Derrick Allen joined the Duquesne men's basketball coaching staff in July of 2026.
Allen, a native of Gadsden, Ala., heads to the Bluff after spending the 2025-26 season as an assistant coach with Coviran Granada, a member of Liga ACB, in Granada, Spain. Allen’s position with Coviran Granada is part of a wealth of international coaching experience since he retired from playing professionally in 2019. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach with SC Rasta Vechta out of Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and spent two years as an assistant before being promoted to head coach with the club for the 2020-21 campaign.
Also owning coaching experience in the NBA G League, Allen spent the 2022-23 season as an assistant coach with Capital City Go-Go, which is based out of Washington, D.C., and is affiliated with the Washington Wizards. Allen also spent two seasons (2023-24, 2024-25) as an assistant coach with Capitanes de la Ciudad de Mexico, which became a member of the NBA G League in 2021. In between his two years as an assistant with Capitanes de la Ciudad de Mexico, Allen was the head coach of Venados de Mazatlán, a member of CIBACOPA, an 11-team professional basketball league based in Mexico.
“We’re excited to add Derrick to our staff,” head coach Dru Joyce III said. “He comes from a great coaching background, having served as both as an assistant coach as well as in the chair of head coach, not only in Europe but in the G League. He’s not only had to coach his team but build his roster, and he has a beautiful mind on both sides of the basketball. The most unique and important thing about who Derrick is, though, is his character. His leadership skills and commitment to service in being there for his players with a mindset not only to enhance the players and help them along their journey but his commitment to a coaching staff is special. He embodies those characteristics and it’s a home run to have him join our staff.”
Allen was named the 2000 Alabama Junior Community College Conference (AJCCC) Player of the Year before spending two seasons with Ole Miss out of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). In two years with the Rebels, Allen averaged 8.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per came while shooting 51.5 percent (185-for-359) from the field and 71.3 percent (144-for-202) at the free-throw line. In both of his seasons at Ole Miss, Allen ranked in the top 20 in the conference in offensive rebounds.
Following his collegiate career, Allen spent 16 years playing professionally overseas. His first season came with Keflavík, which claimed the Icelandic championship as well as Icelandic Cup in 2004. During the 2006-07 campaign, Allen paced Basketball Bundesliga, the highest level of basketball in Germany, in scoring with an average of 16.5 points per game for Bayer Giants Leverkusen. Joyce III and Allen spent two seasons as teammates playing professionally in Europe, including their final year of professional basketball with Science City Jena in the Basketball Bundesliga.
