Baylor get committment from Post Player [Archive]

Bob_Ballew

08-24-2004, 10:06 AM

8/24/04 Coveted 6-1 post picks BU
By JERRY HILL Tribune-Herald assistant sports editor
Arkansas' loss is Baylor's gain.

Breaking from family tradition and statewide pride, 6-foot-1 post Rachel Allison from Jonesboro, Ark., picked the Lady Bears Monday over a host of suitors that included Arkansas, Louisiana Tech, Colorado, Texas A&M and Arkansas State.

"I live right across the street from Arkansas State," said Allison, whose mother, father and brother all played sports at ASU. "Everybody thought that's where I was going. So I guess they'll be a little surprised when they watch the news tonight."

Allison's commitment to Baylor is also "not going to sit well in Fayetteville," said Steve Simmons, who coached her Arkansas Mavericks' AAU team. This summer, Allison averaged 21.2 points and 14.5 rebounds for a Mavericks team that won its seventh consecutive state championship.

"She was really kind of an unknown until the last couple AAU seasons," Simmons said. "She really improved her stock. She can make you look silly, because she's such a hard matchup. Her first step is just very special. She can blow by anybody, even a guard, and then she can elevate and jump over a 6-3, 6-4 kid and put it up."

As a junior at Jonesboro High, Allison earned Class 5A all-state honors in volleyball and basketball, averaging 15.6 points and 12.7 rebounds.

"She's the only kid that I've ever seen that had a floor burn on the top of her shoulder," said Simmons, who had four former Mavericks playing for Arkansas this year. "I didn't see anybody this summer that played as hard as she does. I imagine she'll be a crowd favorite at Baylor."

Allison, who made an unofficial visit to Baylor earlier this month, said she will sign her letter of intent during the early signing period in November.

"When I was there, it seemed like I was a part of the team already," Allison said. "I love Coach Mulkey (Kim Mulkey-Robertson) and Coach (Bill) Brock. They say Coach Mulkey's tough. But she's so passionate about basketball. And that's the way I am."

spooky

08-26-2004, 12:03 AM

Here's an article on Rachel from her hometown paper. There's a really interesting part at the end where she talks about reading the internet boards of one of the schools involved, and considering the reaction of the fans on that board. Obviously that happens quite a bit. I'd be curious to know how often things like that ever have any effect at all.

Story Date: 8/23/2004 11:58:45 PM

Allison commits to Baylor

By Seth Holmun
Sun sports writer
Nine hours from Jonesboro, Rachel Allison walked toward her car and realized she was already home.
The 6-foot Jonesboro forward felt the pressure of Division I basketball before her senior season in high school even began. When it came down to it, she broke a family tradition with her choice.
Allison verbally committed Monday to play basketball at Baylor next year, edging out Arkansas State in a difficult decision. Nov. 10 is the first day of basketball’s early period to sign a national letter of intent.
Many thought Allison would stay at home. Her mother, Linda, is in the Arkansas State Hall of Honor after a standout basketball career. Father Tim started three years in the secondary for the football Tribe while brother Josh is a senior on the baseball team.
But Baylor snuck up in the recruiting battle this summer after Allison turned heads at the AAU Nationals in Chattanooga, Tenn. One of Allison’s goals was to play for a top 10 team and now she has her chance.
On the heels of the school’s first NCAA tournament Sweet 16 appearance and fourth consecutive 20-win season, Baylor (26-9 in 2003-04) is ranked preseason No. 8 in the country by Sports Illustrated. Head coach Kim Mulkey-Robertson is a former All-American and assistant coach at Louisiana Tech.
On her unofficial visit, Allison played pick-up basketball with the Baylor squad, including All-American candidate Sophia Young, and fell right in place.
“I went and played with the girls and I liked it. I went outside and got in the car and I said, ‘This is where I’m going, dad,’” Allison said.
“Coach Mulkey is awesome. She was an All-American and the players were telling me how she’s really tough but she’s passionate about the game.”
Allison narrowed her final decision to Baylor, ASU and Texas A&M after receiving offers from Arkansas, DePaul, Colorado, Tulsa, Memphis, Southwest Missouri State, Providence, and Boston College. She turned down visits to Ole Miss and Louisiana Tech.
A volleyball and basketball standout at JHS, Allison decided to announce her intentions early before volleyball season because the recruiting calls were becoming overwhelming.
“We thought we were prepared for it but we had no idea,” Tim Allison said.
“I was like, ‘I’m getting stressed out, I’m not going to make it to volleyball season,’” Rachel Allison said.
It wasn’t an easy decision but one that was thought out by the entire Allison family even with their Indian ties.
“It wasn’t a rash decision. I spent a lot time on the phone, a lot of research,” Tim Allison said. “I talked to a lot of coaches we know around the country to talk about coaching staffs and programs to make sure the situation would be good for her.
“Baylor is a private school, a church institution, that offers us some things as parents that made us comfortable. The coaching staff were the type people we’re looking for our daughter to be around. They spent a lot of time building relationships that day instead of showing facilities.”
Still, the thought of having their little girl leave home for the first time was difficult for the Allisons.
“Obviously we would have loved for her to stay here close and seen her play all the time,” Tim Allison said. “It came down to her making a life decision for her and we support her. It was something she felt very strongly about the day she left Baylor.”
Allison developed a tight relationship with head coach Brian Boyer and his ASU staff, who recruited her hard.
“ASU is a good program. They have great coaches and we had a good relationship but you have to break tradition sometime,” Rachel Allison said. “I wasn’t planning on going nine hours away but that’s just how it worked out. Most of their letters were personal. It meant more but I chose Baylor.”
While Allison didn’t choose the Lady Tribe, she did show some loyalty. When Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee State called to inquire, her AAU coach Steve Simmons quickly gave them the message.
“I told them you’re wasting your time,” Simmons said. “Rachel might not have chosen Arkansas State but she was never going to play against them.
Simmons also coached Benton’s Caroline Starr in the summer and said no school has recruited Allison or Starr harder than ASU.
Allison took all-state honors in basketball, averaging 14.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.4 steals while leading the Lady Hurricane to a 21-8 record and the Class AAAAA semifinals. A tremendous leaper, Allison was also named all-state in volleyball last year, where she averaged 4.9 kills per game to lead JHS to a 29-7 record and the Class AAAAA finals.
In that tournament, Allison stood out from the opening game, scoring 36 points on the main floor before hundreds of college coaches. In eight games, Allison scored over 20 points in seven contests and pulled down double-digit rebounds in each.
Baylor also fit her preferred style of play, utilizing her abilities to handle the ball and create off the dribble in a four-out, one-in set, similar to her AAU team. Allison averaged 21.2 points and 14.5 rebounds per game for the Mavericks this summer.
“AAU is so much more physical — like college,” Simmons said. “The rougher it is, the better she is. All summer with her we played four-out, one-in motion offense looking for mismatches. Rachel is such a hard match. We just tried to utilize her on every possession.”
Simmons said Baylor liked Allison’s mix of athleticism and size as well as her leaping ability.
“There’s no doubt, the number one thing they liked about her was her height and athletic ability and how hard she plays on every possession,” Simmons said. “They also liked how quick she gets up on her second and third jump for a rebound. She has this determination where it’s like the rebound now has become personal.”
That’s an approach Allison hopes ASU fans don’t take with her decision.
“It was difficult. I had a lot of pressure to go to ASU,” Rachel Allison said. “I was reading on Tribal Grounds (ASU message board) and they were saying, ‘She’s for sure an Indian,’ and I was like ‘Oh, these people are going to hate me.’ I didn’t want to go nine hours but I went to Baylor and everything just fit.”