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Utah forward Timmy Allen RETURNS

Utah forward Timmy Allen — who declared for the NBA draft on April 29 — has opted to return to the Utes for his junior season and is ready to "run it back"

Ryan Kostecka

The month of June wasn't kind to the Utah mens basketball program.

First the Utes learned that Both Gach, and integral part of the last year's team, would be withdrawing his name from the NBA draft and transferring to the University of Minnesota.

“We have been very supportive of Both entering the NBA Draft to obtain valuable evaluations from team personnel these past two months so this comes as a surprise to myself and our staff after learning of Both’s intentions to transfer," Utah head coach Larry Krystkowiak said in a statement. "Although the decision by Both to leave was not something we had planned or hoped for, our program continues to move forward with our players who are driven and excited to be a part of our Utah Basketball family.
Sometimes one’s individual desires and goals don’t always align with the program they are a part of. However, our focus is and continues to be the players who are fully committed to our program, including our incoming recruiting class.”

Then two weeks later disaster struck again.

2021 four-star forward Caleb Lohner, who hails from Wasatch Academy in state, announced that he was leaving the Utes before ever even practicing with the team and heading south to play for BYU. 

"We are obviously very disappointed in Caleb’s recent decision requesting a release from his NLI," Krystkowiak said in another statement. "However, we will honor his wishes and turn our focus towards the motivated, talented and connected players and coaches that are committed to our program. We look forward to getting back on the court together this fall and return to prominence within the Pac-12.”

But finally the tide may be turning. 

Some Utes have already returned to campus to begin preparation for the upcoming season — and now the Utah found out that its star player will be among those returning to campus.

Via the Utah mens basketball Twitter account, Timmy Allen announced that he was withdrawing his name from the NBA draft and ready to "run it back" for the upcoming season

Allen's return is by far the biggest win of the 2020 offseason for Krystkowiak and his crew. 

There has been a lot of speculation of late regarding the turnover in the Utah program, with many players declaring for the draft early when not ready and eventually transferring out — exactly what Gach did. But getting Allen to return signifies that Krystkowiak can keep his stars happy and it should provide a major boost moving forward in the recruiting world.

Allen is coming off an impressive sophomore season in which he was named second-team all-Pac-12 after averaging 17.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. While his production drastically rose from his freshman season, Allen's shooting percentages dropped dramatically as he shot 44.1% from the field and 21.1% from three-point territory.

Dec 18, 2019; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Utah Utes forward Timmy Allen (1) dribbles during the first half against the Kentucky Wildcats at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

He finished the season with six double-doubles, showcasing all-around play-making ability in games against UCLA (13p, 8a, 7r), BYU (27p, 5r, 5a) and USC (21p, 10r, 3a). But there were also times when Allen struggled from the field, particularly when teams packed the paint against him as his lack of any sort of jumpshot hindered his game towards the end of the season.

Most importantly, his return gives Utah a very strong returning nucleus when paired with rising sophomores in point guard Rylan Jones and big man Branden Carlson and sharp-shooter Alfonso Plummer — who broke the Pac-12 tournament and single game record with 11 made three-pointers in a game and averaged 18.9 points over the final six games of the season. Add in valuable bench pieces in Riley Battin, Mikael Jantunen and Jaxon Brenchley and the Pac-12's No. 6 ranked class and things are looking up in Salt Lake City.

But Allen was the key, and his return is everything to the Utes. 

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Ryan Kostecka
RYAN KOSTECKA

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