by Rusty Ellis
Photos Courtesy of Tyler Sapp
Van Buren senior Emily Allen took the next step in her athletic and academic journey last week by signing her NLI to play basketball at Maryville College this coming fall.
This comes on the heels of Allen being one of the main cogs in Van Buren’s run to the Class A Final Four this season, as the Eaglettes won their first State Tournament game in program history over North Greene.
For head coach Tyler Sapp, it’s a day where all of Allen’s hard work has come to fruition, as she gets to continue her playing career at the next level.
“Everything she’s been through, it’s a huge accomplishment for her,” Sapp said. “You got through two major injuries like she did, you just don’t ever know if that opportunity’s going to sow itself or not…she’s put in so much work and so much dedication since she was little to be able to play college basketball.”
In the previously mentioned run to the Final Four, Allen was one of the key contributors in the scorebook regularly, but Sapp said it was also her presence as a ball-handler on the court that helped this team make it as far as they did.
“Anytime she was in the game, it immediately impacted our offense,” Sapp said. “As a leader, she wasn’t afraid to tell someone they weren’t doing what they were supposed to do…she’s not shy about doing that at all, so it’s going to be a huge loss for us.”
As far as the fit with Maryville, Sapp thinks that Allen will fit in nicely in the Lady Scot program, especially considering there will be a few familiar faces.
“There’s some players there that she’s played against that she’ll get to play with now,” Sapp said. “She said when she really liked the campus when she was there, and that she really liked the coach. I think it’s going to be a really good fit, it’s a really nice area and it’s a great school.”
