DiRenna domination: Two-time award winner Corbin Allen settles in as KU freshman
Oak Park High School graduate Corbin Allen has studied the list of DiRenna Award winners and thus fully understands the prestige involved in being named the top basketball player in the Kansas City area.
Much less being so honored twice.
“It’s really special to be one of the names on there twice,” the incoming Kansas Jayhawks combo guard told The Star at coach Bill Self’s annual youth basketball camp. “There’s not many names in Kansas City on there twice. So it’s just a really big staple to who I am as a person and a player.”
The 6-foot-6 Allen was a three-time first-team all-state player at Oak Park. He’s the first player in Oak Park history to surpass 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in his career.
He was sole recipient of the DiRenna Award in 2024 and then shared the 2025 honor with future Illinois guard Keaton Wagler of Shawnee Mission Northwest. This year’s awards were presented during an April 10 ceremony at Saint Thomas Aquinas High School.
Allen is the fifth player in the 71-year history of the award to win it twice but the first double-winner in 20 years. O’Hara’s Marcus Walker won the award in 2004 and 2005; Quinton Day of Paseo won in 2002 and 2003 and John Stacy of Bishop Hogan won back to back in 1966 and 1967. JaRon Rush of Pembroke Hill is the only three-time winner of the award, taking home the in 1996, ’97 and ’98.
There have been five repeat female DiRenna winners: Payton Verhulst of Bishop Miege (2020, ’21); Chandler Prater of North Kansas City (2018, 19); Natalie Knight of Olathe South (2010, 11); Erneisa Bailey of Pembroke Hill (2003, ’04); and Tracy Lozier of BV North (1999, 2000).
Incoming KU freshman Jaliya Davis of BV North and Addison Bjorn of Park Hill South were this year’s female DiRenna co-winners.
Allen knew there was a good chance he’d emerge as a repeat DiRenna winner, but he obviously didn’t know for sure — that is, “until the banquet. So I was really excited when I won it again, just knowing that the players that are on there twice are big names out of Kansas City.”
Allen averaged 16.3 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in helping lead Oak Park (31-1) to the Missouri Class 6 state title, the first state hoops championship in school history. In Allen’s junior year, the Northmen went 27-5 and advanced to the state tourney semifinals.
The school’s second-year coach, former KU guard Sherron Collins, was also recognized for his efforts this year, winning the 2025 Eddie Ryan award as the KC-area high school coach of the year.
“It was really amazing,” Allen said. “It shows the work, the effort we’ve put in and it’s just really good to be on top.”
Allen received more good news five weeks after the DiRenna ceremony, when he accepted an offer to play basketball at KU. Allen had committed to University of San Diego on Nov. 21, 2024, choosing the California school over Kansas City, North Dakota State, Ball State, Murray State, Texas A&M Corpus Christi and others.
Eventually he decommitted and was recruited by KU, Oklahoma State and other programs.
The Jayhawks have had past DiRenna winners on the roster before, including Zeke Mayo (2021), Christian Braun (2019), Ochai Agbaji (2018), Wayne Simien (2001), Greg Gurley (1991), Calvin Thompson (1982) and John Crawford (1977).
“They recruited me a little bit earlier in my high school career,” Allen said, “and just at the end of my senior year, they came back and said that this would be a good opportunity for me. So I decided to take that opportunity and see what I can do with it.”
He acknowledged it was tough in some ways to surrender the scholarship offer from San Diego.
“It was real nice out there,” he said, smiling, “but just being able to come here … this is the big basketball school, so it wasn’t that hard for me, Just knowing I can come here and learn from the best of the best and be able to compete on the highest level is important to me.”
Of course, Oak Park coach Collins recommended playing for 23rd-year KU coach Self, as did another former Jayhawk.
“I probably know Ochai the best,” he said of Agbaji, a fellow Oak Park High graduate and former Jayhawks wing who’s now with the Toronto Raptors of the NBA. “Just coming from the same school, and he’s been around me and my family. I remember watching him play when I was in middle school, and just being able to be around him and practice with him and all of that. He told me just to come in and put my head down, to work.”
Allen said he’s looking forward to playing for Collins’ alma mater. Collins won a national title at KU in 2008.
“He’s really close to me,” Allen said. “We got close within the two years that he coached me. He’s like a big brother to me, and just I know I can call him whenever I need to, and he’s always going to be there for me.
“He told me to go in (to KU for summer school), work hard and don’t worry about any outside noise. Just go in and prove your name.”
Allen — he said the best part of his game is “probably driving, getting downhill is my specialty and I like defense” — said there’s always the “possibility” of redshirting the 2025-26 season. But “that’s not the plan,” he said. “The plan is to come in and work hard and earn my minutes early. I like the competition.
“It’s pretty fun to me,” he added. “Just being able to go out every day and compete with some of the best guards in the country just makes me play harder and have a lot higher level of play.”
Incoming KU freshman McDonald’s All-American Darryn Peterson said he likes Allen’s game.
“He’s a good player, a good player,” Peterson said.
Asked what he likes about Allen’s game, Peterson said: “Pretty much everything. I’m excited to play with him.”
Noted Self: “Corbin will be a nice addition to our program. He had a great high school career at Oak Park and has been well-coached by our own Kansas alum Sherron Collins. We feel Corbin can be a contributor in time and we look forward to helping him develop and watching his progress.”
Collins is convinced Allen has the ability and skills to thrive in major-college basketball
“A lot of people have been asking the question, ‘Can Corbin Allen shoot?’ The answer is YES! I’ve seen the hours he’s put into it and I promise very very soon you are all going to see it also,” Collins told the world on social media site X.
To Allen, Collins wrote: “Next chapter kiddo! Super proud of you young man, now the real work starts let’s go be great! For the non-believers stay on that side!”
Allen said he’s enjoyed his time on KU’s campus over the past week and is eager to begin his collegiate journey so close to home.
“There’s no better place to be than Kansas,” he said. “It’s one of the biggest basketball schools all over the country and I’m happy to be here.”
