Allamuchy’s Allen plays with passion

www.njherald.com
By Adam Regan

BLAIRSTOWN -- When Austin Johnson heads off to play at Rutgers after this season, he’ll miss a lot about Blair Academy, from its posh new gymnasium to the guidance of coach Joe Mantegna.

But the one thing he wishes he could take with him certainly won’t fit in his pocket or a suitcase.

Johnson can only hope that his future Scarlet Knights teammates have a tenth of the motivation and ferocity as current teammate Gavin Allen.

“It’s going to be hard to find someone like him,” Johnson said of the senior back-up point guard with whom he’s played for two years. “No one gets more out of his teammates than Gavin in practice.”

Not even a 6-foot-8 Division I signee like Johnson. In fact, it’s Johnson who is always looking over his shoulder when he has the ball in the post during practice. He knows Allen is waiting for him to slack off by leaving the ball below his waist.

“I’ll turn around and he’ll be there clawing at me,” Johnson said. “He forces you to be a better player.”

Before Allen could master that, however, he had to adjust to his own role as a small fish in a sea of God-given talent and athleticism.

Besides Johnson, the Buccaneers’ roster includes one other Division I signee (Chris Matagrano/New Hampshire), a Division III recruit (Ameer Brown/Wesleyan) and a host of bench players being courted by Division I and II schools.

Allen foresaw the cluster of talent that would keep him from the starting lineup for four years before he chose to attend Blair over Pope John.

A lack of playing time was something that never concerned the Allamuchy native. The challenge of playing against some of the very best in the country outweighed the minutes.

“One day I’ll be guarding a guy who is going to Memphis next year, another day it will be another big school,” Allen said. “I play with and against guys who live for basketball just like I do. You can’t get that at another school.”

Allen may have entered Blair undersized, but Mantegna saw an intensity that was unmatched by any player he’s coached.

“Did I think he’d be Division II recruitable?” Mantegna asked of Allen, who is weighing a decision between Division II Adelphi and Division III Moravian. “No I didn’t. I also didn’t see a player that could provide some of the most productive five-minute stretches you’ll see either. But I knew he could be a future leader of this team.”

His evaluation gains credence every time he sees the team captain dive into a water cooler for a meaningless loose ball during practice or when he gets under a teammates’ skin on defense.

The most notable occasion came last season when Jarrett Mann, who is now at Stanford, threw Allen against a wall out of frustration.

Allen wouldn’t give him an inch.

“They have the games,” Allen said of the starters. “My games are the practices.”

At 5 feet 10, 155 pounds, Allen doesn’t come off as the most imposing figure capable of being a floor general and garnering the utmost respect of his teammates.

That’s where looks can deceive.

“He looks like a soccer player,” Johnson said. “But then you see a pile for a loose ball and at the bottom you see this white kid come out with it. His hustle makes you want to elevate your own game.”

The Buccaneers sit at 17-3 and have clinched the top seed in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League and State Prep A tournaments.

“Gavin has been a huge part of our success,” Mantegna said, adding that Allen’s worth extends beyond the practice court.

Averaging 12 minutes a game this season, Allen has become a viable back-up to junior Hakeem Harris, capable of navigating through pressure and knocking down an open shot.

In a four-minute stretch against St. Benedict’s last week, Allen scored eight points, including two 3-pointers, and made two steals to break open what was a close game.

“He leads the team in practice, from the bench and on the floor,” Mantegna said. “He’s the head of our monster.”

It is an entity his coach, his teammates and his school will miss for years to come.

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