James Monroe standout Eli Allen earned the Lootpress Boys Basketball Player of the Week honor to open the 2021-22 season.
After Week 2 of the 2022-23 season, Allen again has the trophy in hand.
Thanks to a 28-point performance against sectional rival Montcalm in week two, Allen was again named Lootpress Boys basketball Player of the Week.
The Lootpress Player of the Week Awards are sponsored by Mid-State Ford, Bodyworks and The Law Offices of Brandon Steele.
“I started off kind of slow that night and I didn’t have very much in the first quarter,” Allen recalled. “Then I started shooting well and got to the free throw line.”
Last year as a junior, Allen basically averaged a triple-double with nearly 28 points, nine rebounds and nine assists per game, while helping lead the Mavericks to the Class A state championship.
This year he has drawn much more attention from opposing defenses, but is still filling up the stat sheet scoring 27 points per game, while handing out 10 assists and grabbing eight rebounds.
James Monroe head coach Matt Sauvage points to Allen’s versatility as one factor that makes him so hard to handle.
“I feel like I talk about him all the time and deservedly so. On nights where teams try to take away his shot, he has big assist nights,” Sauvage said. “He decides he will pick it up on other parts of the court. He is smart enough to do that without us even saying anything. Eli is like another coach on the floor.”
The Player of the Year candidate admits he is aware of what teams are trying to do, but he is confident in the players around him to get the job done.
“Teams have come out this year really trying to stop me, but I have a bunch of guys on our team that have really stepped up,” Allen said. “When teams shut me down, I can kick it out to Josh Burks and we have Collin Fox penetrating. Everybody is filling the roles that we need them too.”
While the stat line he puts up nightly is eye-popping, it is his leadership and character that have stood out even more.
Allen has suffered through some foul issues in games this year. While many star players will hit the bench and sulk, Allen sees that as another opportunity to aid his teammates.
“If I go over there and just pout, I am not doing anything to help my team. I am one of the leaders on our team. If the other players see me over there pouting because I am out, that is selfish,” Allen said. “This is family basketball. I am the biggest cheerleader on the bench when I am over there. I do what I can to bring up the energy even if I am not on the floor.”
Sauvage described Allen as the ultimate team player.
“As good as his stats are, he is about the team,” Sauvage said. “When he hits the bench he is immediately talking to the player coming in. He is also talking to the players on the court.”
Then there is the matter of character that often goes unseen by fans milling around after a game.
“We are big on cleaning up our bench area and Eli does that. We want to leave it better than when we got there,” Sauvage said. “On his way out, he will stop by the other bench and pick up trash. That is the leader that he has. That is Eli Allen.”
