Speedy point guard Clare Allison has made her coach’s first year on the job at St. Laurence a whole lot easier. And the reason is pretty simple.
Allison has the ability to take over a game late and make things happen, and that has translated into a slew of victories for the Vikings in the maiden voyage for coach Claire Austin.
“I tell them all the time, I could put in a thousand plays,” Austin said. “They are playing their best basketball when they create for themselves and for each other.
“So at the end of the game, I’m not drawing much up. I’m putting the ball in Clare’s hands for the most part and letting her to go to work. She always finds a way to hit a shot.”
A good example of that was Saturday afternoon against Providence in the consolation championship game of the GCAC Tournament at Mother McAuley in Chicago.
With St. Laurence trailing by seven points midway through the fourth quarter, Allison created her own shot — an NBA-length 3-pointer from the top of the key that cut the deficit nearly in half.
“I knew we were down, and as a senior, I knew we had to step up — all of us,” Allison said. “We don’t have time to waste. My cutter gave me space, and I shot it and it went in.”
St. Laurence (18-11, 3-3) ended up losing the game 49-44, but the 5-foot-3 Allison finished with 12 points. Afterward, she was honored for being named all-conference.
“When I first met her as a person, I knew she was going to be our leader on the floor as a player,” Austin said. “It’s kind of how she carries herself in everyday life, and it translates to basketball.”
Freshman guard Aaliyah Flores has had a terrific first season for the Vikings. She credited a large amount of help to Allison’s leadership.
“She’s always been extremely supportive of me,” Flores said. “Made me really comfortable being a freshman and made it a lot easier transitioning into high school basketball.
“It definitely would have been different without her.”
While Austin has been impressed with Allison’s work in the backcourt and as a team leader, Allison has been impressed with what her coach has accomplished in her rookie season on the bench.
“It’s been a tremendous change for our program and it’s for the better, I think,” Allison said. “It’s just been a really good season. I feel like we’ve built off it, but coach Austin is going to take it to the next level.”
Allison started playing basketball in second grade and joined her twin brother’s team the next year at St. Alexander in Palos Heights simply because there wasn’t a girls team.
Playing with the boys taught her lessons early that she draws upon today.
“It was a lot more physical, I guess, and I think it helped me to play faster,” she said.
Allison played point guard because she was always the shortest player on the floor, even though she said she always dreamed about playing the post.
As a senior, she prefers to lead by example, realizing few people like someone who bosses them around. She has been on teams like that in her past, and that’s something she doesn’t want.
“We talk a lot about diving for loose balls, getting those 50-50 balls, just being super aggressive overall,” she said. “So, you have to do those things first, then everyone else will kind of follow.”
With her senior year winding down, she’s already thinking about her next step, which is playing college basketball at Edgewood in Madison, Wisconsin. She plans to study nursing.
When asked to characterize her high school basketball career in one word, she didn’t hesitate.
“Probably just fun,” she said. “I always looked forward to it.”
Gregg Voss is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
