Jimmy Allen was introduced as the 31st head men’s basketball coach in program history on March 30, 2016 by former Army West Point Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Boo Corrigan.

Allen, the Lee Anderson Head Men’s Basketball Coach, enters his seventh season at the helm of the program.

In six seasons, Allen has coached the team to winning records over both service academy rivals, Navy and Air Force. Under his leadership, the Class of 2020 graduated with the most wins by a class in program history against Navy, claiming a trio of Star game victories in the annual Army-Navy Star Series along the way. The class also finished with a 3-1 mark opposite the Falcons to tie the Class of 2019 for the most combined wins (8) over a four-year stretch against both service academies in program history. In 2021-22, Army came back from 27 points down to take down Navy at home.

Allen has experienced tremendous success at home during his tenure. He led the program to four consecutive seasons with a winning record at Christl Arena, which includes the 2018-19 campaign in which the Cadets tallied 10 home victories, the most by an Army squad since the 2009-10 team won 10 as well.

Despite facing numerous challenges in the wake of COVID-19, the 2020-21 season was one for the books. Under Allen's guidance, three Black Knights earned postseason honors from the Patriot League, highlighted by a Defensive Player of the Year selection for Josh Caldwell. Caldwell's honor was the first for Army men's basketball since Marcus Nelson was tabbed in 2009. Caldwell, who additionally landed on the All-Defensive Team, was joined on postseason squads by Lonnie Grayson (Second Team) and Jalen Rucker (All-Rookie). As a trio, they helped the Black Knights hold opponents to 69.5 points per game, the lowest since the team's effort in 2012-13 (68.1). 

The 2019-20 campaign was filled with milestones as Allen helped the Black Knights tie the program record for single season Patriot League wins (10). It marked just the second time in program history that an Army squad collected double-digit league wins and the first since the 2013-14 campaign. He also coached the Cadets to a program-best six-game winning streak in league play.

Since being elevated to head coach following the 2015-16 campaign, Allen has had his team inside the top-35 in Division I in assists per game while holding a positive assist-to-turnover ratio in each of the four seasons. He has additionally compiled the most wins by a head coach in his first four seasons at Army since Mike Krzyzewski. Allen’s Class of 2020 earned 54 victories, which is tied for the fourth-most wins by a class since the Class of 1979 compiled 64 wins under Krzyzewski.

During Allen’s time as head coach, Army has seen three 1,000-point scorers come through the program in Jordan Fox, Matt Wilson and Tommy Funk. Wilson and Funk ended their careers in sixth and eighth, respectively, in career points, while Fox finished inside the top-25.

Wilson became the second cadet in program history to score over 1,500 points and reel in over 800 rebounds, while Funk set the Army and Patriot League record for career assists with 728. Both Funk (First Team) and Wilson (Second Team) received All-Patriot League praise following their senior seasons in 2019-20. Since Allen took over at the helm of the program, Army has collected four postseason all-league honors.

Allen coached Funk and Wilson to a combined five Patriot League weekly honors during the 2019-20 campaign, marking the most by an Army squad in a single season since 2007-08. Under Allen’s tutelage, Funk also received U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA) National Player of the Week recognition on Feb. 4, 2020, making him the first player in league history to earn the national honor since Mike Muscala of Bucknell did it during the 2010-11 season.
 
Throughout his time as the head coach, Allen has coached the Black Knights to several notable wins, including an 89-76 road win over the two-time defending MAC regular season and tournament champs, Buffalo, on Dec. 14, 2020.
 
Another major victory came on Dec. 8. 2018, when Allen and the Black Knights trailed by 17 at the half against Air Force on the road before outscoring the Falcons, 43-21, in the second half to come all the way back and secure the rivalry win.
 
One of the most notable wins of his career, however, came in his first year as a head coach when Army picked up one of its most impressive victories in program history. On Feb. 18, 2017, the Black Knights erased a 25-point deficit in the final 13 minutes of play to capture a 71-68 victory over Navy in Annapolis, Md. The landmark win tied the largest comeback in NCAA Division I play that year and was also the largest comeback in Army-Navy Game men’s basketball history.
 
Within his first month at the helm, Allen earned his 100th career victory following a 97-78 decision over Fairleigh Dickinson on Nov. 30, 2016 at Christl Arena. Allen then led the Black Knights to a 79-71 home win over service-academy rival Air Force two games later on Dec.7.

Prior to being elevated to head coach, Allen spent the previous six seasons on Zach Spiker’s coaching staff, where he was an assistant before being promoted to associate head coach ahead of the 2015-16 season. In that lone season as an associate head coach, Army returned to postseason play for the first time since 1978.

In addition to Army’s participation in the 2016 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, the Black Knights won 19 games for the first time since 1977-78 and the team set a program record for road wins with 11.

