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men’s basketball spotlight
seth allen
inside.hokiesports.com27
Continued on page 28
With that in mind, he decided to transfer to
Fredericksburg Christian Academy, a private school
in Fredericksburg. The move would allow him to play
better against competition and gain more exposure.
But the move came with a price.
“When I went to the private school, it was an hour
away,” Allen said. “That first year, I didn’t have a driver’s
license, so I had to live with random families and get
rides to school every day. I just tried to make it work.
That was tough, just sleeping in a house that isn’t yours
and just finding a place to live the next day.
“Sometimes, my dad could drop me off before he had
to be at work, and I would sit outside the school for two
hours until it opened. It would be freezing cold [in the
winter]. But we always found a way to make it work. It
mademe really tough, and it mademe focus on basketball
even more. When they opened the school, I’d just go in
the gym until school started and shoot the whole time. It
really widened my eyes. If you want something, you have
to go get it.”
The move ultimately paid off, as Allen received a
little more interest. He wasn’t a nationally known name
necessarily, but a solid “three-star” recruit. Virginia
offered him a scholarship, but Maryland’s newly hired
coach at the time, Mark Turgeon, showed him the most
affection.
College Park was 40 minutes from the Allen house,
allowing his family easy access to watch him play.
Turgeon recognized the importance of family to Allen
and showed his parents the most respect of any of the
suitors. Allen became his first recruit.
As a freshman, he enjoyed a solid campaign, averaging
nearly eight points per game and scoring 16 points in the
Terps’ upset win over then-No. 2 Duke. As a sophomore,
he averaged 13.4 points per game.
But something was amiss. At the end of his sophomore
season, he decided to ask Turgeon for a release to
transfer to another school.
“There were a lot of factors,” Allen said. “It was
happiness. I felt like I needed a change. They were
leaving the ACC [for the Big Ten], and I love the ACC
because you’re playing the best teams ever. It’s hard to
make it to the [NCAA] tournament, but the exposure
you’re getting from the ACC is like none other. There is
no other conference better than this conference.”
Turgeon had secured a commitment from Melo
Trimble, a McDonald’s All-American from Upper
Marlboro, Maryland, so many speculated that Allen left
because of that. Allen denies that.
“Nah, he [Turgeon] was going to start me and Melo
together,” Allen said. “We were going to play the 1 and
the 2. The best teams play with two guards like that on
the floor. Villanova played with two guards last year.
Duke has played two guards. Louisville had Russ Smith
and Peyton Siva [when it won the national championship
in 2013]. It wasn’t that.”
Allen went through the recruiting process yet again—
only this time, with considerable more interest. Almost
every big-time school checked in, including Virginia
Tech, with its new coach, Buzz Williams.
