After our brief update about Malcolm Delaney and his French Pro A League team, Elan Chalon, winning the first leg of the LNB season, we got a question asking about Jeff Allen.

Allen also plays in the LNB (Ligue Nationale de Basket), but in the Pro B division, which as I understand it, is a step down from the Pro A division where Malcolm plays. Allen starts for Olympique Antibes, which is 8-13 so far this season. He averages 15.1 points and 9.2 rebounds per game.

As for Terrell Bell, he began the season playing in Finland for KTP Basket Kotka, but it appears he was cut after appearing in just 11 games. During those 11 games, he averaged 9.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. According to his Twitter account, he’s back in the states, but will be heading back to Europe in April.

We reached out to Terrell to see if he’s signed with a new team. You can follow Terrell (@TerrellBell) and Malcolm (@foe23) on Twitter. I couldn’t find Jeff Allen on Twitter, so if you know his, drop it in the comments section below.

Also, if you want to keep track of former Hokies playing overseas, check out EuroBasket.com.

Each Friday we will count down the 10 greatest basketball players in the history of Virginia Tech. This week it is a Hokie that just hung up his orange and maroon.

Last week: #10 Bill Matthews

Jeff Allen | 6’7″ Forward | 2007-11

Career Numbers:

• Points: 1702 (11th)
• Points per game: 12.7
• Rebounds: 1111 (4th)
• Rebounds per game: 8.3 (9th)
• Steals: 233 (4th)
• Blocks 150 (5th)

Of Note:

• Only player in ACC history with 1700 points, 1000 rebounds, 200 steals, and 150 blocks
• Named 2nd Team All-ACC as a senior
• Named to All Freshman team and All Defensive Team (honorable mention) as a freshman
• Four time ACC Player of the Week, including three times his senior year
• Twice names ACC Freshman of the Week
• 44 career double-doubles

Why He’s in the Top 10:

Just look at where he ranks on the Virginia Tech all time lists — top five in rebounds, steals, and blocks, and just four points away from finishing in the top 10 in points.  While some people feel like he underachieved in his career (covered in this article), his finished body of work is definitely top 10.   The only argument is how high he should be, or could have been, had he been able to consistently play like the guy that could score 20, snag 12 boards, and pilfer 4 steals.  He did that most of the last half of his senior year, but the big question is why couldn’t he consistently do that the first three and a half years?

Jeff may have been the most talented all around player in Virginia Tech history.  He could do it all.  Great low post moves, fantastic rebounder, lightning-quick hands that could create steals or blocks, solid low post passes, and by his senior year a sweet mid-range jumper that was almost automatic.

All it took was one game to know he was going to be special.  In his Hokie debut against elon in 2007, he had 19 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals, and 2 blocks.  He even knocked down a 3-pointer.  That led to him being named ACC Freshman of the Week. Jeff went on to be named to the ACC All Freshman Team, averaging 11.8 ppg, 7.6 rpg, and getting 69 steals (that would be the highest steal total of his career).

His sophomore year Jeff showed some progress – his numbers went up to 13.7 ppg and 8.4 rpg (4th highest in the ACC).  He also still created 61 steals, 4th best in the ACC.

Jeff’s junior year seemed to be a step backwards though.  His points fell to 12 per game, 7.4 rebounds per game, and 59 steals, all career lows.  The biggest reason was continued foul trouble.  Jeff had a reputation, and seemed to start games with two fouls.  He’d sneeze and the refs would blow the whistle on him.  The routine began — game starts, one foul 40 feet from the hoop, another charge called on Jeff, off to the bench for the rest of the first half by the first, or second, media timeout.  He played just 895 minutes his junior year, more than 100 below his sophomore year, and 200 below his senior year.

In Jeff’s last year, he put it all together.  Well, after continued foul trouble the first month of the season.  After fouling out of five of the first 11 games, and committing four fouls in four other games, the light went on for Jeff.  Allen tallied 14 double-doubles in the final 26 games, including seven in a row at one point.  He was named ACC Player of the Week three times during that span.  Unfortunately, the foul issues resurfaced at the end of the year.  He fouled out of Tech’s final two losses and got just one double-double in his final seven games, leaving that bad taste in everyone’s mouth again.

Greatest Game:
2.26.11 – 18 points and 15 rebounds against the #1 team in the nation, duke. He also chipped in 2 assists, a block, and knocked down two 3-pointers (he only hit five all year) as VT took down #1 duke 64-60. Jeff was named ACC Player of the Week in part for this performance. It wasn’t his highest point total (he had 30 against bc his sophomore year) or his most rebounds (he had 21 boards against longwood, also his sophomore year), but it was his most meaningful performance. This game was against the #1 team in the nation and seemingly put VT in the big dance. On a night where Malcolm Delaney was off, Jeff was on. He was at his best that night while the whole nation was watching.

