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Justin Allen grew up in Malta,
Illinois. He graduated from Malta
High School in 1999 where he was a
two time All-State Basketball Player
and a Three Time Little Ten
Conference All-Conference performer.
During his career Justin averaged 20
points and 10 rebounds as a
sophomore, 27 points and 13 rebounds
as a junior, and 28 points and 15
rebounds as a Senior. During his
four years at Malta High School
Justin scored 2,143 points and
pulled down 929 rebounds. After
finishing his career at Malta High
School, Justin earned a Basketball
Scholarship to Arizona State
University in the Pac-10 Conference.
Justin was a member of the
Arizona State University basketball
team for 5 season (2000-2005) After
a promising Freshman season Justin
was diagnosed, in the summer of
2000, with Hodgkin's disease. Justin
underwent 6 months of chemotherapy
and 8 weeks of radiation. During
this time he had an awakening
experience that will forever have
changed his life. One minute he was
a 18 year old basketball player with
dreams of playing for a championship
and the next an 18 year old faced
with the biggest challenge of his
life. Justin shifted his attention
to battling not on the basketball
court, but instead battling for his
life. After a year long battle with
cancer Justin learned that there was
no sign of the tumors that once had
filled his body and he immediately
set his sights on a return to the
court. Even though there were many
doubters, there were many strong
supporters who were there to make
sure that he would achieve his goal
of playing basketball again. The
very next season Justin found
himself on the court and in a Sun
Devil Uniform.
Justin played another three years
at Arizona State going to the NIT
tournament 2 times and the final 32
in the NCAA tournament in 2004.
During Justin's time at ASU he won
the
Jimmy
Valvano National comeback player of
the year, the Gene Autry
Courage Award, the NCASP Courage
Award, the Sparky Golden Heart
Award, featured in "100 Heroes:
People in sports who make this a
better world," by Richard Edward
Lapchick and Justin was also a 3
time Pac-10 All Academic award
winner.
In 2004-2005 Justin took over a
new challenge as the Head Basketball
Coach at Florence High School in
Florence, Arizona. It was a great
experience and he loved coaching,
but after one season he realized
that his dream and drive to play
basketball were not gone. Justin
started his professional playing
career with a short stint in
Argentina. He then moved on to
Australia where He played for the NW
Tasmania Thunder and averaged 21
points and 12 rebounds. After one
season in Australia, Justin accepted
a job to play for the Oita Heat
Devils in the BJ league Japan. In
his first season with the Oita Heat
Devils he averaged 10 points and 9
rebounds and the team finished 3rd
in the playoffs. In 2007-2008
Justin returned to Japan and
averaged 16 points, 10 rebounds, and
3 assists. That summer Justin went
and played in Venezuela. 2008-2009
Justin played in Kuwait and finally
Korea before deciding it was time to
start his coaching career.
In the summer of 2009 Justin
coach the Arizona Premier Elite 16
team. The team finished with a
tremendous amount of success as they
won tournaments in Vegas and
finished in the top four in L.A.,
Las Vegas, and a top 8 finish in the
Adidas Super 64 tournament. The
team had big wins over the Utah Pump
and Run, L.A. Pump and Run, and the
Kansas City Pump and Run team. This
season Justin is once again coaching
the Arizona Premier 16 Elite team
and he has expressed excitement with
not only the talent on the team, but
the quality of individuals that he
has on the team.
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