Jerome Allen has made it known that his return to Penn has been dream-like.
What he also wants to make clear is that he hopes to make an impact not only on the court but off it as well.
“Everyday I wake up and I feel like I’m living a dream,” Allen said. “I do realize how big of an opportunity this is and how big of a deal this is.”
To most of the Penn community, Allen is known simply as the men’s basketball coach. However, as he expressed at Thursday’s Penn Alumni Multicultural Outreach Career Spotlight event (titled “Full Circle: From Penn Student-Athlete to Head Coach”), Allen considers his return to be more than just a shot at coaching his alma mater.
He sees it as a chance to make a difference on the campus he once again calls home.
“It’s about the kids,” Allen said. “I try to exhaust myself and invest everything I have to make sure they have the best experience possible.”
The former Penn basketball standout left the University in 1995 to enter the NBA draft. Upon returning in August 2009 to serve as an assistant basketball coach, he spent the fall semester completing his degree.
For most of the event, Allen sat on a plush seat across from host and former Wharton classmate Nicole Maloy and discussed everything from his favorite moments as a Penn student, to his professional basketball career, to how he ultimately came back to Penn.
While much was said during the conversation, Allen made it clear that now, as he returns to Penn as an alumnus, he understands he has more to give.
“It’s not just about basketball,” Allen said. “You have to love people and be willing to exhaust yourself in the experience.”
Many are excited about Allen’s commitment to Penn and believe that his presence on campus will make a difference.
“It’s tremendous, because I was his classmate, so I knew him as just this tall guy walking around campus leading our team to victory,” said Maloy, who is the director of multicultural outreach for Penn Alumni Relations. “But now, as a fellow staff member at the University, it’s just great to see him back.”
Allen’s career has taken him to many new places, including the NBA and Europe, where he played professionally. Though he has now come full circle and returned to the city of Philadelphia, Allen is sure that the once “militant and urban” youth who entered Penn after a stellar high-school basketball career now has more to offer and is excited about the possibilities.
“I’m very appreciative of the opportunity, respective of the privilege, and I’m going to work as hard as I can.”
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