UW-Platteville has landed one of the top basketball players in Wisconsin, Pioneer Coach Paul Combs announced today. Barneveld's Nick Allen, ranked 14th in the state by Wishoops.net, will join the Pioneer program in the fall.

Allen, a 6-4 swingman, is Barneveld's all-time leading scorer with 1,406 points. He earned four Six Rivers all-conference honors, including three straight first team accolades. Twice he was named the league Most Valuable Player and helped the Eagles to three conference titles, two WIAA regional championships and a 72-20 record. He averaged at least 11 points per game throughout his four years, and as a senior recorded 15.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.75 assists per game for the second-ranked Eagles.

"Nick is one of the top players in the state who played in a great program," Coach Combs said. "He is a natural fit for UWP, on and off the court. He's the type of student-athlete we want to surround our returners with because he is a great team player. Nick brings a winner's attitude to the Pioneer program."

By hitting a 70-foot shot to beat Dodgeville 45-42 in the Kohl Center last November, Allen became a staple on ESPN and across the internet. His shot has been replayed countless times across the web, and he did a phone interview with the ESPN to discuss the game-winner. (See it on Good Morning America.)

Allen also earned all-conference honors in football and baseball, setting five receiving records in the former and helping the Eagles to the WIAA state tournament in the latter.

The son of Brian and Lisa Allen, he is a National Honor Society student who plans to major in accounting at UW-Platteville.

He will join a Pioneer team that is coming off an injury-plagued 13-12 season. The Pioneers were 6-1 and ranked 13th in the nation before a rash of injuries altered a promising year. UW-Platteville should have a fully-recovered squad to begin play on the Bo Ryan Court in 2007-08.