The dam finally broke and the trek though the desert is finally over (feel free to insert whatever metaphor you’d like to for a long tiresome event). The story short is 5-star St. Stephen’s Episcopal School recruit (Austin, TX) Jarrett Allen is Shaka Smart’s newest commit and the fourth of the 2016 recruiting class.
As is customary here on HornSports, we’ll break down each player once August rolls around the school year gets going, but for now let’s take a quick look. Here are some quick hitters on what we can expect from Allen and a short break down of his game and ability.
Jarrett Allen stands about six foot nine inches and over two hundred pounds. He’s a prototypical power forward with legit NBA size. Allen has the length and size to slide over to the center position on spot duty, or feature there in a small ball lineup. He moves well and shows smooth feet with a solid shooting ability from fifteen feet in. Anything around the free throw line and close is almost a sure thing, which is a tremendous boost to a power forward’s game. He is active on the glass, especially on the offensive end, and has no problem making quick put backs. One of the best things Allen does on the offensive glass is keep the ball up high after he secures a rebound. This allows him to retain position and avoid a strip from smaller players.
He finishes at the bucket very well and from the short corner, and can take one dribble into the chest of a defender and finish off the glass or dunk. Allen has a lot of potential on offense, but it may take a little time to clean up his game. He is not nearly as polished as a player like Myles Turner, but few are. I’d like to see Allen work on diversifying his post move game, and developing his handles a little bit. That will allow him to face up defenders from 15 feet and take them of the dribble.
Allen is an exciting prospect and will pair nicely with the kind of ball Smart wants to play. He represents a huge need for Texas right now with the mass departure of frontcourt players this season. Don’t be surprised if we see some four guard sets with Allen as the only frontcourt guy.
The Longhorns picked up a big-time player in Allen, who chose the Longhorns over schools like Kansas, Houston, North Carolina and Kentucky.
