Jerome Allen (basketball)


Jerome Byron Allen is a former professional basketball player and college head coach. He is the former head coach for the University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team, until resigning after the 2014–15 season. He is currently an assistant coach for the Boston Celtics.
Allen, a 6'4" 185 lb shooting guard from the University of Pennsylvania, was a two-time Ivy League player of the year for the Quakers. A four-year starter, he led them to Ivy League titles in each of his last three seasons - all with a perfect 14-0 conference mark.
He was selected 49th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the 1995 NBA Draft. He also briefly played with the Indiana Pacers and the Denver Nuggets, and spent time in France, Italy, Greece, Spain and Turkey.
In 2009, he became an assistant coach for the University of Pennsylvania's men's basketball team. On December 14, 2009, Allen was named interim head coach of the Penn men's basketball team after the firing of Glen Miller. On March 31, 2010, he was announced as the new permanent head coach of the Penn Men's Basketball team. He resigned his position as head coach effective on March 10, 2015.

Bribery case and related NCAA sanctions

In October 2018, Allen plead guilty of accepting $18,000 for a bribe in 2014 while as the head coach of Penn to help a student get on the recruiting list in order to get accepted to the University of Pennsylvania. He was ordered to pay back $18,000 in addition to a $200,000 fine. He would testify on behalf of the federal government against the man he said had bribed him – Phillip Esformes. During Esformes' trial, Allen testified that he had received about $300,000 in bribes from Esformes, and that the student in question was Esformes' son.
On February 26, 2020, the NCAA announced penalties against Allen and the Penn men's basketball program stemming from the bribes. The program was placed on two years' probation, but did not receive a postseason ban. Allen received a 15-year show-cause penalty from the NCAA, effectively blackballing him from employment in any NCAA athletic program until 2035 at the earliest.

Head coaching record

as of end of 2014–15 season