Stanford’s Budapest-born Rosco Allen thrives in reserve role

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LOS ANGELES — Rosco Allen cannot be called the Mad Hungarian. That nickname was owned by former big-league relief pitcher Al Hrabosky in the 1970s and early ’80s. Maybe Allen could be called the Mild Hungarian.

Stanford’s Budapest-born forward, however, made a spectacular drive to the basket in Sunday night’s victory over then-No. 21 Washington. He made a spin move to break away from a defender, then split two Huskies to sink a layup after switching the ball from one hand to the other in mid-flight. The move brought down the house at Maples Pavilion.

“I saw their two shot blockers (6-foot-11 Robert Upshaw and 6-9 Shawn Kemp Jr.), so I knew I had to do something creative,” Allen said. “I came in on the left side but switched to the right hand.”

Head coach Johnny Dawkins said, “Like everybody else, I just said, 'Wow!’”

Allen also nailed a three-pointer near the end of the first half to tie the score 28-28 and an even bigger one in overtime as the Cardinal (10-3, 2-0 Pac-12) pulled out a 68-60 decision.

Stanford forward Rosco Allen had eight points and 10 rebound in the Cardinal’s 68-60 overtime win over then-No. 21 Washington on Sunday. Stanford forward Rosco Allen had eight points and 10 rebound in the Cardinal’s 68-60 overtime win over then-No. 21 Washington on Sunday. Photo: Bob Drebin / Bob Drebin / Stanfordphoto.com Photo: Bob Drebin / Bob Drebin / Stanfordphoto.com Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Stanford’s Budapest-born Rosco Allen thrives in reserve role 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

He was also the reason that the Huskies didn’t use Kemp, their leading scorer with 19 points, in the five-minute overtime session.

“Roscoe Allen was getting loose a few times,” UW coach Lorenzo Romar said, “and we wanted to make sure he wasn't able to get away from us, so Jernard (Jarreau) was in there.”

Allen finished with eight points and 10 rebounds. He played 35 minutes, and that’s a lot for somebody who doesn’t start. He has been in a reserve role the past five games after starting the first eight games of the season.

“He gives us an experienced player coming off the bench,” Dawkins said. “He gives us scoring off the bench, an added punch. He can play multiple positions, inside or on the perimeter depending on where we stand with foul trouble.”

The 6-9 redshirt sophomore is averaging 7.8 points and 4.3 rebounds. He’s at 33.3 percent on three-pointers (12 for 36), just a tick behind Chasson Randle’s 33.7. Anthony Brown leads the team at 44.9 percent.

The Cardinal make their annual Los Angeles trip this week, and that’s rarely been fun for them. They have lost 16 of their last 18 there (0-9 at UCLA, 2-7 at USC) and haven’t swept the Los Angeles trip since 2005. They play the Bruins (8-7, 0-2) on Thursday and visit the Trojans (9-6, 1-2) on Sunday.

Allen said moving to a reserve role has been an adjustment. “I see it as more of an advantage than anything,” he said. “I get to see what’s going on, and I have fresh legs when I get in. It’s more of a burst for me. Coming off the bench, it has helped me.”

He spent a lot of time on the bench last season. He played only briefly in one game and missed the rest of the year with a stress fracture in his right leg.

He acknowledged that the injury might have been caused by overuse. He played the first half of the previous summer for Hungary in the under-20 European Championships, then 10 games with the Hungarian senior national team.

“I didn’t get a lot of rest,” he said, adding he hasn’t made plans yet to return to the national team.

He considers Budapest his hometown although his family moved to Las Vegas when he was 12. “I lived there longer than Las Vegas, and I still have a lot of family there,” he said.

Tom FitzGerald is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: tfitzgerald@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @tomgfitzgerald

Thursday’s game

Who: Stanford (10-3, 2-0 Pac-12) vs. UCLA (8-7, 0-2)

Where: Pauley Pavilion

When: 6 p.m.

TV/Radio: ESPN/1050