Ashley Allen is unsure of what to expect tonight.
The former Oregon guard and current Oregon State Beaver realizes the challenge of returning of McArthur Court. She saw the hype surrounding the program when Oregon made the NCAA Tournament in her final season in Eugene in 2004-05.
But frustrated by her role in the program, Allen left after the 2004-05 season and relocated 40 minutes away to Oregon State. Tonight, the once highly-touted recruit who never met expectations in Eugene but is finding her niche as a Beaver, returns.
“I don’t know how the crowd’s going to respond or anything but as a player, you can’t really think about things like that,” Allen said.
Allen is finding that playing time, a once scarce quantity at Oregon, is readily available at Oregon State. Allen averages 31.3 minutes while starting all 17 games. In two years at Oregon, Allen averaged 1.2 points and 0.5 rebounds in 27 games.
Coach LaVonda Wagner uses a playing rotation seven players deep, but what Oregon State misses in depth is made up by the players’ high level of fitness. The fiery Wagner is what Allen wanted, she says, someone who would push her and make her a better player.
“She’s a great coach, great energy and I just loved everything that she brought to the table, and I felt that she could really help me grow – both as a basketball player and off the court as well,” Allen said.
Allen grew frustrated in Eugene and when she decided to leave in the spring of 2005, she told local media she was leaving as a result of “a lack of playing time. I don’t think I was ever given a chance.”
She created a long list of possible transfer schools, such as Fresno State, New Mexico and UC-Santa Barbara. Oregon State, with Wagner taking over, quickly emerged as Allen’s ideal choice.
Allen, a lifelong fan of the Pacific-10 Conference, wanted to stay within the conference. She researched Wagner and saw her extensive experience, consisting of three years at Duke, eight years at Illinois and six years at East Tennessee State.
“I knew that she was coming from a winning program, and I knew right away that she knew what it would take, coming from Duke,” Allen said. “She knows what it takes to win.”
Allen sent out video tapes to different schools showing what she could do. Oregon State contacted her but Wagner, who was new to the conference, knew little about her.
“She wanted to know what she was getting into and wanted to get a chance to know me,” Allen said.
Allen visited Wagner during the spring and went another time with her family, visiting from her hometown of Fresno, Calif. Her dad, Curtis Allen, is a football coach at College of the Sequoias, a community college in California, and enjoyed Wagner’s take-charge personality.
“That was right up his alley,” Allen said. “He was all for it.”
Allen made a quiet transition. She redshirted last season and practiced with the team but wasn’t even listed in the media guide.
As this season approached, Allen says she stepped on the court confident she had retained the same skills that made her a highly sought after recruit out of Clovis High in California.
“For whatever reason, things happen and I didn’t get on the floor at Oregon,” Allen said. “It is what it is, but I’m just happy to get a second opportunity, second chance, at coming out on the floor and get some playing time here.”
When Allen joined Oregon, she was part of the 2003 recruiting class that included Jessie Shetters, Kaela Chapdelaine, Eleanor Haring and Cicely Oaks. Defensively, Allen goes into today’s game aware of Oregon’s nuances.
“Just being able to help my teammates and letting them know what certain players do and what they’re looking for on the floor and their go-to moves,” Allen said. “There is a little bit of an advantage in that sense.”
She prides herself on her defensive skills. Allen limited Arizona’s Joy Hollingsworth in Oregon State’s recent 69-62 win. Hollingsworth required 18 shots for her 17 points and made just 1 of 6 three-pointers.
“I feel like you got to take care of the things that you can control,” Allen said. “You might not make every shot. You might not get the call that you need but the thing that you can control is your defense and rebounding the ball and little things like that.”
Whatever happens in back-to-back games with Oregon, Allen spoke fondly of her friendships with her ex-teammates, notably Oaks.
“We’re very good friends,” Allen said. “We still talk to this day – keep in touch through text (messages) and we talk on the phone every now and then. She’s a cool person (and a) great personality. We always make each other laugh.”
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