Watching Jerome Allen in action used to mean seeing him dribble coast-to-coast across the Palestra floor.
Now Allen’s job as the Penn men’s basketball head coach entails flying coast-to-coast in search of high-school prospects who can dominate the Ivy League the way he once did.
Archbishop Wood head basketball coach Jack Walsh is an eyewitness.
Walsh saw Allen in action in Las Vegas this past summer at the adidas Super 64 basketball tournament, which showcases some of the top high-school players in the nation.
According to Walsh, whose son’s Amateur Athletic Union team participated in the tournament, Allen was there watching games every day from July 22 to 26. The dedication Allen showed in traveling across the country impressed many of the players.
“I think you’re seeing just a whole new look, a whole new vision at Penn. And a big part of that has to do with Jerome,” Walsh said.
“He’s done a great job of bringing in players throughout the country, good players to come to the University of Pennsylvania to get them back on the track where Penn belongs.”
But for a first-year head coach with no prior experience like Allen, making an early mark in the recruiting world is extremely difficult.
Though Penn has seen at least two recruits commit to the program before Oct. 16 each of the last five years, the Quakers have no commitments for the Class of 2015 so far.
Having coached at four Philadelphia schools throughout his illustrious career, current St. Joseph’s Prep coach William “Speedy” Morris knows a little something about getting started with recruiting. And Morris’ main message to Quakers fans who may be concerned about the lack of commitments was this: give it time.
Morris said that he knows Allen “very well” and thinks the Penn coach can make an impact as a top recruiter locally, nationally and even globally, considering the connections he has established.
“I think a few more years, and you’ll see kids going there,” Morris said. “The coaches in this area know who Jerome Allen is.”
Recruiting is especially challenging in the Ivy League, however, because coaches have no scholarships to offer potential recruits, which “limits the kids you can get,” Morris continued.
“You have to find those diamonds in the rough that other schools didn’t offer scholarships,” he said.
Allen has proven that he will take a stand for the players he wants. Walsh’s former player, freshman Fran Dougherty was one of those guys. Originally a Glen Miller recruit, Dougherty and his family were concerned when the coaching change occurred last December that Allen would no longer want Dougherty to come to Penn, the then-senior’s dream school.
But soon enough, Allen was in Warminster, Pa., to see Dougherty practice and to express that Penn was still interested in bringing him in.
“From that point on, Jerome kept in constant contact with Fran and also with the family, and that impressed them very much,” Walsh said.
Dougherty’s commitment to Penn was the result of a dozen phone and text conversations in Walsh’s estimation, demonstrating the persistence it takes to be a good recruiter.
“It’s confidence in yourself [that makes a good recruiter],” Morris said. “You’ve got to be a salesman, and I think Jerome’s going to be able to do that.”
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