Ker-She Dahn
–The Corsair
Fouling Deana Allen is danger for any team playing against the PJC Lady Pirates this season; 79 percent of her free throw shots are most likely swishing the basket.
Allen grew up in Houma, La. where she is the oldest of five brothers and two sisters. She started playing basketball at age 6 and would always play with the boys who made her tougher and stronger, she said.
She made her way to PJC in 2008.
“It was a new level of independence when I arrived,” Allen said.
Now, in her sophomore year, she holds a vital role as the team captain.
“Every team has its ups and downs, but we get through ours,” she said.
Allen is third in the nation in scoring with 429 total points and an average of 21.45 points per game, and was awarded National Junior College Athletic Association Player of the Week twice this season. Not only does she have her own accomplishments, but she has helped lead the Lady Pirates to a No. 2 ranking in the state and No. 4 in the nation.
“Deana is a beast, unbelievable and very athletic,” Leah Drury, assistant coach, said.
Allen has already had many offers from universities such as: Oklahoma State, University of Florida, Cincinnati, and Ruckus. Her top choices are the University of Florida and Oklahoma State.
She plans to keep up her talent and eventually play for the WNBA. With so much going for her, Allen has to stay focused and be ready for whatever ball life might throw her way or whatever circumstances she might have to dribble through.
However, she is still trying to get the hang of the independent life. In her free time, when she is not playing basketball, she is probably thinking about it, watching a movie, or just “chillin around in the dorms,” she said.
“Deana is quiet, silly and she sleeps a lot,” teammate Jessica Merritt said.