USF Men’s Basketball Tabs Julius Allen for Assistant Position

Julius Allen, possessing strong recruiting ties to the fertile basketball recruiting ground of the Northeast, was named assistant men’s basketball coach at USF today (Friday, May 14).

Allen spent the just-completed season at Howard University in Washington, D.C. He has also held assistant positions at Long Island University (1995-96 — 1997-98), McNeese State University (1998-99), Towson University (1999-00 — 2000-01), and Northeastern University (2001-02).

USF coach Robert McCullum cited Allen’s ability to recruit successfully in the Northeast while making the announcement.

“We are elated to add Julius Allen to USF’s men’s basketball family,” said McCullum. “We feel strongly that Julius will be a fine addition and will make outstanding contributions to both our basketball program and to the university. His experience at a number of schools, most of which have been in the Northeast, but also in the South, will enable him to come in and make his presence felt immediately. Julius is well-known throughout the Northeast, especially in the New York City area, as well as in New Jersey and Washington, D.C.”

Allen also worked two seasons in the Continental Basketball Association with the Oklahoma City Calvary in 1992 and 1993 and four seasons in the United States Basketball League with the Westchester Stallions from 1992 through 1995.

“I am looking forward to this opportunity,” said Allen. “It is a good challenge and I am looking forward to working with Coach McCullum. His plan that is in place is what is needed there. USF has a great facility, a great location and Tampa is a great city. USF is a very attractive place for kids to want to play big time basketball as well as get a great education.

“We are going to recruit student-athletes from all over but I will be concentrating on the Northeast. They are going to come down to USF and fall in love with the place just like I did.”

His McNeese State recruits from the Northeast helped the Cowboys earn two Southland Conference regular-season championships in 2000-01 and 2001-02.

“He had a very successful stint at McNeese State University and his work on the floor as well as his recruiting efforts helped lead them to two consecutive conference titles,” said McCullum. “In talking to coach Ron Everhart, the current coach at Northeastern (formerly the head coach at McNeese State), he felt strongly that without Julius’s recruiting success those two conference titles would not have been possible. Julius was able to attract players from the New York area to McNeese and it was the caliber of player that otherwise had been difficult to get.”

“He is extremely well-respected and extremely well-liked throughout New York CIty. He distinguished himself even more when he coached the New York Gauchos travel team last summer to titles in every tournament they played in. These were all national tournaments.”

McCullum, who has known Allen for several years, said that USF’s move to the Big East Conference beginning with the 2005-06 season played a role in his decision to select the veteran assistant coach.

“Our paths first crossed about seven years ago when I did a clinic in Miami on the role of assistant coaches,” said McCullum. “Last spring one of the first events I went to was at Houston where I saw the Gauchos play and I was really impressed with the job he did. Once the decision was made that we were moving to the Big East, his name came to the forefront. We had an outstanding group of candidates and that made the decision difficult. But in the end, his experience was what made the difference.”

His experience also includes nearly two years as a physical education teacher at Clark Junior High School 45 in the Bronx and two summers wo rking with the Catholic Youth Organization in New York City. He had stints as an activity therapist at Abbott House in Queens, N.Y., a coordinator at the Bronx River Neighborhood Center, a residential aide at the South Bronx Job Corps, and a recreation director at the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club in the Bronx.

Allen graduated from Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Okla.