Highlights of the day and game…

Team Record: 87-50 (35-29 ACC)

The 87 wins in the last four years equaled the 1982-86 Hokies (Dell Curry Era) for the most wins in a four year span (unfortunately, Jeff was only a part of 86 of those wins — he was suspended from the win at bc in 2008).  But it is what they didn’t accomplish that his teams will be remembered for — never making the ncaa tournament.  The fact they never made it to Madison Square Garden in the NIT in four tries also was a bit of a disappointment.

Enough negativity.  While Jeff’s teams were never rewarded for excellence with a bid to the big dance, they took Virginia Tech to another level on the ACC and national landscape. The fact they went 35-29 in the ACC over his four years says it all. Tech finished tied for fourth or better in three of their four years in the league. People expect Virginia Tech to be a contender in the ACC now, and that’s because of what Jeff’s teams were able to accomplish. While they never made the big dance, Hokie basketball is firmly on the map now and should only lead to more great things to come.

Oh, and the Hokies also managed to take down two #1 teams with Jeff’s help. These teams could play with anybody in the nation.

Summary:

When Jeff’s career started, he seemed to be Superman.  However, we seemed to be waiting for Superman a lot of his career.  But as time goes on the legend of Jeff Allen will grow.  He quite simply was special.  He had the greatest hands I’ve ever seen on a big man.  As time passes, maybe we’ll forget some of the suspensions, the fouls, and look back at what truly was a special career.  Those who never got to seem him play got cheated.  When he was on, he was perhaps the best all around player to ever put on burnt orange and Chicago maroon.

Videos:

Junior year highlight video…

Check out his dunk at the 3:05 mark of this video…

Arm Curl:

For the third time this season and fourth time in his career, the Big Donut has been recognized by the ACC as their Player of the Week.  Allen scored 17 points and snagged 8 rebounds against wake, and following that up with 18 points and 15 rebounds in the Hokies’ win over #1 duke.  His passing has also been superb of late, and he dished out 2 assists in each contest.

The wake game snapped Allen’s streak of 7 straight double-doubles, but he quickly got back on track in that category against duke.

This marks the fifth time a Hokie has won the award this season.  Erick Green and Malcolm Delaney won it the other two times.  For Jeff, all three have been since the turn of the calendar year, and he’s won it twice in the last month.

Jeff has to be an ACC First Teamer now.  Player of the Week three times, 11th in scoring, and 2nd in rebounding?  That’s All-ACC, baby.

November 9, 2007: That was the first glimpse.  The Hokies had just lost three stars in Dowdell, Gordon, and Collins.  D-Wash and A.D. were back, but it was one particular freshman that caught my eye.  I remember sitting in the rafters of Cassell watching this gigantic blur go up and down the court.  He could steal the ball, he could dribble, he could dunk, shoot from 3-point range, heck, he could jump tall buildings in a single bound!  My description from that night pretty much showed how impressed I was…

“Jeff Allen (Grade: A-) I’m not going to anoint him the best Hokie forward since Ace Custis just yet, but… Jeff Allen was the most impressive freshman of the four that played tonight. He was a beast on the boards. He was a force on offense, including a three-pointer. His only glitch was that he was beaten in the low post a couple of times in the first half and gave up some easy hoops. But after that, he showed his shot blocking presence with two or three blocks. Allen had a double-double, chipping in 10 rebounds.  Allen has quick hands on defense and had a couple of steals. He really has no weakness in his game from what I saw tonight.Just needs to be a bit better on D; fronting guys may not work for him since he is a little short. But man was he impressive and has a WIDE body. Very aggressive on offense with good low post moves, even with his back to the basket (something the Hokies haven’t had much of lately).  Jeff (Fr) led the Hokies with 19 points, including 13 in the first half.“

Why? Over the last four seasons, the operative word has been: “Why?”   That’s the question many Hokie fans have asked when talking about Jeff Allen. In years past, or even earlier this year, it was, “Why is he so inconsistent,” or, “Why does he commit so many dumb fouls,” or, “Why does his effort seem to fluctuate?” And now the big question is, “Why hasn’t he played like this for four years?!”

But let me ask this: if he had played like he has the last month, would he still be here?  Or would he be playing professionally, either in the NBA or abroad (or the D-League)?  He’s a bit undersized for a power forward in the NBA at just 6’7″ (probably 6’6″ at best).  But Charles Barkley was only listed at 6’6″ in the NBA and he had a pretty darn successful career.  I’m not saying Jeff Allen is the Round Mound of Rebound, but how many guys his size have his feet, his post moves, his ups, his ability to snare rebounds, his hands on defense, and now his midrange game?  Answer: not many.  I’m not sure he’ll get drafted, but he’ll get a very serious look this summer, and even if he’s cut, some GMs will be watching him closely to see how he adjusts to pro ball.

