Recruiting Report: Elijah Allen (2017)
The last time we spoke to Elijah Allen (2017) he was receiving interest from Lake Erie, Fairmont State (WV), Rider University (NJ), and Charleston (SC). Zoom forward a few months to today, and there’s only one school that Allen wants…
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Continue ReadingThe last time we spoke to Elijah Allen (2017) he was receiving interest from Lake Erie, Fairmont State (WV), Rider University (NJ), and Charleston (SC). Zoom forward a few months to today, and there’s only one school that Allen wants to talk about.
“My main focus is to get to Central State,” Allen told PHO this past Sunday.
Allen has visited the historically black university four times since they started recruiting him a few months back. He has fell in love with what the Division II program has to offer.
“Say if they offered me Friday, I’m committing. That’s how I bad I want to go there,” Allen said.
The Gamble Montessori prospect clarified that he would “probably not” be willing to walk-on at any school.
What are the reasons that this attraction to Central State is so strong?
“The style of the play. Coach [Joseph] Price lets their point guards play. They play like how [Gamble Montessori] plays. They play man-to-man defense, they run and jump. They just change their defense up with some 2-3. They have really good offense — they’re a transition team and a half-court team,” Allen said.
Allen comes from a long lineage of gentlemen involved in law enforcement. He is an aspiring undercover detective and has been impressed with the academic programs at Central State, as well.
“They have a really good criminal justice program. Their classrooms are perfect, small-sized. I can learn and get as much help as possible. The campus is not too big. It’s close to home, a half-hour or 45 minutes,” Allen said.
For Allen, Central State is not the only college that is paying attention to his senior season.
“There’s other schools, D-II schools in contact with me a lot. Schools in South Carolina, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and a couple NAIAs in Indiana,” Allen said, although he doesn’t know their specific names.
Thus far, Allen is averaging 19.5 points and 4.8 assists. Gamble Montessori has a conference game at Cincinnati College Prep this Friday at 7:30PM for those interested in watching Allen live.