Ole Miss Forward Robert Allen Declared Eligible for Upcoming Season

NCAA Rules Samford Transfer Immediately Eligible

OXFORD, Miss. – The NCAA has declared immediate eligibility for Robert Allen, a 6-foot-8 forward for the Ole Miss men’s basketball team. A transfer from Samford, Allen has three years of eligibility remaining.

Allen, like all other college basketball players, will not have to use up a year of eligibility for this shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He has two additional seasons of eligibility after spending two years at Samford.

“We were all extremely excited to receive word of Robert’s waiver to play this season,” said head coach Kermit Davis. “Rob will bring tremendous passion and energy to our team as he has shown every day in practice. A big thank you goes to our compliance staff and Samford University on assisting with the process.”

Allen was one of Samford’s leading scorers and rebounders over a pair of seasons. Playing 65 games for the Bulldogs, he averaged 12.0 ppg and 7.7 rebounds per game to go along with 11 double-doubles.

Wrapping up his sophomore season, Allen finished with a team-high 43 blocks through 32 games. He scored 14.1 ppg and pulled down 7.0 rpg, ranking second on the team in both categories. His 1.3 blocks per game was third in the Southern Conference, while his rebounding average ranked fifth.

The Orlando, Florida, native shot 43.0 percent from the floor, knocking down 32 three-pointers as well. Against UNC Greensboro (Feb. 9), Allen posted a double-double with a career-high 28 points and 11 rebounds. He recorded four 20-point games throughout the season. Facing SEC foe Alabama (Dec. 18), Allen put together 17 points and 10 rebounds for another double-double.

Allen made an impact at Samford as a freshman, playing in all 33 games and starting 31 of them. He averaged 9.9 ppg by shooting 47.5 percent from the field, and his 8.3 rpg ranked second for the Bulldogs (fifth in SoCon). Allen scored in double figures 18 times, including a season-high 19 points in a 107-106 overtime loss at Wofford (Jan. 24, 2019). He produced five double-doubles in his debut campaign. In a road contest at The Citadel (Feb. 23, 2019), Allen tallied 13 points and a career-high 18 rebounds.

Allen’s immediate eligibility adds to a deep class of promising newcomers that includes Jarkel Joiner, Matthew Murrell, Shon Robinson, Dimencio Vaughn and Romello White.

(Courtesy of Ole Miss Media Relations)