This was an atypical night on the basketball court for Seth Allen and it showed from the start. Two air balls sailed out of bounds early on. Other jump shots barely grazed the front of the rim.
Even trying to dunk produced an unsuccessful result for Allen, leading to the unmistakable conclusion that no matter what he tried last Friday against host Seton in Manassas, it was going to be met with a struggle.
There were plenty of reasons to explain this, beginning with the opponent.
Since Allen’s Fredericksburg Christian team had defeated Seton 65-31 in an earlier game, it was safe to assume they wouldn’t be challenged in the rematch. Knowing they might not get FCS’s “A game,” the Conquistadors still gave it their best shot, but in the end they were no match for the Eagles’ size, speed and overall athleticism in a 65-38 loss.
Allen was also hesitant in his play, stemming from a first-half fall when he landed abruptly on his left hand. On Dec. 26, Allen had broken a bone in his left hand and was still feeling the lingering effects from it since returning to the lineup Feb. 2.
The fall Friday only slowed him that much more and kept his explosiveness to the basket in check.
And bottom-line the 6-foot-2 Allen was having an off night as he pressed at times more than was necessary in trying to re-establish his rhythm following his layoff.
Nights like this happen, even for top-flight talents like Allen, a 17-year-old Woodbridge resident who has signed with the University of Maryland.
But after such a difficult outing in which Allen went 1 for 17 from the field and recorded his lowest point total of the season with five, while still dealing with a hand that was so sore from hitting the floor he couldn’t even make a fist, there were plenty of good things to keep Allen’s spirits up.
For one, his team won.
A successful free throw by Allen also produced his 1,000th career point since enrolling in FCS as a junior. And then there was the contingent of 12 family members who attended the game, including an aunt from Seattle who was in town for business and Allen’s four-month-old niece Alyssa.
While Allen used to head first to his mother after a game, he now made a beeline to the little girl with the cute pink outfit and held her tight as family and friends mingled around him.
At this point, the game was long over and Seton coach Dan Vander Woude was already sweeping the floor, but the Allen family continued to cluster around each other, taking some shots at the basket, joking and overall feeling right at home in this setting.
What they’d witnessed was far from Allen’s best performance, but no one was dwelling on it. There were still games to play for a program looking to make a run at a state title and Allen’s role in that was too important to be thrown off by one poor outing. He’d already done so much already and there was more to accomplish.
“He’s changed the face of the program,” FCS head coach Darren Berkley said.
A TOUGH DECISION
For many years, Allen kids went to Hylton. It was a no-brainer. The tradition started with oldest daughter Starr, who played basketball there and graduated in 2002. Next came son Cam, who played football for the Bulldogs and graduated in 2004 and then another son Brandon, who played basketball at the school and graduated in 2006.
It was Joe and Deborah Allen’s intention to have their youngest child Seth spend all four years at Hylton as well. Allen was at Hylton his first two years and started on the varsity basketball team as a point guard his sophomore season.
But the possibility of coming back as a junior came to an end after a conversation that Joe Allen said he had with Hylton basketball coach Barry Smith.
“I had a talk with Coach Smith and he told me directly there was only one Division I player on the team and Seth was not it,” Joe Allen said.
Joe Allen said he was stung by that comment. Both he and his wife believed their son had the ability to play Division I.
“We were forced into it,” Joe Allen said. “We had to do what was right for our son. It hurt bad. All our kids had been Bulldogs.”
Smith said he never told Joe Allen that Seth was not a future Division I player. In fact, Smith said he believed just the opposite, that Seth did have the potential to play at that level.
Smith said he was sorry to see Allen leave, but said there was “no ill-will” between himself and Allen. For his part, Allen has moved on.
“People know why I [left Hylton],” Allen said. “It paid off and no one questions it.”
After deciding to leave Hylton, Allen first considered Montrose Christian in Rockville, Md. But he decided against it because of the travel issues since he had no one to drive him to the school each day.
Fredericksburg Christian entered the picture through the help of Allen’s AAU coach Craig Boothe. It was Boothe who suggested Allen consider FCS. Boothe had a good rapport with the Allen family, having first coached Allen’s brother Brandon in AAU.
With the desire to go to a school that would help him play college basketball, Allen also liked FCS for another reason: the opportunity to play with his AAU teammates in high school.
So Allen transferred there along with two of his AAU teammates, Trey Rowser and Taylor Danaher. They joined another teammate, Justin Hempe, who was already attending FCS. Together they helped transform the Eagles from an obscure program into a power.
