Editors Note: Special thanks for Christopher Puzo, the newest member of the TSP team, for orchestrating this interview for us. “Puzo” is from Northeast Philly, and went to high school with Lavoy Allen (Pennsbury HS). Puzo graduated from Penn State in 2011.
Ps. You might recognize the name of Puzo’s grandfather, Mario Puzo, the author of “The Godfather“.
Dime A Dozen Questions (Clean Version)
Name (What do your friends call you?) – Lavoy
Age- 22
Hometown- Fairless Hill, PA (Pennsbury High School)
Relationship Status- Single
1. Favorite food- I don’t really have a favorite, but if I had to pick one, Mac ‘n Cheese.
2. Favorite sport’s team/city when you were growing up- Orlando Magic. Actually a good friend of mine just got drafted by them (Justin Harper).
3. Favorite thing about Philly – Has to be cheesesteaks
4. Favorite thing about Temple- Playing with my teammates, and playing with a lot of great guys.
5. Most Memorable Moment as a Temple Owl- Winning my first A-10 championship, my freshman year.
6. Dream job, other than an NBA player- That’s a tough one. Yea, I’m not really sure.
7. Favorite TV show- Family Guy
*Are you an Entourage Guy? – Yea, I’m an Entourage guy.
8. Favorite music genre- Rap.
The Important Stuff
Were you surprised to be drafted at all? No, I wasn’t really surprised. I had some good workouts, with the teams, so I thought I was going to get drafted.
How does it feel to go from Pennsbury, to Temple, then to get drafted by your hometown team, the 76ers? Feels good. I thought I’d be leaving Philly sometime soon, but fortunately I get to stay here.
What impact did Coach Fran Dunphy have on you as young player? Coach Dunphy helped me become a better person. Helped me grow up really fast, and not only does he do the whole basketball thing, but he is very big on education and helping other people. I filled my time here [Temple] with a lot of community service work, and things like that.
How is the lockout affecting the beginning of your professional career? I actually just signed with a team over in France.
Have you had the chance to meet anyone on the Sixers yet? Na, not yet. I have seen a couple out in Philly. Sometimes when I go out on the weekends I see them around, but I haven’t had the chance yet.
If there is one guy on the Sixers you would want to meet, who would it be? Elton Brand. I have heard he is a real good guy, and also he is one of the older guys on the team, so I think he would be able to help me out a lot.
Rapid Fire Questions
Best cheesesteak in Philly? – Pat’s
What kind of car do you drive? - I don’t have a car right now
Thoughts on the fans in Philly? – They are tough to please
All-time favorite basketball player? – Magic Johnson
All-time favorite Sixer?- Dr. J
Closest friend you played with at Temple? – Michael Eric
Toughest player you had to guard in your collegiate career? – Marreese Speights
Loudest/Toughest arena you ever played in? – Kansas
Typical day in the life of Lavoy Allen? – Wake up, get breakfast, go work out. Chill for the rest of the day, and then maybe go play some pickup with the guys. Nothing much going on.
Do you have expectations or goals going into your professional career? As a Sixer, because I was a 2nd round pick, I have to try out for the team. So making the team would be my main goal.
What do you think about Penn State and their basketball program? I think they have a real good program. They have some real good players in the past years, and this past year they beat some tough teams in their conference. I think they are going to go up from here.
How was that game when you ended our season?- That was definitely a tough game. Neither of us were really dominant at any point in the game. It was close throughout the whole game, pretty much.
Click HERE for the Audio (Audio isn’t great quality)
*Special thanks to Lavoy for talking with us! Follow him on twitter @BroadStBully24
*Follow us on twitter @theschoolphilly
*Check out other TSP exclusive interviews with Flyers forward James Van Riemsdyk, and Flyers defenseman, Matt Carle.
