his size and with his athletic ability.

“There’s nothing I don’t need to work on,” said Allen. “I mean right now I can handle the ball a little bit, my jump shots not really a knock down jump shot, it’s not really a come off fade jump shot, so I got to work everything.”

Despite Allen’s harsh critique off himself, his game isn’t too shabby judging by his play and the level of college interest he has already received. Perhaps in this day in age when recruits become household names as early as middle school maybe it’s better that one be humble and hard working rather than a media diva who expects to make an impact at the next level without putting in the necessary work.

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