Six days ago Teddy Allen scored 41 points in a 86-83 loss to Penn State.
Now, he’s gone.
The junior guard has left the program, Nebraska announced Monday morning.
“I would like to thank Coach (Fred) Hoiberg and his coaching staff for allowing me to come back to Nebraska and have the opportunity to play basketball in the best conference in the country,” Allen said in a statement. “I appreciate the support I’ve received from everyone in the program. I am thankful for the love I have received from my teammates and the relationships we have built over the last year. I also want to give a special thank you to the Husker fans for their encouragement and support.
“After a lot of thought over the last few days, I have made the decision to focus on getting fully healthy in preparation for the next step in my basketball journey. I will continue to stay at Nebraska for the spring semester and work toward graduation. I am looking forward to what the future holds, as I explore my options.”
Allen played in 22 games for the Huskers this season, averaging 16.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. He had 20 or more points eight times, including the career-high 41-point explosion against, a game that included a program record for points in a half (28) and came up just one point short of matching Eric Piatkowski’s single-game scoring record.
“I enjoyed the opportunity to coach Teddy over the past year,” Hoiberg said in a statement. “We will support him as he finishes the spring semester and wish him nothing but the best going forward.”
At 16.5 points a night, Allen has been the Huskers’ leading scorer this season. Second on the team is guard Trey McGowens, at 10.7 a game, the only other Husker in double-figures scoring. And while Allen has turned up his efficiency in recent weeks, McGowens has an eFG percentage of 44.2%, the third-worst of Nebraska’s rotation players.
The Arizona native and Boys Town graduate started his college career at West Virginia before transferring to Wichita State. The NCAA denied his waiver request for immediate eligibility, forcing him to sit the 2018-19 season with a redshirt. He wouldn’t play a game for the Shockers.
After an arrest and dismissal from Wichita State, Allen turned to the junior college ranks and returned to Nebraska, enrolling at Western Nebraska Community College, where he led all of NJCAA Division I in scoring at 31.4 points per game.
“We talked to a lot of people that had been in Teddy’s life, including the coaches that he played for and obviously his support staff, and we were very comfortable taking on Teddy,” Hoiberg told reporters last spring. “Especially with the conversation that we had with him going all the way back to when we first went out and saw him out in Scottsbluff and staying in touch with him throughout the season … We were very comfortable bringing Teddy on board and we’re excited about everything that he can offer.”
This season saw Allen benched for a game on Feb. 8 only to bounce back with his effort against Penn State, but his playing time has dipped in the two games since. On Feb. 25, Allen played 20 minutes and shot 3-of-7 from the field for seven points. Against Minnesota on Feb. 27, his final game as a Husker, he played a season-low 10 minutes and was held scoreless on three shots.
Nebraska (6-17, 2-14 Big Ten) plays Rutgers at home Monday night before ending the regular season on a two-game road trip. The Big Ten tournament begins on March 10.
