Harbor Sophomore Allen Is Finally Back Where He Belongs : Colleges: After returning to the forward position, he is tied for the team lead in scoring.

Jerry Allen was a big scorer and rebounder in high school, but when he arrived at Harbor College last season, he was called on to assume a new role.

“Last year we were really hurting at point guard so Jerry had to play point guard,” Seahawk Coach Carl Strong said. “He’s one of the best small forwards around. . . I felt sorry for him last year because we asked him to do a lot of things and he gave up a lot.”

Allen was successful enough at the point that he was named to the Southern California Athletic Conference second team.

But the 6-foot-5, 185-pound Allen is shining this season because he starts at forward. He is tied with sophomore forward Bassirou Niang for team-scoring honors at 20 points a game and averages six rebounds.

“I’m on the wing now so I get easier shots and I feel more comfortable,” Allen said. “I think last season helped me out, though. I like handling the ball.”

Allen was named the most valuable player of last month’s Santa Monica tournament, which Harbor (8-4) won by defeating El Camino College, 96-66. Allen scored 20 points against the Warriors.

“It was a good feeling to beat El Camino,” he said. “Last year they got us real bad. We went out and pressured them. We’re ready for them again. We’re just waiting for them.”

The Seahawks will meet El Camino twice in South Coast Conference play. Warrior assistant Steve Shaw says Allen is the kind of player who can cause problems for many teams.

“He handles the ball real well and he can go inside too,” Shaw said. “He’s also a good defender and just a solid player.”

Allen, 19, says he feels stronger and more confident this year because of an off-season workout program.

“I was real skinny out of high school,” he said. “I got thrown around a lot as a freshman and now I’m doing the pushing instead of getting pushed. I really feel stronger.”

Because Allen and Niang are the Seahawks’ only returning starters from last season’s 18-15 team, both were expected to become team leaders. Most of the burden is on Allen, however, because Niang, who is French, speaks broken English and communicating with teammates and coaches is often difficult.

“Jerry leads by example,” Strong said. “He’s not a yeller or a screamer. I think the best way to describe Jerry is smooth. He’s also a great finisher. He finishes the job and he has all the skills a basketball player needs: long arms, long legs and great vision.”

Allen grew up in South-Central Los Angeles but attended Granada Hills High as part of a city busing program. He played two years of varsity basketball and helped the Highlanders reach the City Section playoffs both seasons.

“I had a lot of friends in junior high who were gang-bangers,” Allen said. “Basketball got me out of trouble. If not for basketball I don’t know where I’d be right now. It really kept me out of gang-banging.”

As a senior at Granada Hills during the 1990-91 season, Allen was an All-City selection who led the San Fernando Valley in scoring with an average of 22 points a game. He also averaged 13.3 rebounds and six assists and was The Times’ Valley Player of the Year.

Allen was recruited by several Division I schools, but poor grades forced him to turn to community college basketball. He picked Harbor because a close friend, South Torrance Coach LaMont Henry, recommended the program.

Henry had coached Allen on a club basketball team.

“He’s unbelievable,” Henry said. “I’m amazed by him. He has so much natural athletic ability and he really knows basketball. He also has phenomenal leaping ability. When he’s in the air you can’t touch him.”

Allen, a child development major, says his goal is to play Division I basketball. Several schools, including St. Mary’s, Cal State Fullerton, Cal State San Bernardino and Kansas, have shown interest, but Allen is leaning toward attending Oregon.

Allen says Oregon has guaranteed him a scholarship next season if he obtains an associate of arts degree in the spring. Allen, who says he is on schedule to obtain the degree, plans to accept Oregon’s offer.

“I’m ready to get out and make a change,” Allen said. “I know it will be a real big change because life is real slow there, but I think it will be good for me.”