Men's Basketball Southern Conference

Western Carolina Adds Assistant Coach

Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina head men's basketball coach Steve Shurina announced today the hiring of Matt Allen as assistant coach. Allen, who comes to Western after one year at Dartmouth, replaces Duggar Baucom, who left to become the head coach at Tusculum College this past August.

"The timing of this search was not normal," Shurina said. "However, we are ecstatic to get someone of Matt's caliber at this time of the year. He has ties to the state of North Carolina, being from Concord and coaching at Campbell and Wingate. His time at Dartmouth allowed him to recruit nationally. Everyone we talked to during the interview process said that Matt is a rising star in this profession."

Allen joined the Dartmouth staff in June 2002 and helped the Big Green win the 2002 Furman University Poinsettia Classic. In addition to his on-court duties at Dartmouth, Allen was involved in recruiting, game preparation, travel, budget and NCAA compliance.

Prior to his stint at Dartmouth, Allen was an assistant coach at Campbell University (2001-2002) and at Wingate University (1997-2001). At Campbell, he coached Adam Fellers, who set the Atlantic Sun Conference record for 3-point shooting. Allen helped in the organization of the Campbell Basketball School, which is the nation's oldest and largest basketball camp, while assisting with coaching, recruiting, scouting, film exchange, academic guidance and compliance. At Wingate, where he coached with current WCU assistant Mike Craft, he helped the Bulldogs to a four-year record of 86-32, while earning three-straight South Atlantic regular-season titles and three consecutive NCAA Division II national tournament appearances. He recruited two Division II All-Americans in Paul Talbot and Lorinza Harrington, who is in his second season with the NBA's Denver Nuggets.

Allen, a product of Concord High School, graduated from Wofford College in 1995 with a B.A. in Economy and Philosophy. As a player, Allen was chosen Wofford's most valuable player in 1994 while helping the Terriers to their first ever NCAA Division II national ranking and tournament appearance. As a senior, he was an NABC Division II South District second team honoree. After graduation, Allen played in the Southern California Pro-Summer League in 1995.