Greg Allen signs letter of intent to play for USC


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Junior college guard Greg Allen signed a national letter of intent to join the USC men’s basketball program next fall, USC coach Kevin O’Neill announced Wednesday.

Allen, a 6-foot-3 shooting guard for Navarro College (Corsicana, Texas), will be eligible to play when the Trojans begin the 2011-2012 season Nov. 11 against Cal State Northridge.

“We are excited to have Greg join our program,” O’Neill said in a statement. “He has the ability to shoot the ball and defend the opposition’s best player which will be important and allow him to make an immediate impact on our program. He’s a great kid with an amazing work ethic, and we are excited about him becoming a Trojan.”

This last season, Allen averaged 11 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, while leading the Bulldogs to the quarterfinals of the Region 14 junior college tournament. Throughout the season, Allen made 63 three-pointers while shooting 40 percent from beyond the arc. Navarro College also advanced to the NJCAA Final Four in 2010.

As a senior at Eureka High School during the 2008-2009 season, he averaged 25.1 points per game, while shooting nearly 37 percent from 3-point range.

Allen, who has two years of eligibility remaining, initially committed to USC in late January, two days after USC freshman guard Bryce Jones announced he would leave the program.

With his signing, USC’s 2011 incoming recruiting class includes four prospects, 7-foot-1 center James Blasczyk (Bayton, Texas), 6-foot-2 guard Alexis Moore (Long Beach, Calif.), 6-foot-5 guard Bryron Wesley (Etiwanda, Calif.) and Allen.

Next fall, the Trojans will also gain the services of forwards Dewayne Dedmon and Aaron Fuller, who transferred to USC and practiced with the team last season.