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A new chapter, a new challenge for Monessen’s Allen

5 min read
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Charel Allen is used to making adjustments, on the basketball court and in life.

Now, she is making one of the biggest adjustments in her life.

The standout basketball player from Monessen High School, Notre Dame and professional leagues all over the world finds herself in a new spot, in a completely different location.

Earlier this month, it was announced that Allen – who just weeks ago retired from her long and distinguished playing career – is part of the Cal State Fullerton women’s basketball coaching staff, under the Titans’ new head coach Jeff Harada.

“I feel great and it’s going well,” Allen said, in reference to her recovery for her surgically-repaired knee and new job. “I am trying to adapt to coaching and a new lifestyle. So far. So good.”

Allen has lived most of her life in the East and Midwest of the United States and overseas – mostly in Bulgaria – where her professional career took hold. The West Coast and California is something much different.

“The weather is nice almost all of the time,” Allen said about working and living in Orange County. “It does get chilly at night. And the traffic is tough.

“I’ve only been here a few weeks. I have been searching for players. As a player, I always paid attention to details. Now, I understand how important the details are as a coach. I understand the work that needs to be put into this.”

Allen has spent a lot of time recruiting and is excited about the Cal State Fullerton program and the direction Harada plans on taking it.

Last season, the Titans were 4-25 overall, 1-15 in the Big West Conference, placing ninth and missing out on the conference tournament for a second consecutive season.

Harada was hired in April after spending the last three seasons as head coach at Division II Central Washington University.

Allen was one of three assistants hired under Harada, who is counting on her to attract players and bring basketball experience, knowledge and love the game to the Titans’ players.

“Charel came highly recommended from some of the top coaches in our profession and her résumé speaks for itself,” Harada said. “As I’ve gotten to know her, I feel she is a quality human being who really understands what it means to be a student-athlete and how to maximize that overall experience.

“With her time spent in the WNBA and overseas, she brings instant credibility and will definitely play a major role in the player- and skill-development area.”

Allen recently concluded a nine-year professional playing career that included stops in Turkey, Bulgaria and Israel.

The past two years she served as a player-coach for BK Montana 2003 in Montana, Bulgaria.

Allen was as also an assistant coach for Monessen Middle School in the 2013-14 season. She conducted The Charel Allen Basketball Camp and Highlight Game in Monessen for a handful of years, and in addition, she worked as a skill development trainer since 2009.

She won a Women’s Adriatic Basketball Association regular season championship in 2017 while also earning all-WABA first team honors. Allen played on a Bulgarian League championship team in 2012 and 2016, and also won regular season titles in 2010, 2012, and 2015, while capturing the Bulgarian Cup in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2016.

Allen was a four-time, all-Bulgarian League First Team selection (2011, 2012, 2014 and 2016). She was named Player of the Year in 2014 and was named the Guard of the Year in 2014 and 2016. Allen was named to the Bulgarian League all-Import Team in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014, and was named the League Import Player of the Year in 2014.

While she and the Irish fell short of the NCAA national championship she desired, Allen overcame a catastrophic knee injury during her freshman season in an NCAA tournament loss to Arizona State to leave an incredible mark at South Bend and impressed professional scouts and organizations.

She was a third-round pick (43rd overall) of the 2008 WNBA Draft by the now-defunct Sacramento Monarchs. She averaged 2.7 points and one rebound in the six games played for the Monarchs.

After being released by Sacramento, Allen was signed in 2010 by the San Antonio Silver Stars. She played there for a month before being waived.

Allen helped bring the Monessen WPIAL and PIAA championships in 2004, magical moments that defined her outstanding career for the Greyhounds where she scored 3,110 points. She was a two-time Associate Press Class A Player of the Year in Pennsylvania. Allen was also a four-time Street & Smith Magazine honorable mention All-American as Monessen went 100-19 during her time there.

“I am not surprised I got this job,” Allen said. “I’d say I am blessed. When I have put my mind to something, I have achieved it most of the time. What I had in my mind was that once I retired from playing, I wanted to get into collegiate coaching. I have been away (from the United States) so long that this is something brand new. It’s different from Notre Dame. I am blessed to be coaching alongside people with such experience and talent. We’re all going to try and make a difference.”

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