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Brandon's Allen Wants Victory Over Record

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By NICK WILLIAMS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 22, 2008

BRANDON - Without a doubt, Brandon High senior guard Blake Allen is a scorer, probably one of the best Hillsborough County has ever produced.

Not only does the 5-foot-11 guard for the boys basketball team lead the Eagles is scoring with 18.1 points per game, but also heading into Saturday's Class 5A-Region 2 final against defending state champion Winter Park Lake Howell, Allen needs just 29 points to reach 2,000 for his career. With 1,971 career points, he is currently 12th all-time in Hillsborough County boys basketball and should he surpass 2,000 points, he will become only the 10th player to do so.

But ask Allen what he'd like to see happen on his home court Saturday and his answer might surprise you.

"If I score 2,000 points and we don't get to the state tournament, it doesn't matter," Allen said. "Right now, that's not my attitude at all."

Truth be told, Allen couldn't care less if he scored two points, as long as his Eagles advance to the state tournament.

Still, Brandon (23-4) will depend on Allen to carry them past Lake Howell for a trip to the state semifinals.

Allen has made 376 career 3-pointers, 83 this season, which is second in the county. He said he perfected his shooting form during countless hours of practice every summer, but it wasn't until his eighth-, ninth-, and 10th-grade seasons at Tampa Baptist, now Tampa Bay Christian Academy, that he learned to put it to use. Through three seasons at the 1A private school, he scored 1,118 points.

Allen transferred to Brandon after his sophomore year and while some may see it as a huge transition, Blake saw it as another challenge.

"The guys were more athletic but I was used to it by playing AAU," he said.

Allen averaged 12.0 points per game his junior year, when the Eagles were eliminated in the 5A-District 8 semifinals. Because of a plethora of talent on last year's team, which included former guard and Tennessee Tech freshman Jeremy Jackson, Allen wasn't expected to do a lot of scoring.

This year, Brandon coach Mark Hermann decided to let Allen shoot at will.

"I said, 'You've got the green light, son. I don't care if you miss 10 in a row, it's going to fall,'" Hermann said.

During a district game against King earlier this season, Allen scored a season-high 41 points, which included eight 3-pointers.

"Nights like that, it feels like I'm throwing a rock into the ocean," Allen said. "No matter what my form is, it's going in."

"He's always been really talented and he's always been a scorer," Hermann said. "We try to find him in positions where he can spot up and shoot, especially when he's hot."

Saturday, Allen and the Eagles will look to dethrone Lake Howell, which is aiming for a sixth consecutive state tournament berth.

"I'm excited," Allen said. "I'm anxious to play."

Reporter Nick Williams can be reached at (813) 865-4848 or nwilliams@tampatrib.com.

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