Thu Apr 10 22:17:18 2008

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Maryland Eastern Shore names Allen head coach

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Princess Anne, MD (Sports Network) - Maryland Eastern Shore named Frankie Allen its new men's basketball coach on Thursday.

Allen, a former National Coach of the Year in 1993, takes over for interim coach Meredith Smith whose contract was not renewed when it expired at the end of March.

"This was an important decision for me and I was not going to place this basketball program in the hands of anyone who was not a steady, proven leader," said director of athletics Keith Davidson.

Allen, 59, most recently served as head assistant coach at the University of Maryland Baltimore County. This past season the Retrievers had the best finish in school history with an America East regular season and tournament championship and a 15th seed in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

"I'm excited about being the next men's basketball coach...We're going to bring that winning team," said Allen.

Allen has served as head coach at Virginia Tech, Tennessee State and Howard, a fellow Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference school.

"We needed someone who knew the MEAC, who was successful in the MEAC, and, who understood the coaches and knew the personnel," said Davidson. "In short, we needed somebody who knew the enemy."

"There is an opportunity here like none other," added Allen. "I know the program has been down and I told the players we are not going to look in the past, we are just going to build into the future. It was just the right time, it was the right fit."