Twitter: @Almightyallen1
Instagram: @2lethal_almighty
Photo taken by Kristian Brown (@kristianbrwn)
As most know, being young can sometimes lead to a lack of recognition; whatever the situation may be. In the case of high school hoops, with the 2020 and 2021 classes next in line as upperclassmen on the scene, a primary focus on them can often overshadow the other talented players within 2022 and 2023 classes. Scouts, such as myself, feel it's more of a necessity to try and provide the older hoopers as much exposure possible since we (and them) realize that time will soon run out. Anybody can try to go the safe route in saying 'Oh, the underclassmen have plenty of time to make their names known.' Time flies by, however, and that notion led to my attempts this summer in balancing time to cover prospects in different high school age groups. Determining youthful talent often results as beneficial to players, coaches, and others. A feeling of satisfaction especially emerges once that such player grows to meet or even exceed the potential that one could imagine dating back to those early years. In this moment of time, I personally feel I'm seeing this pattern in Curtis Allen '22, a resident of Prince George, VA. He's still learning the game but nonetheless has already had a big summer on the court thus far; looking like one of the area's top rising sophomores.
Tracing back to this past school season, Allen spent his first high school outing on the junior-varsity team of Prince George High School (Prince George, VA). Typically, most guys desire to spend all four of their years on the varsity level, but an ample amount of on-court experience for the 6'2' wing paid off well, as he led his team to a winning record. Building up that confidence of learning how to produce in various areas has clearly appeared apparent in Allen's game currently. He made the decision to play up for Team Flight 16u, joining his Prince George junior-varsity coach, Kristian Brown, and has performed as one of the team's most lethal contributors in both scoring and rebounding; based on the three different occasions I've watched his squad play.
'The summer's gone well,' Allen acknowledged. 'Right now, we're just getting ready to travel for these July tournaments.'
Last month, during the second half of June, was when Allen started to REALLY cause chatter about his play. He exploded as one of the top performers in L.C. Bird High School's (Chesterfield County, VA) hosted two-week summer league; an annual event that brings in talent from around the state of Virginia. The Prince George Royals fell a bit short of reaching the championship bracket but still displayed some good moments and Allen looked more improved in nearly every category. He has physical gifts of strength and agility that makes him a flat-out force whenever he decides to rebound and push it coast-to-coast. He shot the ball better than any of his other teammates and showed more comfort bringing the ball up the court to control the offense, as the latter left me the most impressed. In the past, if I had to nitpick any areas of improvement, it would mainly center on Allen's ball-handling. Other surrounding members in the gym agreed that he ‘broke out' during those two weeks. On a Wednesday of the final playoff week (6/27) that I covered, I remembered Allen putting up 20 points, seven rebounds, and four steals in the evening's first game versus Colonial Heights High School (Colonial Heights, VA). Later on that night, he exploded for even a better performance to total six three-pointers and lead all scorers with 26 points in another win, this time against Carver College and Career Academy (Chesterfield County, VA).
'I liked that league a lot…it helped us bond more as a team. I think people were able to see more parts of my game that I might not have shown as much in the past.'
Allen also had a familiar face with him on the court during Prince George's participation in L.C. Bird's event; his older brother, Chris '21. A returner from the 2018-19 Royals' varsity group, I remember meeting Chris back during October 2018 and feel he has a game with some similarities compared to Curtis'. Also standing at 6'2,' he uses his wide frame and physicality greatly to assert himself as an inside scorer and controls the boards. Definitely one who's capable of giving the team a double-double stat line. One of my favorite parts of watching Prince George play last month involved sensing a good chemistry between the two brothers whenever they both checked in onto the floor. I could easily tell that they had a feel for each other's tendencies and really knew how to find one another in transition. The siblings make up for a good, aggressive duo. Curtis himself will joke that things go more smoothly when they play in the same lineup and not against each other.
'Yeah, we don't play 1v1 or anything like that much because we usually end up arguing. But, when we play together, we get the job done.'
Continuing now into July, Allen should have plenty of time to spend with his brother and other school teammates as the summer progresses into the fall. I know Prince George varsity head coach Travis Carr quite well and, from what I've noticed in the past, he's big on keeping the team together to get better as a unit during the offseason. In addition to school workouts and this recent summer league, Prince George also decided to compete in the University of Richmond Team Camp last weekend (6/29 – 6/30). They came up short in the title game to Davidson Day School (Davidson, NC) but still ended with a remarkable second-place finish out of 24 participating varsity teams. Coach Carr has always appeared to value camaraderie and the Royals have taken the right steps in that approach early on, months before winter arrives. If Allen wasn't already aware of the togetherness aspect prior to this summer, he's definitely taken notice throughout the past weeks.
'(The team's) starting to get a feel for each other now, more than just what we do on the court. Spending time together has helped in many ways.'
In the next four months, when November enters into the picture and the 2019-20 high school season officially begins, Allen will obviously have to earn a spot on the varsity roster as a sophomore before anything else. Most recognize that seven seniors departed from the Prince George program at the conclusion of last season: Patrick Gee, Maurice Ivory, Jeff Jackson, Jajour Lambert, Cheruad Newsome, Rashel Oliver, and Jacob Thompson. Stacking up another group after losing a good amount of talent likewise to that 2019 class isn't ever easy but Allen knows the value of his strengths that could give the Royals a boost, if given the opportunity.
'I think my shooting could help out the most. We didn't do as well in shooting the ball last season…I feel I could help us with my own ability to make shots.'
As long as he maintains a willingness to stay disciplined and learn more about how to play the game properly, I don't see anything stopping Allen from becoming one of the most recognizable names in the 804's 2022 class. There's already a few names I've jotted down to keep in mind and I truly believe the Prince George wing can hold his own with any of them. He has the chance to become really, really good in the next couple of seasons. I'm confident in stating that his coaches and peers will all nod their heads in agreement.
Alright then, where does Curtis Allen see himself in ten years'
'If I'm not still playing basketball somewhere, I could see myself working as a doctor or a dentist.'
Doctor or dentist' That's where the money is at. Keep showing them your worth on the hardwood, Curtis.