Commitment at a glance: LSU lands five-star Marvel Allen

One of the top guards in the 2023 class came off the board on Friday night, when Florida-based standout Marvel Allen made the call for LSU. Allen chose the Tigers over a long list of offers, including ones from Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama and Kansas. Below, Rivals.com has a look at what LSU is getting as well as how the Tigers pulled it off.

WHAT LSU IS GETTING

Allen is an explosive scorer that can fill it up in numerous ways when he’s going well. He’s become a better long-range shooter in the last year, but his battle on that front will be with consistency. The Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) Calvary Christian star is the type of prospect that will wow you in one viewing, but be relatively quiet on the offensive end the next time you see him. Allen’s elite athleticism makes him a high-upside defender. He’s capable of playing both guard spots at the college level, as he shines as a ball-handler as well as a three-level sorcerer. The 6-foot-4 prospect comes equipped with a sky-high ceiling, but he’ll need to learn to assert himself on the offensive end every time he takes the floor in order to take the next step.

HOW THE TIGERS LADED HIM

Allen was extremely high on Florida for a good chunk of the summer, but the Gators seemed to back off a few months back. Head coach Will Wade filled that gap at the top of Allen’s list and was able to get him on campus for a visit in November. LSU took control from there. And while Georgia and, to a lesser extent, Ohio State looked to be in the hunt as well, nothing too serious ever materialized. Allen is the Tigers’ first 2023 commitment and comes equipped with the type of outgoing personality that could help recruit future teammates.

COACH’S CORNER

“Marvel is an unbelievable kid that wants to be great. He competes at a high level and works extremely hard on his game. He’s one of the toughest kids I’ve coached. He wants to win at all costs.” – E1T1 director and coach Steven Reece, who coaches Allen on the EYBL circuit