Center of attention

OGDEN — Former East High School hoop star Lance Allred never claimed to be the most talented player on the court, but he does claim to be the hardest worker.

Allred's work ethic has not only helped him achieve all-Big Sky status at Weber State, but it has caught the attention of the NBA and a handful of international pro teams.

"Talent can only take you so far, but not one works harder than me," Allred said. Despite a less-than-stellar performance at the Portsmouth Invitational, the 6-foot-10, 270-pound center had a pre-draft workout with the Utah Jazz and was invited to play with the Jazz summer camp squad. Allred has also had plans to do post-draft workouts with the San Antonio Spurs and L.A. Clippers. If things don't work out in the NBA, Allred has contract offers from teams in Spain, Italy, Germany and Korea.

Anyway you look at it, the former East High star is going to play pro basketball somewhere.

"I've been given some chances to prove myself, and I'm excited for (these) opportunities," Allred said.

Allred gives part of the credit for his basketball success to his coach at East High School. Kerry Rupp, now an assistant at Indiana University, took Allred under his wing at an early age and gave him an education in fundamental basketball. Although Allred had the desire to be a great player, he was no overnight sensation.

"He came to me said he wanted to be a good player, and I told him to come in every morning at 6 a.m. to hit the weights and work on his individual skills," Rupp said. "He came every morning." It quickly became evident to Rupp, however, that Allred hadn't been around athletics very much. In addition to the conditioning, Allred had other growing pains to overcome.

"He thought because he was big and tall he'd automatically get to play," said Rupp, who added that Allred even considered attending West High School so he could play more minutes right away.

"One day I got after him because he wasn't playing defense, and he told me didn't play defense because he was just a shot-blocker. We really had to educate him."

The biggest challenge Allred had to overcome was communicating with his teammates and coaches. Allred is hearing impaired with a 75 percent loss of hearing in both ears.

"We had to simplify things for him," Rupp said. "At first he struggled, but he has never used (his challenges) as a crutch."

By the end of his high school career, the extra work was paying dividends. Allred was named the Utah Gatorade Player of the Year. He averaged 17.3 points per game, 9.8 rebounds, shot 73 percent from the field and 74 percent from the free throw line. Allred also made the honor roll. He is grateful for Rupp's influence and guidance.