A.J. Jackson and Charel Allen concluded their extraordinary scholastic basketball careers at Monessen High School with championships and appear primed for similar endings to their highly successful collegiate careers.
Jackson, a 6-foot-6-inch, 240-pound senior forward at Robert Morris University in Moon, Allegheny County, finished his high school career by helping the Greyhounds win the 2001 and 2002 WPIAL Class A championships. The standout football was also Monessen's leading scorer with 1,757 career points.
Allen, a 5-foot-11-inch senior guard at the University of Notre Dame, helped the Lady Greyhounds compile a 29-2 overall record that culminated with the team winning both the 2004 WPIAL and PIAA Class A championships during her senior scholastic season. The three-time first team All-State selection concluded her high school career with 3,110 career points, second-highest career total in Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League history behind fellow Monessen great and current Lady Greyhounds' assistant coach Gina Naccarato (3,364 points).
This season, Jackson, already a two-time all-conference selection, hopes to help Robert Morris win the Northeast Conference tournament and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1992. Through 27 games, the Colonials owned a 21-6 overall with a 12-2 NEC mark.
Jackson is RMU's second leading scorer and third-leading rebounder, averaging 14.2 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He leads the team in blocks with 18 and is shooting a team-best 81.8 percent from the foul line, having converted 72 of 88 free throw attempts. He is also fourth and fifth among team leaders in three-point baskets and steals with 34 and 28 respectively. Jackson has been Robert Morris' leading scorer 10 times this season and the Colonials' top rebounder nine times.
His 382 points and 149 rebounds give him career totals of 1,355 points and 642 rebounds. Heading into his final four regular season games, Jackson ranked sixth in career scoring and second in career rebounds. The fifth-leading scorer in school history is Forest Grant, who netted 1,494 points from 1980-84, while the Colonials' career leading scorer is Myron Walker (1990-94) who scored 1,965 points. In rebounding, Jackson trails only Anthony Dicken, who pulled down 751 boards from 1986-90.
In other school career rankings, Jackson ranks fifth in made field goals (491), seventh in field goal attempts (1.092), eighth in made three-point baskets (109), three-point attempts (293), 10th in made free throws (264) 13th in free throw attempts (337) and fourth in blocks (74).
This season, Jackson passed two Mon Valley greats and former Robert Morris basketball standouts in career scoring and rebounding. Belle Vernon's Tom Parks, a 2007 Mid Mon Valley All Sports Hall of Fame inductee, scored 1,027 points from 1979-83 and still ranks 17th all time. Ringgold's Skip Koskoski, who played from 1980-84, is still fifth among all Colonial rebounders with 608 career boards.
While the University of Connecticut is possibly keeping Notre Dame from a Big East Conference title, the Fighting Irish are on course for a fourth consecutive NCAA tourney appearance during the Allen era.
For the second straight season, Allen is leading Notre Dame in scoring, averaging 14.2 points a game. She also leads all Fighting Irish players in made field goals (141), minutes per game (28.9), and steals with 50. She is second on the team in free throw shooting at 81 percent (62 of 77), rebounding (5.2 rpg), and third in assists (62), blocks (13) and three-point baskets (10). She has been Notre Dame's leading scorer 10 times this season.
An honorable-mention All-American and first-team all-conference selection in 2006-07, Allen has helped the 2007-08 Fighting Irish compile an 20-5 overall record and 8-3 Big East Conference mark.
Heading into the final two weeks of the regular season, Allen is closing in on the school's top 10 career scoring list with 1,407 points. She trails 10th-leading career scorer Niele Ivey, who scored 1,430 points from 1997 to 2001, Sheila McMillen 1,439 from 1995-99 and Sandy Botham 1,460 from 1984-88.
Allen also has career totals of 598 rebounds, 217 assists, 545 of 1,263 field goal attempts, 259 of 326 free throws and 193 steals, which ranks 10th. Her field goals made and attempted rank 10th and sixth in school history respectively.
