NORFOLK, Va. (WTKR) — Allen Betrand just wanted to find a place to call home. After stints at Towson, Rhode Island, and Rider, the senior guard arrived at Norfolk State this season with plenty of expectations.
One thing he wasn't anticipating, however, happened before the Spartans game against Florida Gulf Coast when head coach Robert Jones talked with him about moving from the starting lineup to a sixth man role.
"He told me there was a new sixth man of the year award, and I'd be a clear-cut favorite for it," Betrand said. "He told me to go get that and they would put me on the All-MEAC team as well."
After so many years of change, the guard was a bit anxious about going through yet another twist.
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"At first I wasn't happy about it because this was my senior year," Betrand said. "As time went on that day, I was mature about it. We talked about it and it became OK."
Becoming OK was quite the understatement. Betrand averaged 11.4 points per game this season, good enough to help him take home the MEAC's Sixth Man of the Year award and be named to the all-conference third team.
"It's important to me because I showed that I can still produce at a high level," he said.
Now he's a part of the Spartans chase for a postseason championship, scoring 16 points in NSU's win over Alabama A&M to advance to the CollegeInsiders.com Tournament title game.
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"Every school I've been to we didn't make the postseason," he said. "This is the longest I've been playing."
Getting to this point in the season, though, is testing Betrand in more ways than just if he can put the ball in the basket. He's currently observing Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic faith.
One of the main aspects of the 30-day period is fasting, so Betrand cannot eat or drink anything from sunrise until sunset each day.
"Wake up at 5:00 A.M., eat that first meal," he said. "Pray four to five times a day."
If a game falls into that time frame, like it did on Saturday, Betrand can't even drink water on the bench. Having never played beyond a conference tournament before, this is the first time he's had to balance the duty to his faith along with his love for the game this late into a season.
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"If you don't eat that first meal of the day, you're going to be starving, you're going to be drained," he said. "You're body is going to feel drained."
His routine becomes even more important, never missing that early morning wake-up call to eat. Having gone through an injury rehab before after tearing his ACL two seasons ago, Betrand is used to figuring out how to grind through when physical challenges arise.
"Have your mindset strong, keep a strong mindset," he said. "Whatever your mind thinks, you can do."
Betrand would like nothing more than to end his college career with a win this week. When he exits the court, however, he'll know how much his sacrifices have paid off both on and off the court.
"I've been a Muslim all my life," Betrand said. "It's just something that I came up on and it's something I'll continue to do."
