KJ Allen of ‘Last Chance U: Basketball’ joins Portland State
PORTLAND, Ore. (BVM) – After being in the transfer portal for over a month, former Texas Tech forward KJ Allen announced Saturday that he will transfer to Portland State University. Allen finished his Red Raiders career averaging 2.2 points and 1.9 rebounds over 8.5 minutes in 46 career games.
“I am really excited for KJ to become part of the Portland State Viking family. He is a great person and a high character guy,” Portland State head coach Jase Coburn said in a school press release. “It was a very competitive recruiting process for KJ because other programs are aware of his talent and potential.”
The Vikings have signed KJ Allen for the 2023-24 season! #GoViks https://t.co/ILokAuqyvz
— Portland State Men’s Basketball (@psuviksMBB) April 29, 2023
Last season was Allen’s best at Texas Tech. He averaged 2.4 points and 2.0 rebounds in 9.3 minutes over 27 games. Though relegated to a bench role, Allen showed enough skill to impress the Vikings’ coaching staff.
“KJ is going to bring tremendous experience to our team as he comes from a great program and has played at a high level,” Coburn continued. “He is a tremendous scorer and rebounder. He can get up off the floor, defend at the rim and block shots. This is a huge addition to our team. I am excited for KJ to grow as a player at Portland State.”
6-7 KJ Allen (formerly at Texas Tech) has committed to Portland State@Kjallen32 ✔️
Let’s Work!@JaseCoburn @LastChanceU @ElacBball @coachdg_magic pic.twitter.com/VhXG2tSExB— Compton Magic (@Compton_Magic) April 29, 2023
The 6-foot-6, 255-pound forward is used to the West Coast basketball scene. Allen hails from Los Angeles where he attended Winchester High School before joining the program at East Los Angeles College. During his time with the Huskies, Allen was prominently featured on the Netflix docuseries “Last Chance U: Basketball” which covered the 2019-20 season, his freshman year.
Kealen Allen is the Dunk of the Week star! 🏀⭐️ pic.twitter.com/Reu008Dc2R
— Last Chance U: Basketball (@LastChanceU) March 31, 2021
During that campaign, Allen averaged 18.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 steals in 30 games, all starts. He helped lead the Huskies to a 29-1 before the COVID-19 pandemic cut the season short. Thanks to his performance, the freshman was named South Coast Conference North Player of the Year.
Former East Los Angeles College F @Kjallen32 has signed w @psuviksMBB!! #GoHuskies🏀🏀🏀🏀 @Compton_Magic @JucoRecruiting @sgnlthelgthoops @LastChanceU @LastChanceUAlum @AthleticsELAC @VerbalCommits @JUCOadvocate pic.twitter.com/FQizsDeoXc
— ELACBball (@ElacBball) April 29, 2023
Due to the ongoing pandemic, Allen did not play in 2020-21 as the season was canceled. He transferred to Texas Tech in 2021.
Now, Allen will look to re-establish himself as a top player on his team’s roster. Given his strong play at the JUCO level and his time spent with a successful program at Texas Tech, Allen should bring plenty of energy and experience to the Vikings this upcoming season. With a new home, perhaps Allen will return to the spotlight he placed himself in back at ELAC.
