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Jordan Allen's recruiting rise results in Rider commitment

09/10/2015, 10:05am EDT
By Stephen Pianovich & Josh Verlin

Jordan Allen (above) became the second Rider commit in five days on Thursday morning. (Photo: Josh Verlin)

Stephen Pianovich (@SPianovich) &
Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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At the beginning of the summer, Jordan Allen was still relatively unknown and without any Division I offers.

One tour on the Under Armour AAU circuit with a strong junior season under his belt, and the 2016 shooting guard had a handful of D-I offers come his way. Allen picked up five offers, including ones from Drexel, St. Bonaventure and Iona. On Thursday, however, he announced his commitment to Rider.

The 6-foot-3, 190-pound prospect from Dover, Del. became the second player to commit to Kevin Baggett's program in five days. Conwell-Egan’s Stevie Jordan made a verbal pledge to Rider on Saturday.

“I had always thought about being a D-I player, I just never thought it would come so fast,” Allen said. “Listening to all my coaches and believing in what they are saying. And always praying, knowing that God grants good things to good people.”

It was a quick rise for the Dover (Del.) native, who didn’t even play AAU the summer before as he focused on football, but a strong junior season led him to try out for WeR1 in the spring. After being initially put on the program’s ‘B’ team, Allen only needed one practice in front of the showcase team’s coaches to convince them he deserved to travel to some of the biggest events in the country.

WeR1 17U coach James Johns said he believes Allen is one of the best shooters in the country, and he showcased his stroke after a cold start to the summer. Allen shot just 16.7 percent from beyond the arc in his first eight games with WeR1. But in his final eight contests, he shot 44 percent (22-for-50) and hit six 3-pointers on two occasions.

“He just stayed with it, kept working...and all of a sudden the light just went off,” Johns said. “he got comfortable, he started to understand his role, what we wanted him to do.

“He also understood the level he was playing at, so he kept working, he started living in the gym and he said I believe I can play Division I basketball...he put the work in, and it helped.”

A very good perimeter shooter with a college-ready body, Allen immediately brings an ability to stretch the floor that, when combined with current Rider incoming freshman Gemil Holbrook (Roman Catholic, Pa.), should make Baggett’s squad tough to defend from beyond the arc for the foreseeable future.

“He started living in the gym and he said ‘I believe I can play Division I basketball,’” Johns said of Allen. “And he put the work in. He would come to my house and stay, we would work out, he put the work in, and it helped.”


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