Allison Beasley Hits Career Milestone after Overcoming Injury

Long Range Shooter Hits 100th Trey

Allison Beasley is a lot tougher than she looks.  The 5’10” shooting guard from Carolina Day School in Asheville, NC, proved that as fact last summer when, following a knee injury suffered during an AAU tournament, she went after rehab like a young woman possessed.  Surprising everyone, including her rehab instructors, Allison improved faster well beyond expectations and was cleared medically to participate in fall practice a week prior to its official start date.  “She worked awfully hard,” said proud father Mitch Beasley.  “I don’t know how she did it, but it’s hard to believe that anybody could have worked harder than she did to come back.”

Already recognized after two years of varsity experience as one of the best outside shooters in Western North Carolina, Allison has built an impressive resume including being accepted to the prestigious Blue Star All-American Camp and having reached the NCHSAA 1A state quarter finals as a freshman two-guard with Robbinsville High two years ago.  That season she set several school records including most three-point shots made with 56 and 3-point percentage of 45.  An honor student at Robbinsville, the opportunity presented itself early the following summer for Allison to transfer to Carolina Day in Asheville, a hour’s drive from her hometown. 

“She’s always wanted to be pushed whether in sports or academics,” said Mitch.  “When this option became available to her, Allison jumped at the chance, even if it meant staying at the home of friends an hour from home and only seeing my wife, our other daughter and me on weekends.  It was difficult at first, but she grew up a lot last year dealing with most of the issues kids three years older are faced with when they are freshmen in college.  We’re very proud of how she’s handled it all.” 

Once at Carolina Day, Allison adjusted quickly and jumped head first into school and sports.   One critical decision the family made together was when Allison and her parents decided that for her to get the most from the school academically that she should re-classify as a freshman.  “Carolina Day is tough academically,” said Allison’s mother, Crystal.  “We were afraid that if she enrolled as a sophomore that she would fall too far behind academically and put undue pressure on her.  If she was going to do this, we wanted to take some of the pressure off.”  The move also gives Allison an added year of high school eligibility in the region’s private school league.  An avid volleyball player as well, Allison garnered post season All-Conference honors as an outside hitter.  In basketball, she was reunited with her AAU coach, Joe Carrington, one of the top women’s AAU basketball coaches in North Carolina.  The move paid off, too, as the team went 25-1 only to be knocked out of the state private school tournament in the semi-finals by the eventual state champion.  In the post season, Allison was chosen All-Conference after averaging 14.8 points and nearly five rebounds per game on a very talented CDS squad.   

In AAU play, her Lady Royals teams have won three consecutive North Carolina state titles in her age group.  But, the injury she suffered put a crimp in Allison’s style, for about a minute.  Once the shock of going down wore off, Allison threw herself full bore into rehab.  Described by her rehab doctors as the hardest working kid they had ever seen, Allison blew past any early expectations of a long-term recovery period by completing her required workouts two months earlier than predicted.   

Fast forward to early December and Allison is once again back to doing what she loves, playing basketball and competing.  All the hard work has paid off.  During an early season match-up with nearby rival Veritas Christian Academy, she did something few shooting guards dream about, much less accomplish, by draining her 100th career three-point field goal.  Knowing Allison Beasley, there’s a lot more of that to come.