Mike Allen joined the Eastern Kentucky University men's basketball staff as an assistant coach in May of 2018.
In his first five seasons as an assistant, the Colonels have broken 49 program records.
Allen helped compile the highest rated EKU class in the internet recruiting era. The 2022 class was ranked 65th in the country by 247Sports, higher than such programs as South Carolina (66th), Kansas State (67th), Connecticut (73rd), Georgia (79th), Oklahoma State (81st), Arizona (83rd), Mississippi State (86th) and North Carolina State (94th).
The class included the program’s first-ever ESPN four-star freshman recruit, a former four-star high school prospect, a three-star freshman point guard, a former three-star high school forward, a three-star freshman center, a junior college All-American and Kentucky’s Mr. Basketball, the first to come to EKU as a freshman since 1980.
Allen led the recruiting efforts to fill two open scholarship spots for the class of 2023 with a former ESPN four-star recruit, and a Division I transfer with 119 three-pointers the last two seasons.
In 2022-23 Allen helped the team win 23 games, the third most in one season in program history. The Colonels reached the championship game of the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). It was the program’s first national postseason tournament title game ever and the first time in 78 years that an EKU team won three games in a national tournament.
In 2020-21, EKU won 22 games, tied for the fourth-most in program history, meaning Allen has been on the staff for two of the five winningest teams ever. In the past four seasons, the Colonels have won 20 or more games twice, received two national postseason tournament invitations and advanced to the conference tournament semifinals three times.
Despite being picked to finish 10th in the ASUN Conference in 2022-23, the Colonels placed third. EKU led all NCAA Division I teams in Kentucky in wins. The squad broke 19 program records, including points in a season, blocks in a season, field goals in a season and games played.
“I always knew when I got another head coaching job that I would hire Mike,” head coach A.W. Hamilton said. “His work ethic, basketball IQ and ability to communicate with student-athletes made hiring him an easy decision. Mike made an immediate impact on our current players and prospects we recruit to Eastern Kentucky University.”
In each of the past three seasons the Colonels have led the conference in scoring. EKU was the eighth highest scoring team in the nation in 2020-21, averaging more than 80 points per game, the 16th highest scoring team in 2021-22 and 30th in 2022-23.
“I’m more than excited about being a part of the basketball family at EKU,” Allen said. “This is a huge opportunity to assist coach Hamilton and implement his philosophy while leading EKU back to the top of the conference. Coach Hamilton is a terrific person and coach, and I’m honored to be a part of his staff.”
In each of the past five seasons the Colonels have led the conference in steals and turnovers forced, ranking among the top-10 in the nation four of the last five years. In addition to scoring, steals and turnovers forced, EKU has consistently been among the conference and national leaders in assists and 3-pointers as well.
During the 2021-22 season the Colonels broke program records for 3-pointers in a game (25), 3-pointers attempted in a game (51), 3-pointers made (363) and attempted (1,029) in a season, and 3-point field goals in a road game (18). EKU ranked second in the country in turnover margin (+5.84), third in 3-pointers per game (11.71), fourth in steals per game (10.19), seventh in turnovers forced (17.42) and 19th in offensive rebounds (12.58). The team led the ASUN in all those categories as well.
In 2020-21 Allen helped the Colonels to a 22-7 mark and the most conference wins in program history (15). The team ranked as high as No. 12 in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 and concluded that season ranked 25th. The .759 winning percentage was the best by a Colonel team since 1964-65, and was the highest winning percentage by any NCAA Division I team in the Commonwealth of Kentucky that season. The Colonels also led the nations in steals (10.3 per game).
Allen has played a key role in player development. Nick Mayo had the best season of his decorated career in 2018-19, ranking 10th in the country in scoring and becoming the first Colonel since 2002 to drop 40 points in a game. Wendell Green Jr. broke the single game assist record, the freshman record for assists in a season and was selected to the Freshman All-America Team in 2020-21. Michael Moreno has climbed to third in program history in 3-pointers made, 10th in rebounds and 15th in scoring. He set single game program records for 3-pointers (11) and 3-point attempts (22) in 2022-23. Devontae Blanton capped the 2022-23 season by earning first team All-ASUN honors, first team NABC All-District recognition, and ASUN and CBI All-Tournament distinction. In his first five seasons as an assistant coach, EKU has had six all-conference selections, three all-freshman/newcomer honorees and two conference all-tournament picks.
The former Ohio University standout and professional basketball player came to EKU following three seasons on the staff at Bryant University.
As an assistant coach at Bryant, Allen was instrumental in the school’s recruiting efforts. During the 2017-18 campaign, Allen coached Bryant’s backcourt, which included two of the league’s top players in Adam Grant (15.6 points per game) and Ikenna Ndguba (13.8 points per game). Prior to being elevated to an assistant coach for the Bulldogs, Allen served as the director of basketball operations from 2015 to 2017.
Allen spent two seasons (2013-15) as an assistant post-graduate basketball coach at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia, where he assisted in recruiting and fundraising processes in addition to his responsibilities on the court. During Allen’s tenure at Hargrave, the post-graduate team achieved top-5 national rankings while going 70-12. More than 20 players signed Division-I or Division-II scholarships during Allen's two-year stint at Hargrave.
Prior to his time at Hargrave, Allen spent two years (2010-12) as a graduate assistant coach at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pennsylvania.
Allen played professionally with the Chemnitz 99ers in Chemnitz, Germany during the 2009-10 season.
Allen spent two seasons as the starting point guard at Ohio University, earning All-Mid-American Conference (MAC) Honorable Mention accolades as a senior in 2008-09. He started all but three games in his two-year Bobcat career, graduating with 280 assists, good for the fifth-best two-season total in program history. As a senior, he became just the third Ohio player to lead the MAC in assists per game (4.31).
Before arriving in Athens, Allen spent his sophomore season at Cloud County (Kansas) Community College, where he led his team to a 23-10 record and a pair of victories in the 2006-07 NJCAA District VI (Div. I) Tournament. As a rookie in 2005-06, he helped his Daytona Beach (Fla.) Community College squad to a 25-5 record, ranking 10th in the NJCAA Region VIII (Div. I) in assists per game (4.3).
Allen graduated from Ohio University in 2009 with a bachelor’s of science in health services administration. He earned his master’s degree in organizational leadership from Mercyhurst in 2014.
