MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — A breakout summer on the AAU circuit upped Teddy Allen’s stock. A cozy weekend on West Virginia’s campus led to his commitment.
The 6-foot-6 small forward from Omaha, Neb., pledged to the Mountaineers on Monday, a day after returning from a visit in which he hung out with current players and “felt I knew these guys for years.”
Along with finalists Iowa State, Cincinnati and DePaul, he holds offers from Virginia Tech, TCU, Middle Tennessee State and South Dakota State. Key to his decision, Allen said, was the challenge of playing for Bob Huggins.
“Man, I thought I’d be somewhere but not playing for a future Hall of Famer,’’ Allen told the Omaha World-Herald. “It was hard to find something I didn’t like (about WVU). The school, the guys, the coach. The guys would do anything for Coach.”
Recruiting analysts note Allen is more skilled than athletic, though his back-to-back 30-point performances at July’s adidas championship showed deep range and court savvy.
After moving to Omaha from Arizona as a junior, Allen averaged 26.6 points and 12.3 rebounds for Boys Town High School. He became a second-team all-stater despite only becoming eligible for second semester.
He becomes West Virginia’s fourth commitment for 2017 and could give the Mountaineers a lead on the 2018 class. Allen’s brother Timmy, a 6-5 junior at Desert Ridge (Ariz.) High School, is being recruited by UCLA, Arizona State, USC, San Diego State, New Mexico State, Nebraska and Creighton.