When a promising young player goes through the recruiting cycle and receives eight different offers from programs in the same league, it is a very special feeling for a college head coach to land that young player.
Illinois State coach Ryan Pedon is that coach who feels very special.
Bradley-Bourbonnais’ Nick Allen has joined Pedon and the Redbirds. The 6-foot-11 tall man had over a dozen offers, including eight from Missouri Valley Conference schools. He was scheduled to visit MVC schools Drake and Murray State in the coming weeks, but ended his recruitment after an official visit last weekend.
“I was planning on making more visits,” Allen said. “But after my visit, feeling the family atmosphere and interacting with the guys and coaches there, I was inspired and completely convinced. Coach Pedon is a great person and I was thrilled with his perspective on my game and development.”
Allen admits that Illinois State was on the fence at first, saying, “At first, they weren’t really in my top three or four schools.”
But persistence paid off. Allen said Pedon and the Redbirds staff that mentored him since his sophomore year stayed consistent. Their approach finally stood out.
“They checked in with me after every game I played and I really got to know them and their personalities,” Allen said.
During the recruiting process that brought ISU to the top, there was actually one moment that stood out in Allen’s mind.
“I was coming off what I thought was a pretty bad AAU spring season, and actually it was just something he (Coach Pedon) said to my dad,” Allen said.
When Pedon spoke to Allen’s father, Scott, he mentioned that during his last phone call with Nick, he noticed that his son had been pretty depressed about his playing over the past few weeks.
“He told my dad the evaluation process was over and we love Nick,” Allen said of Pedon’s perspective in that spring conversation. “We’re here for him and we’re not going anywhere. We’re going to be there for him in his best and his worst. That was a little eye-opening for me at the time. They were there for my best and worst games and they never wavered.”
Allen’s skill set is enticing for a player with the size of a true big man. He has a back-to-the-basket game and gains confidence and assertiveness through his footwork, feel and touch at the basket.
Allen is one of the top 12 young talents in the class of 2025. As a junior, he was named All-Area by the Sun-Times and All-State by the AP. And he’s a coup in recruiting for a mid-major program.
Signing a high-caliber 5-man player who is not only a developmental project, but also successful and productive is a huge recruiting win for the Redbirds. As a junior last season, he averaged an impressive 19 points and nine rebounds per game.
“I’m just glad I found the right place and made the right decision,” Allen said.
