Miami basketball’s Marcus Allen begins chemotherapy after cancer diagnosis, will miss rest of season

Miami guard Marcus Allen, a sophomore on the Hurricanes men's basketball team, has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and has begun chemotherapy, sidelining him for the rest of the season, the school announced Friday.

Allen, a Florida native and University of Missouri transfer who joined Miami ahead of the 2025-26 season, appeared in eight games this season, averaging 5.3 points and 3.1 rebounds. His last appearance came in a game against Georgetown last month.

"Marcus is an incredible person and teammate, and we will do everything we can to support him and his amazing family during this difficult time," Hurricanes coach Jai Lucas said via The Associated Press. "Marcus brings toughness and selflessness to our locker room every day, and those same qualities will help him defeat this disease. Our entire program will continue to support Marcus in any way that we can as he focuses on his health."

Allen's family expressed gratitude for the outpouring of support. "We want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers during an extremely difficult time for our family," the family said in a statement posted on a GoFundMe launched in support of Allen. "We thank God for his continued Grace, Mercy and Favor. We wait in anticipation for the miracle healing to take place. We are standing on FAITH."

Miami opened the year with six transfers on its roster, and the Hurricanes enter Sunday's home game against North Florida with a 10-2 record. The program said it will continue to support Allen and his family as he focuses on his health.

No timetable for Allen's return has been announced, and the Hurricanes said they will provide updates as they become available.