Frank Allocco of De La Salle (Concord) reached 600 wins faster than any coach in state history, and his current 621-90 career record (16-5 this season) going into an East Bay Athletic League Friday night match-up with Pleasanton Amador Valley is at .8734. That’s third best all time in that category in the Cal-Hi Sports State Record Book.
Now, the 2000 Cal-Hi Sports State Coach of the Year and 2009-2010 California Coaches Association Coach of the Year, has reached a pinnacle.
Last week while the boys were being named to the McDonald’s All-America team, Allocco got a call out of the blue from McDonald’s Executive Director Bob Geoghan telling him he was going to lead the boys squad on April 2 in Chicago.
“I had no indication I was even considered. It came all at once,” said Allocco, who won a Division III state championship at Walnut Creek Northgate in 1995 and two Division I titles in 2000 and 2006 at De La Salle.
“Bob Geoghan called me and said ‘I’m not sure if you’re aware of it but you were nominated and you’ve been selected,” continued Allocco, who went to the 2006 game to see Concord Carondelet star Jayne Appel play in the girls game, while also getting a chance to see Kevin Durant, Greg Oden and Mr. Basketball choice Chase Budinger in the boys game.
As far as I’m concerned it couldn’t go to a more deserving coach. Despite De La Salle being a football school, and him never having had a “skyscraper” big kid, Allocco is regarded by the top analysts in the state as one of the greatest coaches to ever grace the hardwood in California.
“When people in gyms talk about the state’s best coaches, Frank is on a very short list and right near the top,” remarked StudentSportsBasketball.com Editor Ronnie Flores, who added that Allocco is only the second Northern California coach to ever lead a McDonald’s squad. The late Frank LaPorte coached the West in 1991, a year before his star at Alameda St. Joseph’s and current Brooklyn Nets coach Jason Kidd, played in the game.
The 59-year old Allocco has sent over 50 boys on to play in college and 32 to D1 schools in 17 years at De La Salle.
Now, despite no boys from Northern California being named to the team, Allocco gets to join one his idols in high school coaching as a McDonald’s head coach, the legendary Morgan Wootten of DeMatha (Hyattsville, Maryland), the chairman of the McDonald’s selection committee and a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
He does have two California boys on the squad and looks forward to coaching one of them in particular.
“I’m really looking forward to coaching Stanley Johnson. We played against Mater Dei (Santa Ana) and I’ve watched him grow. It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
2 Comments
Hey, Frank Allocco Jr was fired for obscene behaviour and his dad left De La Salle after he soured on the school for not nursing his precious bloodline. Where’s THAT story?
What’s the story on Frank Allocco Jr.?