Jimmy Allen

James Byars “Jimmy” Allen, Jr., was a four-year letter winner on the Emory & Henry College men’s basketball team during the 1989 to 1993 seasons. He was inducted into the Emory & Henry Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.

As a player, Allen started all four seasons at guard and played in 117 games tying him for most all-time. Serving as a team captain for two years, Allen led the Wasps to four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and four straight 20-win seasons. He was a member of the 1992 Old Dominion Athletic Conference All-Tournament team and ended his career with 455 assists, which is second all-time. His 162 steals rank fourth on the all-time list for the Wasps.

Since the end of his playing career, Allen has experienced continued success as a coach. He began his coaching tenure at Emory & Henry as an assistant to Bob Johnson from 1993 to 1996. Allen proceeded to the United States Naval Academy as an assistant from 1996 to 2002, where he helped lead the team to Patriot League titles in 1997 and 1998. From 2002 to 2004, Allen spent two years assisting at Wofford College under Emory & Henry alumnus Mike Young.

Allen received his first head coaching position at Averett University in Danville, Virginia in 2004. In six seasons at the helm, Allen took a 0-25 team to three NCAA tournament appearances and compiled a 97-70 (.581) overall record. He was honored as the USA South Coach of the Year in 2005, 2007, and 2008, winning the league four different times.

In 2010, Allen joined the staff at the United States Military Academy as an assistant and was promoted to Associate Head Coach in 2015.