Joe Allen (November 8, 1947 – May 20, 1997) was an American basketball player who played for

Bradley University Bradley University is a private university in Peoria, Illinois. Founded in 1897, Bradley University enrolls 5,400 students who are pursuing degrees in more than 100 undergraduate programs and more than 30 graduate programs in five colleges. The ...

in the late 1960s. A

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

, Allen led the Braves in rebounding and scoring each season of varsity basketball. While averaging 10.9 rebounds per game, Allen also averaged 22.2 points per game. During his senior season, Allen would lead the nation in field goal percentage shooting over 65% from the field (.655).

Carver High School

In 1962, Allen lead his Carver Military Academy basketball team to a record of 28–5 and a runner-up at the

state championships The Brazilian states football championships are the professional adult male soccer competitions in Brazil that take place between January and April for the Northeast, Central-West, Southeast and South regions. In some states from the North Reg ...

, where his team lost to Stephen Decatur High School. The following season, Allen would again lead the Carver Challengers to the IHSA state title game. The team again finished with a 28–5 record, and this time won the state championship, defeating the Orphans of

Centralia Centralia may refer to: Places Australia *Central Australia, sometimes called "Centralia" Canada * Centralia, Ontario ** RCAF Station Centralia, a former Royal Canadian Air Force training base ** Centralia (Essery Field) Aerodrome United States ...

. Allen scored 51 points in the 1962 tournament, averaging 12.8 points per game. In the 1963 tournament, Allen scored 67 points while grabbing 40 rebounds in the four tournament games, an average of 16.8 points and 10 rebounds per game with 18 points and 17 rebounds in the title game. In eight tournament games, Allen would make 50 of 85 field goals shooting 59%. In 1974, Allen was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association's Hall of Fame as a player. In 2007, the

Illinois High School Association The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) is an association that regulates competition of interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level for the state of Illinois. It is a charter member of the National Fed ...

named Allen one of the

100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) celebrated 100 years of the IHSA State Tournament in the 2006-07 season. A list of "100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament" was assembled on December 14, 2005. Throughout the state, 281 ind ...

Bradley University

Allen enrolled at

in the fall of 1964, however due to a knee surgery mid-season, he was forced to wear a knee-brace for the rest of his playing time at Bradley. In his sophomore year he was the starting center of the 1965–66 Braves team that finished second in the Missouri Valley with a 20–6 record. As a junior, Allen maintained his starting center role on a team that finished fourth in the conference with an overall record of 17–9. His best year came during the 1967–68 season, when Allen was named team co-captain and the Braves finished their schedule with an overall record of 19–9. During his three years of varsity basketball, Allen recorded 13 games with 30 or more points, including a high of 45 points versus

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

on December 9, 1966 at Robertson Fieldhouse. He recorded the first

triple-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

in Bradley Basketball history with 25 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists against

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

on December 20, 1966, also at Robertson Fieldhouse. Allen was named co-captain of the team prior to the 1967–1968 season and would go onto lead the nation in field goal percentage (.655) during that same year. He is one of seven Bradley Basketball players to have his uniform number retired (#31), and finished his career third on Bradley's all-time scoring list with 1,752 career points and fourth with 865 career rebounds. Allen would return to Bradley to serve as an assistant coach from 1972–1977. During the 2003 season, Allen was named to the Bradley Basketball Team of the Century.

References

External links

Sports-Reference.com

Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Joe 1945 births 1997 deaths African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Chicago Bradley Braves men's basketball players Centers (basketball) Los Angeles Lakers draft picks Basketball players from Peoria, Illinois