Allen has lost weight, found scoring touch
UTSA forward Nick Allen could tell something was off when he reviewed his film with assistant coach Mike Peck.
“We’re sitting there watching it, and it’s like, ‘Man, why aren’t you here?’ ” Allen said. “‘Usually, you get there. Usually, you’re quick enough to do that. What’s going on?’ ”
The closest thing to a true center in UTSA’s starting lineup, Allen bulked up during the offseason, readying for a year of battling in the post. He was listed at 6-foot-8 and 215 pounds as a junior in 2017-18, and he said he finished the year at about 222. By the start of his senior season, he weighed 235.
“It was different. Weird. I felt a little sluggish,” Allen said. “I bulked up a bit too much. I don’t think it was too much weights, obviously. I think it was some bad food I was eating. I figured out what it was, and I cut it out.”
Since starting to trim down during the Christmas break, Allen has recaptured some of his quickness and become a more potent scorer for the Roadrun-
ners.
UTSA is riding a seven-game winning streak — the program’s longest in 10 years — including the first 4-0 start in conference play since 1988-89. The Roadrunners visit Middle Tennessee (3-14, 0-4 Conference USA) at 6:30 p.m. today and UAB (10-7, 2-2) at 7 p.m. Saturday.
“Now that I’ve lost weight, I feel I’ve got my bearings back and my weight under me,” Allen said. “I feel really good.”
In the 12 games before the Christmas holiday, Allen averaged 8.7 points on 45.9 percent shooting.
In five games since the break, he’s averaging 14.6 points on 54.4 percent shooting.
“Nick is such an important part of what we do,” UTSA coach Steve Henson said. “He’s a very important part of our defense. And when he’s making an occasional 3-pointer, it does so much for our offense.”
UTSA’s offense this season has been driven by its guards, with Jhivvan Jackson averaging 20.5 points per game and Keaton Wallace 17.8.
When Allen moves out to the perimeter to set a screen for either player, defenses typically double Jackson or Wallace, leaving Allen open for 3-pointers. After hitting 35.1 percent of his shots from long range during nonconference play, Allen is making 46.7 percent from beyond the arc during the Conference USA season.
“We’ve been telling him to shoot, because he’s been open so many times it’s ridiculous,” Jackson said. “Sometimes he doesn’t take some shots, even if he’s open. It’s just his confidence. He’s feeling good.
“We’ve all been telling him to start shooting, because if you start making shots, it’s going to help everybody.”
Jackson said Allen and point guard Giovanni De Nicolao are the leaders of the team. Henson said Allen started to earn that role during the offseason after Henson came to UTSA in April 2016.
The lone four-year player on UTSA’s roster, Allen is the only Roadrunner to predate Henson and his staff.
“It’s been fun to watch. It’s been steady progress with him,” Henson said. “He had already established a work ethic, but he was not a leader. He was not talkative. Not negatively, but he was not in a leadership role. He grew into it, and players respected his work ethic.”
“He came in here a quiet, shy, 18-year-old. He’s going to leave here with a degree in hand, a fiancée, and a great leader for our team.”
Henson identified early in his tenure that Allen had proper shooting mechanics and could be a major scorer in UTSA’s system. Henson believes that encouragement gave Allen a mental boost after the team went 5-27 during his freshman season in 2015-16.
Allen’s confidence sometimes has wavered, Henson said, though his recent success has led to a heightened focus.
“A lot of people talk about when I am confident, and how different I play when I’m not confident,” Allen said. “But to me, it’s like I’m always the same.”
Allen’s recent weight loss was a seamless process, Henson said. With UTSA more than halfway through the season, Henson said he isn’t concerned about Allen’s ability to remain durable and hold his own against opposing posts.
“He’s tough enough to bang, whether he’s 220 or 235,” Henson said. “Toughness is never going to waver with him.”