Allison Curtin

Once in a lifetime, a small town might have the opportunity to see a truly remarkable athlete. For fans of Taylorville High School athletics, that person is Allison Curtin. A standout in basketball as well as track and field, she will be honored and inducted in to the Taylorville High School Sports Hall of Fame , April 19th.

Allison Curtin exploded on the Taylorville sports scene in junior high school as she helped lead the 8th grade Lady Terriers to the IESA State Championship in 1993 and also set the IESA 8th grade state record in the 400 meter dash with a time of 59.60.    As a freshman, Curtin made an immediate impact on the Lady Tornadoes basketball team, as she led the team in scoring with 414 points and a 14.3 point per game average. She was selected to the Central State 8 All- Conference Team and both the Taylorville and Carrollton all tournament teams.    During the 1995-96 season, Allison upped her scoring average to 21.1 points a game with a total of 612 points and giving her over 1000 career points. She established a school single game scoring record with 42 points against Alton. She was selected player of the year by the Springfield Journal Register, the Decatur Herald & Review and WTIM Radio. She repeated as Central State 8 All Conference and was also selected to the all- conference academic team. The Illinois Basketball Association named her to their All- State 2nd team and the Champaign News Gazette placed her as a Special Mention All- State Player. She repeated as an all tournament selection in both the Taylorville and Carrollton tournaments and was named team MVP.    The 1996- 1997 season allowed basketball fans throughout the state of Illinois to get to know Lady Tornadoes Basketball and the impact Allison Curtin could make in a basketball game. She scored 802 points, averaging 22.9 points a game, and helped the Lady Tornadoes to 34 consecutive wins and a 2nd place finish in the Illinois State Tournament. Allison was named to IHSA State All Tourney first team, and was selected to All- State teams by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association, the Champaign News Gazette, the Chicago Sun Times and the Chicago Tribune. She was selected to the Taylorville and Arlington Heights All Tourney teams and was also singled out as the best player and best attitude at the Arlington Heights Tournament. Again, the Decatur Herald, Springfield Journal and WTIM selected her as Player of the Year. Allison was also runner –up to Ms. Basketball in Illinois.

Allison’s performance during her senior year helped the Lady Tornadoes to a 30- 2 record, losing in the Sweet Sixteen. Individually, she continued to improve and gained more recognition throughout the year. Her 33 points set an individual scoring record in the Coca-cola KMOX shootout in St Louis and her 16 rebounds tied the play off record. She also was the recipient of the John Roehm Hustle Award.

Curtin set a single game scoring record with 46 points against Mt Zion. Allison finished her career as the all-time leading scorer in Taylorville basketball history with 2,755 points. She also established school records with 927 points in a season, 175 free throws made in a season and 408 free throws in a career. Her 119 consecutive games scoring 10 or more points is an IHSA record and her 1107 career steals places her third all-time in the state. She score more than 40 points in a game five times and more than 30 points 18 times.

As would be expected, Allison was selected to all of the major All-State first teams and was a unanimous selection to the Class AA All- State first team. She was selected to her fourth Central State 8 All- Conference team and was three time Player of the Year in both the Springfield and Decatur papers. She was chosen to play in the IBCA All- Star Game and was Nike/WBCA honorable mention All- American. Her final high school basketball award was being named Illinois Ms. Basketball.

Allison received a scholarship from the University of Illinois to play basketball for the Fighting Illini. She made an immediate impact in Champaign Urbana by being named to the All Big Ten Freshman Team. Selected as the U of I’s “New-Comer of the Year”, Allison averaged 23 points a game during the three game Big Ten Tournament and set a freshman scoring record with 400 points an averaged 12.9 point per game.

Named First Team All Big Ten in 2000, Allison ranked third in Big Ten Scoring with a 17.5 points per game average. She became the first player in Illinois history to total 1000 points in her first two seasons. She led the Illini in scoring, steals, free throws, field goals and three pointers. She was chosen team MVP at the end of the season.

As a junior, Curtin again was named to the First Team All- Big Ten and won Illinois’ Ralf Wood Free Throw Trophy for the third straight season. In the Big Ten Tournament, Allison tied the Big Ten record scoring 35 points against Iowa. She amassed the second highest total points, 197, in the Big Ten Tournament. She finished the regular season among the Top 10 in the conference in scoring (8th,14.4 ppg), steals (2nd, 3.04 steals per game), assists (7th, 4.18 apg), free throw percentage 9th, .768) and 3 point field goal percentage (10th, .348) and she ranked first in the Big Ten with 3.31 steals per game against conference teams.

Allison sat out the 2001-2002 season after transferring to the University of Tulsa for her senior year. However, when she did take the court during the 2002-2003 season, Curtin re-wrote the Tulsa record book in one season. In her only season as a Hurricane, Allison re-established seven of the schools’ single season records (points, per game, field goals, free throws made, assists and steals) and claimed five single game marks (points, field goal attempts, steals and assists). She also set the record for point in conference games with 399.

Following her senior year, Allison Curtin was an All-Western Athletic Conference First Team selection and was an Associated Press Honorable Mention All- American. She was also one of three finalists for the annual Creamland Dairy Women’s Collegiate Basketball Student Athlete of the year. Curtin was a first round selection and 12th pick over all by the Houston Comets of the WNBA.

While at Taylorville High School, Allison Curtin also was an All- Central State 8 selection in Cross Country three years and Track four years. She established five individual records and one relay record during her time on the track team. Those record are in the 110 meter dash (12.2), 200 meter dash, (25.1), 400 meter dash (56.56), 800 meter run (2:21.3) and with Jenny Weber, Andrea Payne and Stacie Welge, the 800 Medley Relay (1:52.1).