Allen getting more comfortable as point guard
When Cal State Bakersfield men’s basketball coach Rod Barnes speaks, he knows he’ll have the full attention of redshirt junior point guard Cam Allen.
“The great thing about him (is) he’s taking coaching,” Barnes said of Allen. “I love coaching him from the standpoint (that) he accepts it. He accepts the challenge.”
Coachability is a trait that’s served Allen well in his college career, as he’s had to accept guidance from several different coaches in a short period of time.
Now in his first season with the Roadrunners, Allen is on his third team since graduating from Forest Trails Academy High School (N.C.) in 2016. After a year at Pensacola State College (Fla.), where he earned First Team All-Panhandle Conference honors, he embarked on an up-anddown two-year stint at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles.
After averaging 18 minutes and 5.3 points as a sophomore, injuries limited him to seven games in his second and final season with the Lions, which ended with him taking a medical redshirt in 2018-19.
Granted immediate eligibility after transferring to CSUB, Allen again had to acclimate to a new team with a different scheme this season. Instantly taken with his talent and leadership, the Roadrunner staff threw a lot at their new guard, knowing he’d have to carry a heavy load in the 2019-20 campaign.
A week before the regular season began, Barnes announced that Allen would be his starting point guard, running the show on a team where he was one of six new players in the rotation.
There have been some early bumps. Allen was limited to five points on 1-of-4 shooting in an exhibition against Westcliff, and had a negative plus-minus rating in a double-overtime loss to South Dakota State on Nov. 9, a game in which he fouled out with no assists.
But there have also been plenty of positives for Allen, who provided teammates and coaches with a sense of optimism following arguably his best week as a Division-I player.
He was one of the few offensive bright spots for the Roadrunners in a 67-55 loss
to Northern Iowa last Wednesday, scoring 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting while adding five assists. He followed that up with a 10-point, four-assist performance in a 9151 win over Life Pacific Friday.
Allen, who is currently averaging 11 points and three assists per game, hasn’t had to shoulder the load alone, as fellow guards De’Monte Buckingham (14 assists) and Czar Perry (12) have also taken on distribution roles.
But as the season goes along, Barnes expects his point guards to develop complete control of his offense, a responsibility Allen is happy to take on.
“I feel more comfortable than ever when I’m on the court,” Allen said. “I feel in total command of the offense. I know when to attack, I know when to relax...and it’s going to only increase as the season goes on.”
Allen’s brain is likely to be picked heavily heading into a Tuesday road game against San Francisco, a team he used to see twice a year in West Coast Conference play at Loyola
Allen and his backcourt mates will be heavily tested against prolific and balanced offense that has helped the Dons get off to a 4-0 start. USF enters the matchup with five players averaging double-digit points per game, with four of those players being guards.
“I know a lot of those guys,” Allen said. “It’s a pretty good team. We’re going to have to bring it.”
If the Roadrunners, who are still searching for their first win over a D-I opponent this season, are going to break through, Barnes says Allen will have to “bring it” on a nightly basis.
“For us to be successful, he’s got to get better,” Barnes said. “He’s got to take command of the team, not just be the point guard. And he’s working on that.”