Waukesha South's Allen's Game Provides A Blueprint For Success

Leading by example is nothing new to Waukesha South High School basketball star Katy Allen. But as a four-year member of the Blackshirts girls’ roster this season, Allen can’t help but define her current role on the team in a somewhat unconventional manner.

 “It’s a little different this year,” said Allen, laughing. “I feel more like a mom.”

 No matter how she or anyone else describes it, the 6-foot-1 senior wing's status as a proven veteran has been quite valuable for a 2010-11 Blackshirt squad that features seven juniors and just two seniors. South struggled out of the gate and lost three out of its first five games, but the team has rallied back to finish the regular season with a 16-6 overall record and a 9-5 mark in Classic 8 Conference play.

Allen pointed to the slow start as a bit of a wakeup call, but noted that it took time for the new members of the team to gel with the squad’s returning members.

 “We really had to step it up in practice,” Allen said. “The first few weeks were hard because we had to get everyone on the same page.”

While she is South’s leading scorer at roughly 13 points per game and recently topped 1,000 points for her career, Allen’s ability to be a productive player on both ends of the floor has been a major advantage for the Blackshirts both this season and in years past.

 “She’s a unique matchup because of her height and her ability to handle the ball,” said Waukesha South head coach Paul Darling. “Defensively, she can alter shots because of her wingspan, and her lateral speed is really good.”

Allen’s rise as an individual player has coincided with the continued development of the South basketball program. The Blackshirts went 5-16 overall and 3-11 in Classic 8 play in 2007-08, Allen’s freshman campaign. However, the team has made incremental strides each and every year since then. In 2009-10, the team finished 17-8 overall and 8-6 in a balanced Classic 8. The Blackshirts promptly won two playoff games before bowing out to perennial Division 1 contender Milwaukee Vincent in a D-1 regional title game.

 Darling points to Allen’s leadership and drive as two key reasons the program has been able to improve year after year.

 “Her work ethic forces you to get better,” said the South coach of Allen, who has played organized basketball since first grade. “She’s always continually trying to get better herself. Just by being around her, you make yourself a better player.”

While a lot of youngsters display a willingness to put in the time and effort into athletics, Allen has used her time in high school to develop into a well-rounded student-athlete. It’s that kind of mindset that has propelled her toward excellence in the classroom, on the basketball court, on the tennis court and in extracurricular activities.

A two-time All-Classic 8 first team performer in basketball, Allen is also a four-time WIAA state qualifier in tennis. Her athletic and academic prowess has paid off, as she will play basketball and attend college at the University of Pennsylvania this fall.

“She has that inner drive to be the best at whatever you’re doing,” Darling said. “Whether it’s academics, the piano or on the basketball court, she wants to be the best. Katy obviously makes the team better, but I think she makes us all better individuals because of who she is.”

Allen has contributed much to the South girls’ basketball program over the course of the past four years, but the senior isn’t quite ready to turn her attention toward her graduation from high school and her collegiate career. After all, there’s still basketball to be played. The squad, seeded fourth in the WIAA Division 1 Kettle Moraine Regional, will host fifth-seeded Sussex Hamilton on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 1:30 p.m.

The South teammates really stepped up this year to allow the team to compete in a balanced Classic 8 Conference, Allen said. The Blackshirts finished the year in fourth place.

 “We have a lot of experience coming back but also a lot of new role players coming up,” Allen said. "They’ve really stepped up. The experience we’ve had has really helped us in a lot of these games.”

 With Allen and fellow senior Brinn Becker leading the way, Darling is optimistic that his team’s regular season accomplishments can translate into postseason success.

 “I really think these kids believe there is something special awaiting them,” he said.

 But no matter what happens, the Blackshirts coach stated that he and his team do not define their success by wins and losses alone. The South coaching staff repeatedly tells its players that if they are better today than they were yesterday and are on their way to being better tomorrow, they’re on the right track.

 “Obviously it is wins and losses and all that,” said Darling. “But are we better today than we were yesterday? At this point I’d say yes.”