So perhaps we should be happy that, while inconsistent at times, we’ve gotten four very good years from Agent Zero.  Just look at where he ranks on the all-time Virginia Tech lists:

• Scoring: 15th
• Rebounds: 4th
• Steals: 4th
• Blocks: 5th

All you can say, wow!  How does he take so much crap with those lifetime numbers?

Reason #1 – Fouls: Well, I guess there’s the inconsistency and the fouls as I mentioned above.  Jeff had fouled out 14 times in his career coming into this year and committed four fouls or more 47 times.  In the first 11 games this year, he had fouled out five times and committed four fouls in four other games.  That’s 9/11 where he was straddled with foul issues.

Reason #2 – Attitude: There are also the extracurricular activities, like the ‘birds’, the bumps, and the falls.  Those things got him ejected from two games and suspended for three games.

Reason #3 – The ACC: This was the biggest issue to me.  Jeff could be so dominant in out of conference games but struggle so much in ACC games.  Part of this you can understand – the Ed Davis’s of the world are so much taller than Jeff, and so athletic, he was limited due to his height.  You saw some of that in the unc game where he’d beat Beanpole Henson off the dribble, but Henson could use his go-go-gadget arms to block the shot from behind.  But there would also be nights where he’d face guys that are his equal (Mike Scott) or beneath his skill, and he wouldn’t do a thing.

Look at his double-doubles out of conference versus in ACC regular season games coming into this year:

Coming into this season, 61% of his double-doubles had been out of conference despite the fact about half the games were in conference.  And Jeff had never totaled more than three double-doubles in the 16 ACC regular season games, so less than 20% of the games.

THE LIGHT SWITCH – 12/23/10: Who knows what caused the turnaround that we’ve seen the last few months, especially the last month of play.  But to me it happened after December 23rd, 2010.  The Hokies had just beaten st. bonaventure, but they had blown an almost 20-point lead and needed overtime.  Jeff had fouled out for the fifth time that season.  He had a good game with 18 points and 9 rebounds, but was only able to play 30 of the 45 minutes due to his foul trouble.

Since that game, has not fouled out.  Zero disqualifications for #0.  And he’s only gotten to four fouls four times in the last 13 games (30%).  That’s well under the 50% average he had in his career up until that point, and the 81% average he had in the first 11 games this year.

And then there’s the real stats – rebounds and points.  He’s averaging 15.2 ppg and snagged 11.2 rpg!  He’s had nine double-doubles in that 13 game stretch.

In the last six games, Jeff has really exploded.  He’s racked up six straight double-doubles and is averaging 19.5 ppg and 12.8 rpg!  That gives him seven doubles in 11 conference games, four more than he had in any previous regular season.

Allen has a real shot to be first team ACC if he can keep up this pace.  He’s 13th in the ACC in scoring and 2nd in rebounds, but if you look at just ACC games, Jeff’s 7th in scoring, 2nd in rebounds, and 5th in FG%.  And the most shocking stat of all?  He’s 6th in minutes per game in ACC play - a true indicator of how he’s stayed out of foul trouble.

Jeff’s offense has been unstoppable of late.  He’s always had great moves near the hope with his back to the basket, using his up-and-under move or spin.  But lately he’s been pounding opponents from 15-feet away.  He’ll dribble once, do a deadly spin move that reminds me of Dominique Wilkins’s move, and lay it in.  Or he can knock down that mid-range jumper he hasn’t in past years.  Allen is also shooting 75% from the line in ACC games, more than 10 percentage points above his career average.  The guy is just plain dirty.

So let’s quit whining about what might have been, and really enjoy the final month of the Big Donut.  The man looks like Godzilla on the court right now, and the rest of the ACC are the people of Japan.

The Big Donut had a gigantic week and was honored as the ACC’s Player of the Week for 1/31 to 2/6.  Jeff scored 40 points and grabbed an eye-popping 30 rebounds to garner the award.  He had 15/11 against nc state and 25/19 at boston college.

This marks the second time this year, and third time in his career, Allen has won the award.  He won it a month ago after scoring 24 and securing 11 rebounds against florida state.  Allen also won player of the week honors a year ago back in December of 2009 for his performances against vmi and penn state.

This is the fourth time a Hokie has won this honor this year, joining Malcolm Delaney and Erick Green.

Virginia Tech blitzed the maryland terrapins in the opening minutes of Thursday night’s game in College Park to the tune of a 12-0 lead and never looked back, en route to a 74-57 win. It is the worst loss by maryland since they opened play in the Comcast Center in 2002.

