Oak Park graduate taking decorated basketball career to next level
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BVM) – There are a lot of high school basketball players across the country who have had decorated careers. But for high school girls basketball in the Kansas City area, there have not been many four year tenures better than that of Paige Allen.
Allen is a recent graduate of Oak Park High School who grew up playing basketball at age 4. She began realizing she had a natural talent for the game when she first started playing basketball competitively, and it has been her main sport ever since.
The 18-year-old grew up in a basketball household, as each of her parents played at the collegiate level. Both have had a big impact on Allen that goes beyond the court as well.
“My parents have had a huge influence on me,” Allen said. “They push me to be my best at all times whether that’s while playing basketball or just life in general.”
Developing her game throughout her youth career, Allen won multiple Mid American Youth Basketball championships. Being increasingly recognized, there wasn’t much uncertainty that Allen would be a varsity player from day one when she got to Oak Park.
“I never really had any doubt that I wouldn’t make the varsity team freshman year. A lot of coaches around the area had heard of me or saw me play so they were ready for me,” Allen said.
The Oakies guard showed her elite potential right off the bat, scoring over 500 points in her freshman year. It would only continue to get better from there, as she scored over 500 again as a sophomore, and over 600 as a junior. Before long, Allen had broken the school record for points scored – a mark of 1,286 points that had been held by Tammy Noah for almost three decades.
Coming into her senior season at Oak Park, becoming a 2,000 point scorer was all but certain for the 5-foot-8 guard. Averaging 28 points and almost nine rebounds per game in her final season for the Oakies, Allen had her best year yet with 723 points.
In January, she impressively joined the 2,000 point club in what was a truly special night for the senior.
“The stands were packed. So many of my family and friends came out, I had a whole section of people that were there just for me which really warmed my heart,” Allen said.
Needing just 11 points to hit the mark coming into the game, Allen was anxious but wouldn’t make the crowd wait long, scoring her 2,000th point in the second quarter.
“Everyone in the gym just went crazy. It was just really a great experience that I will never forget and it meant so much to me because it showed me how many people I had behind me and rooting for me,” Allen added.
Appropriately, Oak Park took a moment to announce Allen’s accomplishment and play a video montage of some of her highlights over her four years at the school.
Allen led the Oakies to a 17-9 record this past season. But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Oak Park was defeated in the district semifinals, but the impressive guard ended up saving her best for last. Allen would go on to score 52 points in her final contest, a single-game school record and also a personal best.
However, it was a bittersweet ending to a remarkable career.
“It was very emotional towards the end because I knew our deficit was too big to overcome, but I continued to play my hardest until the end,” Allen said. “After I made my last shot with about four seconds left in the game, I just burst into tears because I came to the realization it was over.”
Anyone who got to see Allen play over the last four years probably had a similar feeling. But her record-breaking season led to some special honors. Among other accomplishments, Allen has been named District Player of the Year and Conference MVP. She also made the All-State team and was even nominated as a McDonald’s All-American.
Allen’s accolades are remarkable, and she credits her teammates as a big reason for them.
“Without them, I may not have had all the accomplishments that I had,” she said. “The bonds I have built with these girls is truly unbreakable. We all pushed each other to be at our best, had a lot of fun moments and memories that we will all hold on to forever, and we just treated each other like we were one big family.”
Oak Park girls basketball coach Zane Tanner also deserves credit.
“I wouldn’t have been asked to be coached by anyone else,” Allen said.
Tanner has helped the Oak Park program reach new heights as the team won their first-ever conference title this season.
“He is just a great person and coach. He is someone I can come to for help when I need it and has really pushed me over these past four years to be my best,” Allen continued. “He made the game fun and never gave up on us.”
After graduating from Oak Park, Allen will be taking her basketball talents to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The 18-year-old had several other schools to choose from, but after a visit to campus, Corpus Christi “just felt like home,” according to Allen. She is also excited to get to work with the coaches there who have gotten to know her not just as a player, but also a person.
There is no doubt that playing basketball for the Islanders will be different than it was at Oak Park, but Allen is ready for whatever happens.
“I want to be the best player I can be. I know it is not going to be the same…but I want to make the most of it and push myself to be the greatest and see where it takes me,” Allen said.
The basketball standout plans to study zoology or wildlife biology during her time at the university. While she is not sure what path she wants to take after college, playing professional basketball has always been a consideration.
“I think that if I really tried hard and pushed myself, I could make it pro,” Allen said.
Whatever route Allen chooses, the game that means so much to her will always be part of her life.
“Without basketball I don’t know what I would do,” Allen explained. “It has opened many doors for me and has made me who I am today. All the success I have had has meant a lot and has showed me that I can do anything that I set my mind to.”
Allen has a bright future ahead of her at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, but what she did at Oak Park will never be forgotten. Setting a single-game record and all-time school record for points, and scoring over 2,400 points in four years are accomplishments most of us can only dream of. But Allen has lived it, and she will forever be remembered as one of the best high school girls basketball players to lace ‘em up in the Kansas City area.