Last season, the Eagles went 31-2 and reached the state quarterfinals.
The commute to FCS gave his parents pause since neither of them would be able to drive him back and forth to Fredericksburg each day because of their own work schedules. But a family friend in the Fredericksburg area offered to house Allen during the week and then Allen’s parents would have him for the weekend.
That worked until Seth was able to drive himself, but while it was going on it wasn’t easy.
“It was really tough,” Joe Allen said. “Seth’s our baby.”
Neither he nor his family has regretted the decision to leave Hylton for FCS.
For one, they believe it helped land him a scholarship to Maryland. The smaller-sized classes provided a plus and the overall experience has matured Allen a great deal.
“There were people who said ‘You are a traitor,’ but others said we made the right decision,” Joe Allen said. “We had an open invite and said this is for whoever wants to find this treasure. This is something we wanted to embrace … We didn’t like the situation he was in, but we found an alternative.”
CHALLENGING SEASON
It was during a workout at FCS the day after Christmas when Allen’s finger got pushed back and resulted in a broken fourth metacarpal in his left hand.
The initial prognosis was that Allen would not be able to play again until early March. But Allen would have none of that.
In the eighth grade, he took such a bad tumble off his bike that it left him with a broken left elbow that required two plates with 26 screws to hold the plates together. If he could get through that, he could get through this.
He worked out constantly, running on the treadmill at home each night and doing hand exercises by squeezing a stress ball to strengthen his hand. When he went back to the doctor, the bone was still cracked but there was enough improvement to clear him to play.
His first game back Feb. 2, Allen scored 12 points against Massaponax. On Feb. 7, he tallied a season-high 31 against Highland.
Allen’s role on the team is crucial if the Eagles have any hopes of winning the VISAA Division 2 state title.
With him in the lineup, they beat Cape Henry 50-45. But without him in the lineup, the Eagles lost to the same team, 64-50. Cape Henry (19-4) is currently ranked No. 2 and FCS (20-5) is tied for fourth in the state
“We know that if we want to make a run, he needs to be healthy,” Berkley said.
When he isn’t dealing with his high school hoops commitments, Allen watches as much Maryland basketball as possible. Allen, who was Mark Turgeon’s first signee as the Terrapins new head coach, has attended at least four games at College Park.
It’s difficult for him to not look too far ahead and where he will be a year from now, playing point guard in the ACC. In fact, it’s been a whirlwind for Allen since committing to the Terps last May.
He attended the Reebok Breakout Challenge in July in Philadelphia, where Washington Wizards guard John Wall was helping evaluate the players.
Based on Allen’s performance, Wall invited Allen and four other standout performers to work out with him and other NBA players in late August at the home of Reebok just outside Boston.
This weekend, he will be at nearby College Park, playing in the Presidential Hoopfest at Henry Wise High School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland.
“I know he’s anxious to get to Maryland, but he wants to finish what he started here and that’s compete for a state title,” Berkley said.
FAMILY FIRST
The Allens have a saying in their family: “Fam First.”
Whether it is attending Seth’s games or getting everyone together for breakfast at home every other Sunday, the Allens are a tight-knit bunch.
Joe Allen recalled the comment Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson made to him when four cars carrying Allen family and friends arrived at College Park May 12 for Seth’s official recruiting visit.
“He said he’s never seen a family that big come in for a trip,” Joe Allen said.
Within the family, there are constant debates over who is the tallest among the three boys or who can jump the highest. Despite Seth’s 38-inch vertical leap, Brandon said he get higher than his younger brother.
Staying close to home was one of the main reasons Allen chose Maryland, which pleased among others his mother. Deborah Allen was in favor of the choice if for nothing else because the school is only 20 minutes away from her job with the Department of Justice.
“That way I can stop over and see if his room is clean,” Deborah Allen said. “But when I told him that, he just said he would lock the door.”
Comments like that are bantered back and forth, no matter where they are. It’s just one big gathering, like this night after the Seton game. Questions are asked, phones are answered and constant attention is being paid to the youngest member of the group, Alyssa.
Finally, though, it’s time to go. Deborah realizes it first and informs everyone to start moving toward the door. She knows this group well. Good night or bad night for Seth, they enjoy being together and are never in a hurry to get going.
“If we don’t leave now, we’ll be here another hour,” Deborah Allen said.
Sports editor David Fawcett can be reached at 703-530-3911
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