| Jimmy Allen | |
| Current Title: | Head Coach |
| Current Team: | Emory & Henry |
| Current Conference: | SAC |
| Current Record: | 0–0 |
| Birth Date: | June 15, 1971 |
| Birth Place: | El Paso, Texas, U.S. |
| Player Years1: | 1989–1993 |
| Player Team1: | Emory & Henry |
| Coach Years1: | 1993–1996 |
| Coach Team1: | Emory & Henry (assistant) |
| Coach Years2: | 1996–2002 |
| Coach Team2: | Navy (assistant) |
| Coach Years3: | 2002–2004 |
| Coach Team3: | Wofford (assistant) |
| Coach Years4: | 2004–2010 |
| Coach Team4: | Averett |
| Coach Years5: | 2010–2016 |
| Coach Team5: | Army (assistant) |
| Coach Years6: | 2016–2023 |
| Coach Team6: | Army |
| Coach Years7: | 2023–2024 |
| Coach Team7: | New Hampshire (AHC) |
| Coach Years8: | 2024–present |
| Coach Team8: | Emory & Henry |
James Byars Allen Jr. (born June 15, 1971) is an American college basketball coach. He was named the head men's basketball coach at Emory & Henry College on May 17, 2024.[1] Allen was the head men's basketball coach at the United States Military Academy (Army) from 2016 to 2023 [2] and was the head men's basketball coach at Averett University in Danville, Virginia from 2004 to 2010.
Born in El Paso, Texas, Allen lived in West Point, New York for much of his childhood; his father was a 1967 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy who served in the U.S. Army for 20 years.[3] In eleventh grade, he moved to Roanoke, Virginia, where he graduated from Northside High School in 1989.[4] At Emory & Henry College, Allen was a four-year starter for the Emory & Henry Wasps, playing in 117 games and ranked second all-time in assists with 455, and fourth all-time in steals with 162. In 2008, he was inducted in the Emory & Henry Athletic Hall of Fame.[5] Allen graduated from Emory & Henry in 1993 with a bachelor's degree in accounting.[3]
After graduation, Allen got his coaching start at his alma mater, where he stayed for three seasons before joining Don DeVoe's staff at Navy, where he was part of two Patriot League title squads in 1997 and 1998.
From 2002 to 2004, Allen was an assistant at Wofford, before landing his first head coaching job at Averett, where he took over a 0–25 team to lead it to four NCAA Tournament appearances and 97–70 overall record in six seasons, as well as being named a USA South Athletic Conference Coach of the year in 2005, 2007, and 2008.[6]
In 2010, Allen joined Zach Spiker's staff at Army, and was elevated to the head coaching position when Spiker left for Drexel on March 30, 2016.