The Hokies seemed as though they were trying to give it away in the second half, shades of the unc game in which Tech blew a 16-point lead. The terps cut the lead to single digits, but the Hokies were not to be denied this time.

With the win over the terrapins, the Hokies improved to 3-2 in ACC play and 12-5 overall, while maryland fell to a disappointing 1-3 in conference play and 11-7 overall.

Starting point guard Erick Green led the Hokies with a career-high 24 points on 12/16 shooting. The sophomore had an electrifying first half with 14 points on 7/10 shooting, powering the Hokies to a 40-29 halftime lead. Green also had four, count ‘em, FOUR steals and two assists, all in the first half.

Senior Malcolm Delaney played a whale of a game, too, with 19 points and seven assists. He was only 5/11 from the field, but hit 7/8 at the free throw line. Most impressive were his incredible passes to Victor Davila and Green down the stretch to put maryland away.

Tech’s man-to-man defense stymied maryland’s leading scorer, Jordan Williams, the entire game, holding him to just 11 points, well below his season average of 18.1.

With the terps keying on Delaney, Green made the most of his opportunities as it was clear the terps didn’t consider him a legit scoring threat. And the Hokies needed a big game from someone because Jeff Allen struggled with foul trouble the entire game.

The senior forward sat much of the first half with two fouls and needed only a couple of minutes to pick up his third in the second half. Allen finished with only seven points and committed four turnovers, but still managed 11 rebounds.

Davila scored 13 points, Manny Atkins had six off the bench and Terrell Bell had two points, seven rebounds, two assists and a block. His defense contribution doesn’t show up in the box score.

The terps’ cliff tucker single-handedly kept maryland in the game in the second half, scoring 11 straight maryland points, including a trio of three-pointers and a two-pointer to cut Tech’s lead to eight, but his team-high 13 points weren’t enough as Delaney and his laser-guided passes helped slam the door shut on the home team.

Tech returns to the Cassell Coliseum Saturday night for a home game against the Longwood Lancers. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.

Niemo’s Notes:

• Delaney clearly reads TechHoops.com.  If he didn’t, he’d have made one more basket.   [sarcasm]  VT is now 11-1 when he scores 20 or less, and 1-4 when he scores 21+ (he had 19 tonight).
• Cousy Winner: Through the first 8 games (VT 4-4), Delaney had 26 assists and 42 turnovers.   In the 8 since, he’s totaled 51 assists and 19 turnovers.
• THE WINCHESTER RIFLE: Erick Green is averaging 14 ppg, 3 asp, and 3 steals per game since entering the starting lineup 9 games ago.  BTW: he has 9 total turnovers in those 9 games.
• Delaney finished 2-1 at the communist center (not bad – they talked a lot of smack – even down 17 – trust me)
• I would rather be VT than md (take that any way you want)
• Jordan Williams extended his double-double streak to 12 straight games with 11 points and 11 rebounds, though he was a non-factor. Kinda like how Kevin Love extended his double-double streak against Blake Griffin and the Clippers on Wednesday night despite the fact the T’wolves lost by double digits to the Clippers.
• How smart am I?  I said VT had to win the 3-point battle… they didn’t – maryland made 6 to VT’s 5 (though VT shot a slightly better percentage).  I said the Hokies had to win from the FT line… they didn’t – maryland made 2 more and shot a better percentage.  I said VT had to shut down maryland’s supporting cast because Jordan Williams was gonna get his… nope, Tech completely took Williams out of the game.  Both teams were just about even in turnovers as expected (VT 15, md 16).   VT did a good job on the boards (VT – 8 offensive rebounds to 9 for md though VT had many fewer opportunities).  This game simply came down to Tech made more shots than maryland (30/56 to 20/56).  maryland couldn’t exploit the man defense Tech opened the game with, and isn’t a good enough shooting team to beat the 2-3 zone the rest of the game, while Tech hit their jumpers and got easy layups.  Also, maryland’s press only caused 1 or 2 turnovers by my count.
• VT is the 2nd best team in the ACC (more to come on that once I can type – darn you 4 Lokos!)

Jeff Allen was named the ACC Player of the Week for the second time in his Hokie career on Monday.  Jeff garnered the honor despite playing just one game last week.  Obviously, it was a good one.  The Big Donut scored 24 points and snagged 11 rebounds, and most remarkably hit 10/12 free throws (he’s a 63% FT shooter) in the Hokies’ 71-59 win over florida state.

Jeff also won the award last season after posting double-doubles against vmi and penn state in early December of 2009.  He is the second Hokie to get ACC POTW after Delaney won it for his performances at the 76 Classic.

On a side note, perhaps Jeff should change his number to #5.  He ranks fifth all time at Virginia Tech in rebounds, blocks, and steals at this very moment.

2007 Capital Classic, originally uploaded by techsports.

At the 2007 Capital Classic