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Last week when Calvary Christian Academy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) point guard Marvel Allen named his top eight schools, his motivation was twofold: Rewarding the schools who’d put in the work trying to land him and getting his inordinate list to a more manageable number.
“It was getting to be a lot,” Allen said. “I had it at 20 and just keeping up with all of those coaches was a lot. To be honest, it wasn’t hard to get it to eight. I based it off who kept in touch with me the most and who kept in touch with my parents the most. My decision is gonna be a family decision, so if you weren’t hitting my parents, it was easier to eliminate you.”
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In the end, Alabama, Arizona State, Georgia, Kansas, LSU, Maryland, Memphis and Ohio State made the cut.
Allen was fully aware that having a list devoid of in-state schools would raise eyebrows, but said he had to do make decisions based off his experience.
“The out of state schools showed more love,” Allen said. “You would think the state schools would show the most love, but it was the opposite. I just figure they had other priorities, and that’s fine too. I just had to do what was best for me.”
To that end, Allen doesn’t foresee a long, drawn-out recruitment process.
In fact, Allen said not to expect any other list trimmings.
“I’ll make a decision from here,” Allen said. “I’m thinking I’ll have a decision when my high school season is over. That’s the goal. I want to commit before spring ball starts. I like to be able to focus on getting better and with that out of the way I’ll be able to do that easier.”
That plan makes sense for a player looking to repeat as a state champion in order to potentially earn a bid to the GEICO Nationals tournament.
That said, Allen knows pulling off his grand plan will mean getting out to college campuses for visits.
Allen has already taken official visits to Georgia and LSU and said he knows he’ll take an official visit to Ohio State.
“The other two officials, I’m not sure about; it just depends on who I feel is making me a priority,” Allen said. “I have a top eight, but I’m still very much open. I look at it like I’m giving the other high majors a chance to bite. These are the eight schools I’m focused on, but I’m not closed off. We’ll see how it all goes. I’m big on relationships and I want to be in the best situation possible, so I’m keeping my options open.”
