The first domino following Tim Miles’ firing fell last Wednesday as sophomore guard Thomas Allen Jr. placed his name in the transfer portal. After meeting with new coach Fred Hoiberg on Tuesday, Allen announced on Twitter that he will be keeping his name in the portal and will look to transfer to another school.
Appreciate everything! pic.twitter.com/EPT1YCgC1P
— Thomas Allen (@ThomasAllen5_) April 3, 2019
The 6-foot-1 combo-guard averaged 8.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting 43.6 percent from the field, 36.4 percent from 3 and 86.2 percent from the free-throw line. He played in 29 games with 25 starts but suffered an ankle injury against Michigan and missed the last seven games.
As a freshman, Allen played in 32 games and averaged 3.2 points on 39.5 percent from the field, 35.4 percent from 3 and 80 percent from the line in just under 10 minutes per game off the bench.
Allen was a 4-star recruit coming out of Brewster Academy and originally committed to North Carolina State before the school fired then head coach Mark Gottfried. Allen re-opened his recruitment and Nebraska beat out a handful of others for his services.
Allen was a prolific shooter in high school, averaging 18 points per game and shooting 48 percent from deep while guiding Brewster to a perfect 33-0 record and a National Prep title. Originally from Raleigh, North Carolina, Allen began his high school career at Garner High school and played for Garner Road on the AAU circuit, the same program that fellow Husker Isaac Copeland Jr. played for as a prospect.
Back in August, Allen organized a back-to-school drive for Everett Elementary with the support of his teammates and others in the Nebraska program.
Once a player enters the transfer portal, he is able to make contact with other schools and examine his options. Players can also choose to withdraw their names and stick with their original program.
Athletic Director Bill Moos announced last Tuesday that Nebraska was parting ways with Miles after seven seasons.
Just want to say i appreciate you @CoachMiles for believing in me & taking a chance. You will always be remembered and I wish you the best coach 💯💜
— Thomas Allen (@ThomasAllen5_) March 26, 2019
Assistant coach Jim Molinari was named interim coach last Wednesday and on Saturday, Nebraska announced that Hoiberg had agreed to become Nebraska’s next coach.
Junior forward Isaiah Roby has entered his name into the 2019 NBA Draft but has not signed with an agent, leaving the door open for a potential return to Nebraska.
Jacob Padilla has been writing for Hail Varsity since 2015. He covers football, volleyball men’s basketball and prep sports. He also co-hosts the Nebraska Preps Postgame and Nebraska Shootaround podcasts for the Hurrdat Media and Hail Varsity podcast networks. His love of basketball can best be described as an obsession and if you need to find him, he’s probably in a gym somewhere watching, coaching or playing hoops.
