Texas Tech picks up Last Chance U star KJ Allen

KJ Allen has committed to Texas Tech after backing out from his USC commitment.

This is a great addition for Mark Adams and Tech. KJ Allen is a great talent from the Netflix show Last Chance U. This isn’t Techs first time getting talent from Last Chance U, with former linebacker Dakota Allen also coming to Texas Tech in the past. Allen isn’t just some tv show player though. While at East LA college, Allen averaged 18.5 points and 9.3 rebounds. Standing at just 6’6, the 9.3 rebounds is very encouraging.

Allen in high-school was part of a rare group to win the Wooden player of the year award. The guy is no slouch. He’s a very versatile player who has the makings to be an elite defensive player.

It’s no surprise that Coach Adams first recruit was a JUCO player. Adams and new associate head coach Barret Peery both have very historic pasts in the JUCO ranks, so getting a JUCO star right off the bat was very expected.

Look for Allen to make an immediate impact in his first year, possibly even sliding into a starting role right next to Marcus Santos-Silva. Allen is only 6’6 but plays much bigger. He can jump out of the gym and play with much bigger guys. Offensively Allen is more of an inside player. Allen only attempted 5 3’s all year with ELAC, missing all of them. He shot 69 percent from the field, so he’s very efficient.

Getting Allen to come to Tech rather than USC is huge for Tech. From a recruiting standpoint, I think it’s great to see what coach Adams can do. Obviously, there is still a ton of more work to be done to field a roster, but there's no denying that this is a fantastic start to rebuilding the roster.