OSUBasketballJunkie
Never Forget 31-0
Dispatch
OHIO STATE WOMEN?S BASKETBALL
Allen doing more with less after losing weight
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Jim Massie
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Star Allen played a career-high 31 minutes and scored 16 points in Ohio State?s double-overtime victory over Boston College on Tuesday night.
Toward the end of a quiet freshman season at Ohio State, Star Allen considered the possibility that less could mean more to her college basketball future.
"At first, coach (Jim) Foster wanted me to lose a lot of extra weight," said Allen, now a sophomore power forward. "I was like, ?OK, that?s what I need to do. I?ll work on it.? Then I made the decision to eat better and to come in and work at it and to keep working hard."
The results ? she said she has lost 30 pounds ? have begun to show in more ways than her noticeably slimmer physique. Allen played an average of 7.2 minutes in 2005-06. She started, scored 16 points and played a career-high 31 minutes Tuesday in an 80-72 double-overtime win over Boston College.
During the second overtime, Allen scored five points and her three-point play enabled the sixth-ranked Buckeyes (3-0) to overcome the furious challenge from the Eagles.
In two games against Boston College last season, Allen was a nonfactor. She played two minutes and didn?t step on the floor in the NCAA Tournament loss in March. BC coach Cathy Inglese, however, noticed the new and improved Allen while preparing for the latest game.
"We were worried about Allen," Inglese said. "She does a lot of nice things. They like to isolate her inside. She?s a strong kid and she seemed to play with a lot of confidence. She certainly helped them during that spurt."
That is precisely what Foster had in mind when he talked to her about conditioning.
"She can sustain effort longer," he said. "At a certain point in time, (extra weight) starts to impact you. If you?re serious about this, you?ve got to make some decisions to allow your talent to be used. A lot of times, that?s the difference between a mature kid and an immature kid."
Allen will be in the starting lineup at 1 p.m. today when Ohio State plays Cornell (0-3) in St. John Arena in the Buckeye Classic. Montana (2-0) meets Davidson (3-1) in the 11 a.m. game. Allen is proud of the journey that included lifestyle changes beyond the hours she spent in the weight room.
"Hanging out, I couldn?t do a lot of that," Allen said. "Watching what I eat, I?m eating a lot better now. I did extra cardio, and I had to keep it constant. At first, it was like, I?ll just do it here or there. Then it started being every day. Over the summer, I progressed a lot and kept going at it. I feel lighter because I can run up and down a lot more than what I did last year. I feel great."
Her teammates appreciate the difference.
"Star is probably one of the most talented post players in the country," senior guard Brandie Hoskins said. "She can bring the ball up. She can pass. She can shoot. She can go to the hole. She plays unorthodox, which is harder to guard. She?s underrated and I think you?ll see how good she is as the season goes on."
Allen is happy for the chance.
"I knew I wasn?t in perfect shape," Allen said. "Once I lost all the weight, I was like this is the best shape I?ve been in since I can remember. It?s great. I?m out there and I?m helping."
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