Allen was an integral part of Army’s success during the 2012-16 seasons as the Class of 2016 finished their careers with 65 victories, the most wins for a class since 1971. The Black Knights had 11 All-Patriot League selections over that stretch, the most in a four-year span in program history. Seniors Tanner Plomb (First Team), Kevin Ferguson (Second Team) and Kyle Wilson (Third Team) highlighted Army’s All-Patriot League picks in 2015-16 and Ferguson was also chosen to the inaugural Patriot League All-Defensive Team.

Plomb, Ferguson, Wilson and Dylan Cox became the first four classmates in Patriot League history to all score 1,000 career points. The foursome, along with Larry Toomey, made up the only starting five in the nation consisting entirely of seniors in 2015-16.

In 2014-15, Allen helped the Black Knights reach 15 victories for the third consecutive year, marking the first time the program recorded three straight 15-win campaigns since Bob Knight’s teams each won at least 15 from 1967-70. Army won at least 15 games from 2012-16, which was the best run of 15-win seasons since 1920-24.

Allen also saw Army capture the 2014 All-Military Classic presented by USAA Championship with victories over Air Force and VMI. In addition, the 2014-15 Black Knights defeated USC, 85-77, in overtime to secure their first win against a Pac-12 team since 1964.

Allen mentored All-Patriot League Second-Team selection Plomb and third-team honoree Wilson in 2014-15. Plomb was second on the team in scoring and rebounding, while Wilson led the conference in points per game.

The program also excelled in the classroom in 2014-15 and posted its highest team grade-point average in 10 years in the fall semester as seven players were honored with places on the West Point Dean’s List.

Allen joined Spiker’s coaching staff in April 2010 after serving six seasons as the head coach at Averett University in Danville, Va.

His father, James, graduated from West Point in 1967 and later returned as a chemistry instructor. During his father's tenure as a professor, Allen attended West Point elementary school for three years and James I. O'Neill High School through the 10th grade.

In his six seasons with the Division III Cougars, Allen posted a 97-70 (.581) overall record, guiding the program to three 20-win seasons, three USA South Athletic Conference titles, three USASAC tournament championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances.

A three-time USA South Coach of the Year (2005, 2007, 2008), Allen inherited a team that was 0-25 the season prior to his arrival and posted a 13-14 overall record in his first year. The next season, the Cougars won 20 games and captured a share of the conference regular-season crown. In 2006-07, Allen's squad went 20-7, winning both the USASAC regular-season and tournament championships and earning the school's first NCAA appearance since 1990.

While the team's overall record slipped to 14-15 in 2007-08, the Cougars made a run in the postseason to capture the league tournament and earn its second straight NCAA berth. The 2008-09 squad returned to the 20-win plateau and not only won a conference regular-season championship and its third straight league tournament crown, but also scored its first NCAA Tournament victory since 1990. Allen's 2009-10 team went 10-16 overall and advanced to the semifinals of the USASAC postseason.

In addition to the team success, Allen mentored 13 all-conference performers in his six seasons. One of those players, Jonathan Rumley, is the school's only first-team National Association of Basketball Coaches All-America selection. Allen helped develop Rumley into the schools' all-time leader in steals per game (2.9). He also finished his career ranked fifth all-time at Averett in scoring (1,186) and fifth in rebounds (511).

There was also no shortage of off-the-court accolades for Allen's program during his tenure at Averett. The Cougars earned the USA South Athletic Conference Sportsmanship Award three straight times from 2007-09. The team was also honored with the Community Youth Service Award by the Dan River Center for Voluntarism in 2007 and in 2008 received recognition from the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Danville. In the classroom, 18 of Allen's players were named to the conference all-academic team.

Prior to his arrival at Averett, Allen spent 11 seasons as an assistant coach, including eight at the Division I level. Before taking his first head coaching position, Allen worked for two seasons as the associate head coach at Wofford College where the 2002-03 squad won six games against the RPI's top-ranked non-conference strength of schedule.

Allen got his first taste of coaching at a service academy while spending six years as an assistant at Navy under Don DeVoe from 1996-2002. During his tenure with the Mids, Navy won the Patriot League championship and earned NCAA Tournament berths in 1997 and 1998. Allen helped the Mids to three 20-win seasons in his six years in Annapolis.

Prior to his stint at Navy, Allen began his coaching career at Emory & Henry, his alma mater, working with the Wasps from 1993-96.

A 1993 graduate of Emory & Henry with a bachelor's degree in accounting, Allen played in four consecutive NCAA Tournaments during his undergraduate career. The Wasps won 20 games each of his four seasons and advanced the "Sweet Sixteen" of the NCAA postseason on two occasions.

A four-year starter at point guard, Allen holds the program's record with 117 consecutive games played and ranks second on the school's all-time assist ledger. He was inducted into the Emory & Henry Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.